Writer Bi Feiyu releases his first podcasts

Among those surveyed, 42.4 percent favor romance stories; 42 percent prefer history, classics and culture; 33.5 percent enjoy literature; and 20.5 percent listen to traditional pingshu (Chinese storytelling shows).

Bi calls himself a "drunkard seeking happiness in reading".

He believes classics are resourceful, interpretable and free.

"They allow readers to freely indulge as much as possible in the happy moments of reading," the writer says.

"No matter how much you already know, every time you read it brings you something new and delightful, whether it's a grasshopper, a rice stalk or a whole harvest. Every reading session is time travel and dialogue."

Bi is known for his ability to uncover truths hidden in the details of texts.

He has won prestigious literary prizes for his novels, novellas and short stories. He's also the 2017 Chevalier of the French Order of Arts and Letters.

He was born in Xinghua, Jiangsu province, and has been living and writing in the provincial capital, Nanjing, for 30 years.

Indeed, the concept of podcasts is new to the author. He only recently began to use a mobile phone.

Ximalaya FM's vice-president Jiang Feng says cultural content, especially those related to Chinese traditions, has been a big seller since the company began to offer paid-for content in June 2016.

The most popular podcasts during the first year were about skill-and-knowledge development, speechmaking and learning English, he said in a speech in June. This year, customers prefer topics related to the humanities, culture and philosophy.