President Xi Jinping has encouraged the whole Chinese society to read more to foster a good reading environment, in a congratulatory letter sent on the occasion of the country's first national reading campaign that opened on Saturday.

In the letter, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said reading is an important channel for people to acquire knowledge, gain wisdom and raise their moral standards, adding that reading has been encouraged by the Chinese nation since ancient times and it has helped shape the Chinese people's confident and self-strengthening characters.

Xi expressed the hope that Party members and cadres can take the lead in reading and encouraged children to develop a habit of reading.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, read the letter and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Huang called for the thorough study and implementation of Xi's important instructions and urged efforts to set up a system to promote reading in both urban and rural areas.

The campaign will include forums, exhibitions, book launch events, and other themed activities.