SIX PUBLIC PHONE booths in the Xuhui district of Shanghai have been transformed into reading booths, which is a good exploration of urban modernization. The Paper.cn comments:

Six public telephone booths in a conservation zone in Xuhui were recently launched as reading booths in a pilot project. People can still make calls in the renovated phone booths, but they are public reading booths where people can get books to take away and then return them when they have finished reading them. Readers can also participate in relevant book club activities through the official WeChat account.

In the pilot program the authority has placed some books introducing the history and culture of the district. More books are to be placed in the booths later.

As a public service facility public telephone booths are necessary in urban areas, but the utilization frequency is less and less nowadays due to the rapid development of smartphones. The pilot reading booth program sets a good example of a smart city in terms of taking advantage of public facilities to serve the public better.

The reading booths are also a good public facility to promote reading among the citizens. Different from public libraries, the reading booths are small but convenient, and they are easily accessible to the public and so can encourage reading in everyday life.

It also reflects the transformation of the metropolis at the micro level. An excellent city requires not only spectacular buildings, but also the people-oriented mindset and cultural accumulation.