Text Appeal

photography by Xin Ting （辛挺）

text by Hatty Liu

Curl up with a good book—anywhere

若能體會手不釋卷的快樂，

世間何處不可讀書？

Homeless intellectual” Shen Wei， the well-read Shanghai vagrant who shot to online fame in March， describes his celebrity as a wake-up call to fans. “Its not that Im learned，” Shen admonishes them in one video， his appearance in ragged contrast with his extensive book collection and habit of quoting the classics. “Its simply that you read too little.”

Classical texts are replete with quotations that emphasize study as the path to social advancement—but the ancient Chinese found pleasure in reading too. The Analects of Confuciusdescribes the sage as being so enthralled by books that he “forgets to eat.”

Todays China is home to some of the worlds biggest bookstores， or “book cities，” where readers of all ages can curl up directly on the floor with their favorite titles. Sales of e-books and e-readers are also growing. Still， 41 percent of adults did not read any books in 2018， according to the China Academy of Press and Publication.

Ahead of World Reading Day on April 23， 2019， amateur photographer Xin Ting showcased every likely—and unlikely—place where the love for the text persists in China. “When I go to the park， I often see elderly grannies and grandpas reading newspapers， which is becoming rare， so I pressed the shutter，” says the Chongqing resident.

Later， Xin expanded his efforts into capturing the “fleeting moments” when readers lose themselves in the text in various unlikely， distracting， or difficult settings， an experience which he calls “sedentary travel.”

“By taking these photos， I experienced the warmth of a mother and child reading together; the humor of someone scratching their head over a difficult text; the single-minded focus of those who read while walking; and the plight of homeless readers，” Xin says. He writes in the introduction to his online portfolio， “I think society will become a better place if one more person chooses to read.”