If you're among the ever-shrinking number of individuals who still find time to read for pleasure, consider CHECKING OUT Shenzhen's National Book Expo. The decades-old celebration of the written word is RETURNING to China's Guangdong province this year with the ambiguous theme: 'new time, new reading'. Shen Li reports.

The main venue, Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, covers about 50,000 square meters and boasts three grand exhibition halls.

Close to 2,000 exhibitors will present about 1 million books at the expo this year and more than 500 cultural activities will be held.

Here, a special lecture on bird feathers is underway, presented by China Publishing Group Corporation. The publishing house is preparing to release a new set of books on bird watching.

LIU YANG CHINA PUBLISHING GROUP CORP. "These days, natural history is gaining more and more popularity, especially among children. I think it's because that as living creatures on the planet, we're interested in other species, too. And I think reading books about various plants and animals and the natural world around us is a good initiation into natural sciences for young people. Maybe kids who heard today's lecture will go on to become scientists in the future. And the book expo is a great platform to spark the imagination."

The expo is a proud annual tradition with a 38-year history. This year marks the second time the event has visited the southern city of Shenzhen.

SHEN LI SHENZHEN CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTER "In 1996, Shenzhen's first book mall held the expo right after its official opening and had broken previous records in sales volume and orders. Since then, reading has become one of the outstanding cultural phenomena of this immigrant city."

The city has 632 public libraries to date, one for every 10,000 people, and more than 200 bookstores.

According to a recent report released by the Shenzhen Library, the metropolis is one of the most well-read cities in China, with more average book purchases per resident over the last quarter-century than any other in the country.

The Shenzhen National Book Expo will run until July 22nd. SL, CGTN.