Beijing's Xicheng district to build 40 reading spaces

Xicheng district officials announced plans to build 40 free public reading spaces in urban communities in the district. The first public reading space opened on January 6 in Yutaoyuan, the Beijing Times reported.

The books in the Yutaoyuan reading space have all been collected from local residents, and there are also home appliances and large touch screen monitors available to help visitors find books.

Xicheng district will also soon be home to a reading service network, that features free public libraries, designated reading spaces, mobile libraries, and e-book lending machines along with cloud reading technology.