The opening ceremony of the free reading activity at Taiyuan bookstore on April 23. [Photo/sxrb.com]

Good news comes for readers in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province. Local residents with Taiyuan Library cards can now borrow books from a local bookstore for free, according to Shanxi Daily.

The promotion will run from April 23 to June 1, with the aim of promoting reading among local residents.

Guo Xinping, the curator of Taiyuan Library, explained that the library would pay for books borrowed by residents, and would be the official owner of the books borrowed. The store will offer a free collection service until July 1 and residents can return the books either to the store or the library before then.

"The library is too far away, so I often buy books from the bookstore," said a resident surnamed Li.

"This activity brings greater convenience to my life and it is even better that I don't need to pay for the books," he added.

Taiyuan Library also provided free digital books for World Reading Day on April 23, according to Guo. In addition, people can access 200 magazines by following the library's public WeChat account.