An online success story

Zhao Jian, 30, is upset by copycats on short-video platforms, who not only plagiarize his content word for word but also imitate his outfits. As one of the most popular accounts of its type on WeChat Channels, Zhao Jian's Reading Diary is followed by more than 2 million people, and many of his videos have been viewed tens of millions of times.

Growing up next to a training school for traditional Chinese operas, and able to recite large swaths of operatic text, Zhao has been interested in traditional culture, literature and art since he was a child.

Borrowing 400 books a year at university, the bookworm has been promoting reading by establishing a reading club and hosting New Year poetry events for eight consecutive years. These attract not only tens of thousands of readers but also writers such as Yu Hua, Jia Pingwa, Bei Dao and Su Tong.

Now the 30-year-old uses short videos and livestreaming to continue his mission to promote books about traditional Chinese culture and art.

Since graduating from university in 2015, Zhao has been running a 9,000-square-meter bookstore in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, with his friends. However, physical bookshops have been struggling as a result of a boom in online shopping and diverse types of entertainment that easily distract potential book readers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit China. The bookstore was losing money, so Zhao had to reduce its area and rent out space to other businesses.

In January 2021, Zhao opened the account Zhao Jian's Reading Diary on WeChat Channels. He started posting videos of about two to five minutes in length talking about books he liked. Initially it struggled to attract viewers.

In July last year, Zhao came across an old book Hua Hun (Soul of a Painter) in a secondhand bookshop in Nanjing. It is a biographic novel of Pan Yuliang, a pioneering female artist. Initially published in 1983, the book details how Pan, born in the late 19th century, became a great painter after enduring life in a brothel. It has been out of print for many years.

Pan's story deeply touched Zhao. Two weeks later, Nanjing Museum ran an exhibition of Pan's paintings. At the exhibition, Zhao found an artistic style he loves, so he decided to make a short video about the painter.

In September, Zhao's video about Pan went viral online and was watched 30 million times. His followers increased dramatically 100-fold from 2,000. The publisher has reprinted the book and, so far, 20,000 copies have been sold.

"Many viewers can empathize with such a story, seeing parallels with their own struggles in hers," Zhao says, explaining why the video was popular.

"They heard about Pan when they were young and knew her story from plays, films or TV series in the 1980s. The video evokes people's early memories. Many of them bought the book for their children," he says, adding that the book itself is a good biographic novel.

Early interest

About 14 years ago, when Zhao was a grade-one student at a senior middle school in Nanjing, he went to volunteer at the John Magee Library every afternoon. The beautiful library, built more than 100 years ago, ignited his passion for reading. In the following seven years, until graduating from university, Zhao read about 2,000 books.

It changed his life. In senior middle school, Zhao, a top student, excelled at sciences. However, he preferred reading and a slower-paced lifestyle, so he chose to study the arts at university.

"My family lived next to a training school for traditional Chinese opera and many of our relatives were opera performers," he says.

His idea of an enriching life was shaped when he was little, during his interactions with the opera performers, many of whom were in their 50s or older. Their life, in his opinion, was simple — drinking tea every day and performing operas — Zhao recalls.

Naturally, feeling close to traditional culture, he is interested in books about it, as well as art.

He also found that his audience is particularly interested in his videos about people who are representatives of traditional Chinese literati, such as the great poet Su Shi of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and Li Shutong, a master painter, musician, dramatist, calligrapher, seal cutter and Buddhist monk living in late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"They are not forgotten, but you need to find a perspective from which to present them," he says.

The success of the short video about Pan urged Zhao to make more short videos about old masters of traditional culture, art, and literature, such as Syrian poet Adonis, Chinese translator Yang Yi, and professor of Chinese literature Mo Lifeng. He also plans to interview Ye Jiaying, an expert on Chinese ancient literature.

"I personally love visiting these masters, even if I don't make videos. After posting the videos, I find people are still interested in them. These writers should not be forgotten. Their current life, personal experience and representative works are interesting," he says.

Growing influence

In September, he produced a short video about an old bookstore in Suzhou that was watched more than 40 million times. Jiang Chengbo, the owner of the 30-square-meter bookstore, is now 98 years old. Zhao was deeply moved.

"Jiang goes to the bookstore every day to work and bargains with customers using his calculator. And over about 130 years, and four generations, they have never wanted to expand the family bookshop, which is amazing. Every time when I think of him, he reminds me that sometimes there's no need for one to walk too far or push something to its limit. What's more important is to find a way to live comfortably," he says.

Focusing on the books that interest him, Zhao posts a new video every three days and livestreams for four hours, six days a week. His passion and presentation gives his audience a chance to discover less popular books that have been covered with dust in warehouses for a long time.

In November, he promoted Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) compiled by Sima Guang, a historian during the Song Dynasty, and sold a total of 3,000 sets of the multivolume book at a price of more than 1,000 yuan ($140) per set.

"It's simply because few people talk about topics such as Zizhi Tongjian, not because my promotion is successful. The book deserves to sell 3,000 sets," he says.

"Another reason is because, now, many people are interested in deep serious reading. Books about traditional Chinese culture and art still have their market, but it depends on how you present them. You need to target the right readers," he says.

"Compared with other short-video platforms such as Douyin or Kuaishou, WeChat Channels attracts users who are more willing to learn new things, rather than just entertain themselves."

In December, he sold 4,800 copies of Zuimei Zhongguohua (The Most Beautiful Chinese Paintings).

On the evening of June 3, the revenue garnered by books sold through Zhao's livestreaming channel surpassed 1.8 million yuan. He promoted art books created by museums, including the Palace Museum, Louvre Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Now I can't imagine a life without reading books, because it's a big part of my life and my thinking," he says.

"Reading books can really change you, your behavior, your disposition, your personality and the way you think," he says.