A general rise in the level of education. The percentage of college graduates is soaring, arguably the single biggest cause for the proliferation of book readers in China. An increase in the number of city-dwellers. Rural villages, once home to over 70 percent of the nation's population, suffered for many years from a dearth of bookstores, and extremely few people in the countryside were in the habit of reading. A rising standard of living.
More discretionary income means more book purchases.
More leisure time. Two-day weekends became the norm a few years ago, and the number of official holidays has increased as well. This gives people more free time to visit bookstores and libraries and to read. Improvements in book publishing and distribution channels are also major factors in the increased popularity of reading. Back in the days of pre-reform China's planned economy, publishers did not concern themselves with whether or not their books sold.