What is a bookworm?

Ren Jing considers herself a bit of a bookworm.

She reads book reviews on popular websites, visits online bookstores and buys at least five books a month.

But the problem is, she never has time to read them.

Ren, a 27-year-old public relations manager, is among a growing number of Chinese people who are finding it increasingly difficult to find the time to read each day because of their busy schedules.

It's this sort of trend that has sent alarm bells ringing across China that perhaps not enough people are burying their heads in a book once in a while.

A national survey conducted last year by the China Institute of Public Science revealed that only 48.7 percent of the population read books, a decrease for the sixth consecutive¹ year.

Meanwhile, the number of people using the Internet in China increased drastically to 136 million by the end of last year, perhaps an indicator² that more people's reading habits are vastly changing.

Even the country's publishing industry is feeling the pinch.

The Yilin Press, a leading publisher in China, has been grappling with how to cope with losing many of its readers to digital media.

"There were times when we used to sell more than 1 million copies of a book," Zhao Wei, a Yilin Press director, said.

"Now a book is considered a bestseller when its sales reach about 50,000 copies."

Chen Li, deputy director of the National Library, blamed current social values that encourage overnight fame and success - instead of good old hard work.

"Many people forget how important it is to read and study to cultivate their creativeness and skills."

Xia Xueluan, a sociology professor at Peking University, said: "It is an era of reading pictures from magazine or websites. People like sensational³ and visual impact."

However, Xia warned: "Books offer the essence of theories, which cannot be gained by only reading 'fast-food' information online."