Over the past few years the government of Zhenping county, Nanyang, Henan province, has been building more and more public libraries in order to encourage more reading among locals and boost social welfare.

Thanks to the county government's efforts, a total of 410 rural?public libraries?have been opened, enriching lives and providing a great place for children to gain extra knowledge.

"The bookstores have proved popular among local farmers," said a manager of a cultural center. "They often come to read books to learn about farming practices."

Local school pupil, Wu Pei, said, "There are many storybooks in the bookstore. I come to read books every afternoon." Currently, the county's 410?public libraries?are home to more than 600,000 books, magazines and CDs. Each bookstore is stocked with a minimum of 200 books, 20-plus publications and more than 100 audiovisual and electronic publications.

An official from the local government said that the county is trying to develop a long-term effective management system for the bookstores, meeting different kinds of reading demands from locals and encouraging family-shared reading.

A farmer reads a book in one of Nanyang's 410 bookstores. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]