On 23 April 2023, reading zones were launched on the Learning Network of the Open University of China (OUC), Lifetime Education Platform, and National Education Platform for the Elderly simultaneously, providing distinct digital reading resources and spaces for different groups.
Over the past year, these reading zones have served users over 550,000 times, nurturing a reading culture trend and facilitating the dissemination of high-quality resources.
As the 29th World Book Day approaches, to deepen the national reading campaign, the OUC, also known as the Seniors University of China (SUC), continued to select top-notch reading resources. New simultaneous additions were launched to the Learning Network, Lifelong Education Platform and National Education Platform for the Elderly, introducing more than 3,000 new books, bringing a total to 10,000, and serving 30 million users. Special columns were also launched for students in degree programmes, working adults, and the elderly. These feature "top-tier books" and "exquisite courses" recommendations, with regular updates to provide readers with high-quality, personalized learning resources.
The reading zone on the Lifetime Education Platform:
“National Reading Campaign to Foster a Love of Reading in China”
The reading zone on the National Education Platform for the Elderly: "Reading Together Across Generations, Sharing the Fragrance of Books"
Furthermore, the reading zone on the Lifelong Education Platform has established three categories: "top-tier books," "exquisite courses," and "selected audio books." These categories aggregate high-quality reading materials from platforms developed by OUC and various external organisations. The content of these resources spans across diverse fields including Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Arts. The reading zone of "Reading Together Across Generations, Sharing the Fragrance of Books" in the National Education Platform for the Elderly has been enhanced with additional features such as book recommendations, reading check-ins, recital shows, and sharing to create diverse interactive reading spaces and enrich the cultural lives of seniors. These comprehensive updates on three major platforms aim to meet the evolving learning and reading needs of readers, encourage more people to develop reading habits, improve self-cultivation and overall quality, and further promote a societal trend of appreciating, reading, and mastering good books.
The OUC has been dedicated to promoting lifelong learning and national reading. This recent update not only brings abundant high-quality resources to readers and provides them with convenient reading channels but also demonstrates the OUC's commitment to serving the national reading campaign. In the future, the OUC will continue to leverage the reading zones of its three platforms to aggregate premium reading resources, enhance their functions, innovate activity formats, lead teachers, students, learners, and the general public to experience the charm and power of reading, cultivate cultural heritage, and make positive contributions to building a society and country of learning where lifelong learning is pursued by all.
By OUC Library (OUC History Museum)