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432 million Chinese citizens read digital publications in 2018, according to an industry report published in April.

The report, released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, said an average of 12.4 digital publications were consumed per person in 2018, with each person spending an average of 71.3 minutes reading every time.

The value of China's digital reading market hit nearly 25.5 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) last year, up 19.6 percent year-on-year.

The report said that people aged between 14 and 18 spent more time e-reading overall, while those aged between 25 and 30 read an average of 13.22 digital publications last year, higher than the average figure.

66.4 percent of the readers said they were willing to pay for online publications, and nearly 70 percent confirmed there had been a quality improvement.

The report said that the coming 5G era would further improve the reading experience.

Liu Xin, general manager of Migu, China Mobile's entertainment content subsidiary, noted that the digital communication, which added pictures, audio and video to reading, has already allowed reading to become more vivid, and the development of virtual technologies, as well as artificial intelligence, will offer readers an immersive experience.