Recently, many members of the Cultural Book Society have been advocating “reading groups,” and we find this approach truly excellent. There are three main advantages: If one person buys books to read, spending a dollar will only buy them books worth a dollar. But if five or even ten people join together to form a reading group and pool their resources, each contributing just a dollar can buy ten dollars’ worth of books. The financial outlay is minimal, while the intellectual gains are substantial. China’s traditional “closed-door research method”—where everyone shuts themselves off in their own little world, refusing to share ideas, offer criticism, or correct one another—is deeply flawed. The best course of action is to invite like-minded friends to establish a small reading group and engage in collaborative study. For example, after you have finished a book, you are sure to have numerous insights, questions, or new discoveries that you would like to share or clarify. With a small reading group in place, you will have an appropriate forum for both sharing and discussion.  Newspapers are something everyone ought to read; they provide an excellent means of staying informed about current events without leaving home—a true “scholar who knows all there is to know about the world without ever stepping outside.” Yet even among students today, many still do not read newspapers, simply because schools often lack the funds to subscribe to multiple copies, resulting in an insufficient number of papers available. The ideal solution would be for each class to organize its own reading group: every student could contribute a few dimes each month, and the collective sum would soon amount to a considerable budget. In addition to purchasing books, this fund could also be used to subscribe to several newspapers—though at the very least, one newspaper should be secured. In that case, each student could instantly become a “scholar who knows all there is to know about the world” without ever leaving the classroom—wouldn’t that be wonderful?

If you find these benefits appealing, why not take the initiative and start a reading group yourself? Should you wish to acquire newly published books, newspapers, or magazines that promote fresh ideas, our society has everything you need. We would be delighted to supply them upon request.