The Shanghai Education Commission has set an ambitious plan to make all primary school grade one pupils use e-textbooks within five years.
The technology will be promoted to higher grades later.
Singapore and Korea have already developed their digital textbooks through five-year plans.
In Shanghai parents won’t pay for the e-textbooks or digital textbook readers as it will be part of the government investment.
Pilot programs for digital textbooks have been carried out in several local schools, where students used tailor-made laptops to get and study their lesson and do their homework.
Shanghai Daily reports that in response to parents’ concerns the textbook reader is still being designed to make it more study-oriented and less a strain on eyes.