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 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.