(WANG JINGSHENG)

A reader picks books in Beijing's Sanlian Taofen Bookstore on the early morning of April 9.

The bookstore launched a 10-day trial of 24-hour opening on April 8. If the trial goes smoothly, it may never close again. Some 3 million yuan ($483,600) have been invested in the operation, according to the bookstore's management.

According to a survey by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, the average Chinese person read 4.39 books in 2013.