Looking down is a daily routine, looking up is for reading.

Architect Chen Min has an extremely diverse "reading list" on her phone. During the morning commute on the subway, she is used to putting on noise - cancelling headphones and learning about the latest industry information from podcast shows. At lunchtime in the restaurant, she seizes the fragmented time while waiting for the meal to quickly browse through several architecture - aesthetics tweets she follows on her phone. During work breaks, she likes to step out of the office and take a walk on the streets of Shanghai, observing the texture of historical buildings and the flow of urban space. For her, this is also a form of in - depth reading. Before going to bed late at night, she returns to a more traditional experience, catching up on a chapter of a serialized online novel on her tablet.

In fact, reading nowadays is no longer a specific ritual that requires sitting upright. Instead, it seeps into every nook and cranny of life as naturally as air. This "anytime, anywhere" reading state is strongly supported by research data. The newly released "2025 Annual Report on Digital Reading in China" shows that the contact rate of digital reading methods among adult Chinese nationals has reached 80.8%. From audio podcasts during the commute to serialized online novels for bedtime company, the spatial and temporal boundaries of reading have been completely broken. Personalized, scene - based, and multi - sensory "ubiquitous reading" is becoming a daily norm for the public.

Behind this transformation is a profound change in the behavior pattern of knowledge acquisition. Data shows that fragmented reading has become the mainstream, and the daily reading time of adult nationals on mobile phones (100.47 minutes) is nearly five times that of reading printed books. Meanwhile, the boundaries of reading are constantly expanding with technology and social needs. The rapid development of AI technology is not only reshaping reading efficiency but also redefining reading itself.

More than 60% of users yearn for personalized experiences that fit different scenarios. An increasing number of people choose to acquire knowledge by listening to audiobooks and watching video book reviews. Reading is evolving from "an isolated personal practice" to "a full - sensory, multi - modal exploration."

We must admit that reading is essentially the "intake" of information, and the medium is just a container for it. Digital reading is not the end of reading. On the contrary, with its high efficiency and penetration, it has become the forerunner of "ubiquitous reading," making us start to think: When knowledge acquisition is no longer limited to a small screen, where exactly are the boundaries of reading?

Poster of the KIC Knowledge Art Festival

The 4th KIC Knowledge Art Festival, which kicked off in Shanghai on April 23, is a profound response to this proposition. This year's theme is "X Possibilities of Reading," aiming to break the boundaries of reading and allow knowledge to seep into every corner of life as naturally as breathing.

When the concept of "X Possibilities of Reading" extends from the signpost on University Road in Yangpu District to every interactive scene, it reminds the city that reading is not just about the movement of the eyes but also the participation of the body. At the KIC Knowledge Art Festival, sitting on the steps or listening to a play on the street is essentially "reading" the world with all the senses of the body. From the moment you step onto the "Knowledge Steps," you are already in a library without walls. In the process of reading everything, you regain control of your life.

Stand Upright as a Human, Lie Down to Read

Reading should not be a ritual restricted to a specific place but a lifestyle that can be embraced anywhere. When we shift our gaze away from the screen, we will find that the "ubiquity" of space is lowering the threshold of reading and making knowledge acquisition all - pervasive.

From World Book Day on April 23 to the May Day holiday, the huge steps in front of Jiangwan Stadium will transform into a prominent "Knowledge Steps." It is wrapped in a real - life bullet - screen wall that glows with a spiritual light, as if proclaiming that Shanghai finally has its own Cheonggyecheon Outdoor Library.

Knowledge Steps Library

Just as the Cheonggyecheon in Seoul moves bookshelves into the valley and replaces hard desks with bean bags, the Cheonggyecheon Outdoor Library is famous for its free - reading spirit of breaking down walls and breathing in nature. The "Knowledge Steps" at Jiangwan Stadium have the same idea - they both attempt to move reading from the quiet indoors to the flowing urban daily life.

On University Road, the Knowledge Steps are not just a physical device but more like a "reading prescription" for everyone in a hurry. The steps here are not meant to restrict you to sitting down. Instead, through multi - scene penetration, you can smoothly enter the reading state in any posture - whether you are standing and chatting, lying down and relaxing, or walking your dog on a leash. The overlapping golden - quote bullet - screens on the steps, such as "The sound of turning pages is the cheapest white noise in the world," make interesting ideas resonate in the breeze.

Knowledge Steps Library

At KIC, reading is completely liberated from the walls of the study. You will see a cool declaration: "Stand upright as a human, lie down to read." Here, "any way of reading counts." It breaks the uniqueness of the carrier. It can be an audiobook on the headphones or a in - depth tweet on the phone. The functional areas on - site show a deep understanding of diverse lifestyles: you can get into the "Corner Library" in a restaurant or a coffee shop and enjoy concentration in the bustling city; or stop at the "Pet Reading Box" with your pet and open an interesting handbook in the sun.

Corner Library

This exploration of "ubiquitous reading" allows knowledge to naturally integrate into the daily life of the "Knowledge Street" in the entire KIC area. The huge prints and the wall of golden - quote sticky notes together form a wall - less library. When you walk into the dining area and casually open a healing comic, or start an audio - visual journey through a QR code in a coffee shop, you will find that knowledge acquisition has already penetrated into every casual life scene.

This reshaping of space ultimately points to an immersive "infinite - stream" creative setting. Instead of swiping through fictional game copies on a small screen, it's better to physically enter the real - world copy of "The Rules of Infinite Reading" coded as CR - 0423. In the KIC setting, the mission of participants is to re - activate the neglected reading dimensions by completing metaphorical tasks.

You can choose a comfortable posture on the "Bullet - Screen Steps" and have a 15 - minute in - depth reading. These deliberate fifteen minutes are a legitimate vacuum period to put down your phone and a counter - attack to regain your attention from fragmented information. Only by completing this focus challenge can you receive the crucial "infinite - stream copy map." This map is your ticket to start the exploration journey of "Everything is Readable" on University Road. From this moment on, use the four rules of analysis, perception, intervention, and creation to decipher the knowledge codes hidden in the streets and alleys of the city.

In essence, "ubiquitous reading" is the activation of space. When reading is everywhere, the city is no longer just a pile of steel and concrete but an encyclopedia that can be touched, entered, and even continued. Every waiting area, every coffee shop, and every ordinary stairwell on University Road is a world of reading. This diversified spatial reconstruction makes reading no longer an isolated personal practice but a group breakthrough that breaks cognitive boundaries and restores color to the city, a lifestyle that truly resonates with the pulse of the city.

Knowledge Street

University Road, a "University without Walls"

When we talk about "ubiquitous reading," what exactly are we reading?

"Ubiquitous reading" is not only the transfer of reading carriers but also a cognitive upgrade from vision to full - sensory perception. In the traditional reading logic, the eyes are the only entrance for information, and text is the only code. However, in the blocks of KIC Creative Park, reading is restored to a biological instinct - everything is readable, and the world is the text.

Knowledge Street

This full - sensory intervention helps us regain control of our attention. In today's digital age, algorithms feed our eyes precisely by catering to our preferences, creating a self - consistent dopamine illusion, but also leaving us in a situation of perceptual poverty. "Ubiquitous reading" requires the full participation of the body. It requires you to be physically present, to smell the semantics behind the flower - scented special in the coffee shop, and to touch the traces left by the craftsman on the handmade objects at the market. This physical participation gives reading unprecedented depth. Through in - depth store cooperation, such as having a delicious work meal at Mafia, you are forcibly pulled out of the 15 - second fragmented algorithm, allowing you to capture those real moments with a sense of breath that cannot be digitally replicated in real chewing and conversation.

Thus, the connotation of reading also changes. It evolves from isolated information intake to warm connection.

In the inspiration market on University Road, when you stop to talk to the stall owners or participate in an impromptu collage - poem creation on the wall, you are actually randomly reading vivid chapters of people's lives. This is a light - social reading based on connection, which transforms reading from a self - indulgent personal practice into a cultural co - creation involving the whole area.

Therefore, "ubiquitous reading" is a way for humans to fight against mediocrity in the fragmented era. It proves that reading is not just a mental ascetic practice but also a reward for the body. At the KIC Knowledge Art Festival, these moments that cannot be digitally replicated constantly remind us that although algorithms can accurately calculate what you want, only when you arrive in person and fully engage will the real world show you its deeper, more charming folds and warmth.

Infinite - Stream Copy

Feel the World of X Possibilities with Your Heart

The notes going viral on social media depict a new cultural picture of contemporary youth. Reading a chapter of a book on the Knowledge Steps without a care in the world or encountering a flash mob of musical cast members on the corner of University Road - these vivid pictures are micro - samples of contemporary people's reconstruction of "ubiquitous reading" habits and the beginning of our reconstruction of the sovereignty of life.

If you also want to join this reading feast, the best start is to get the clearance manual at the Knowledge Steps.

We should understand that the ultimate goal of "ubiquitous reading" may not be to stuff more profound knowledge into our minds but to regain the confidence to fight against confusion in the certainty that everything is readable.

Knowledge Street

Go to the city streets and feel this real world full of "X" possibilities. From April 23 to May 5, the KIC Knowledge Art Festival is a powerful response to the reading dilemma in the AI era.

Here, the tentacles of reading extend to every blind spot of cognition. You can participate in the interesting interaction of "Beg You to Read Day" on Xiaozhouyu; or enter the round - table intellectual discussion and talk with experts about "AI Empowering Enterprise Co - creation" to explore how to transform technology into a plug - in of wisdom. Here, the forms of reading are cross - integrated in an unprecedented way. You can immerse yourself in the offline salon series of "The Great Comet" at the Shanghai Grand Theatre and feel the in - depth reconstruction of literature by drama; or understand the future woven by art and cutting - edge technology in the notes of the Starry Chamber Orchestra and the street roving of the "Optimus Prime Robot."

When algorithms try to preset all the answers for us and when we worry that in - depth thinking is being deconstructed by fragmentation, every corner of University Road reminds us that reading is the anchor point of life we grasp in the fragmented era.

So - called "ubiquitous reading" is the ability to establish a deep connection with the world at any subtle moment. It allows us to no longer passively accept the feeding of algorithms but actively extract meaning from everything. Exploring the "X" possibilities of reading is to break the barriers of school gates and walls and turn the whole city into a "boundless university." As long as you are looking, listening, feeling, and communicating, you are reading. In this library without walls, may we all rediscover the essence of life through ubiquitous exploration.