Initially, I assumed most readers of Chinese texts in Edmonton were newcomers. However, my research into the reading practices of this community helped me realize this is inaccurate.
Reading in Chinese is a way to reconnect with Chinese culture, and the majority of the people who borrow Chinese texts are, in fact, not newcomers. Readership is most evident among Edmontonians who has lived in the city for years. The desire to keep in touch with culture is relevant to many people who are part of the Chinese community. The process of immigration is another factor to consider: the librarian at the Confucius Institute suggested that newcomers generally want to settle down properly first before finding a resource for reading material.
Parents in the Chinese community want their children to stay connected to their culture by learning the language. Libraries often have a corner dedicated to children's literature. Parents certainly have a stake in deciding what kinds of material their children read. For example, even as a child, my mom would often bring home children's books and workbooks from the Chinese Culture Center as a way to help me cement what I learned in Chinese school. Many of these books are still on my bookshelf today, and I still make use of them from time to time.
While investigating reading practices in the Chinese community, I also uncovered some generational differences. When I interviewed an older demographic about their reading practices and their thoughts on what was popular in the Chinese community, I received answers that referred to physical books, whether they were fiction or non-fiction. However, in contrast, the younger demographic I interviewed read on their electronic devices. Many said that they read on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Although the younger demographic did show a preference for novels and fiction books over anything else, they were often ones found online, such as an online series or e-book. According to one reader, these preferences reflect the popular practice of online novels in China. Not a lot of these younger readers know where to get Chinese reading material in Edmonton, and hardly visit specialized libraries.
