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An oasis for book lovers
By Xu Wenwen |
March 30, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Innocent Age Book Bar on Baoshi (Precious Stone) Hill has a cozy cultural ambience and it is cancer survivor Jane Zhu's way of saying "thank you."
The establishment at the foot of Baochu Pagoda near the West Lake is a landmark in Hangzhou's cultural and creative scene and a place for book lovers to gather, read and exchange ideas.
Ascending 238 steps up Baoshi Hill, visitors can enjoy the book bar, cafe and restaurant.
It offers 7,000 Chinese and English-language books. Visitors can read, borrow, buy, sell or trade books.
They can also enjoy tea and both Chinese and Western food and beverages.
The two-story traditional structure is decorated with fine calligraphy and paintings by well-known artists.
It offers a breathtaking view of the West Lake and landscapes beyond.
Eleven years ago, Zhu was a university English teacher, diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer requiring surgery and lengthy chemotherapy.
Today Zhu is the gracious hostess with pink cheeks and a warm smile, but back then she was forced to ponder life's questions as she contemplated death.
"It's the attachment to life that helped me conquer death," she says, "and the love of family and friends helped me to survive. I asked myself what I could contribute to society if I recovered and what was the purpose of life."
Finally, she determined to open a book bar for bibliophiles to spread caring and knowledge in the scenic city.
"Whether I would die soon or not, I want to leave something for others," she says.
In her sick bed she imagined her dream place: It would have the elegance of a tea house, the relaxed ambience of a bar, the bustle of a cafe, the overflowing information of an Internet cafe and floor-to-ceiling books. It would be a place for sharing ideas.
In 2000, Zhu mortgaged her house and borrowed money to establish her first book bar on Wensan Road W.
"I found the purpose of my life after a grave illness," says Zhu. "It is now my fortune and my life."
The book bar is known as a gathering place for literati and book lovers; its reputation also attracts tourists.
Dozens of distinguished Chinese writers and poets have visited.
Some, like Jia Pingwa and Mo Yan, left calligraphy that is now displayed.
However, the place was nearly closed twice - once was the SARS epidemic outbreak in 2003 and the other two years ago when road renovations drove customers away.
"I couldn't give up, or I would lose everything," Zhu says. "I would fail society."
She asked for government help, and last year she was helped to move the bar to Baoshi Hill where rent is low.
"The determination to run a book bar and to share culture is very rare in today's commercially driven society," says Wang Jian'er, from the Information Office of Hangzhou.
The 280-square-meter establishment has three outdoor terraces with spectacular views of mountains and the West Lake. There's room for free cultural seminars.
Zhu and her family live upstairs in the attic.
Zhu was once offered triple the price to sublet the place, she refused.
She plans to organize activities such as "Reading Classical Books Beside West Lake" and "Parent and Child Readings" to attract more people to culture.
The establishment at the foot of Baochu Pagoda near the West Lake is a landmark in Hangzhou's cultural and creative scene and a place for book lovers to gather, read and exchange ideas.
Ascending 238 steps up Baoshi Hill, visitors can enjoy the book bar, cafe and restaurant.
It offers 7,000 Chinese and English-language books. Visitors can read, borrow, buy, sell or trade books.
They can also enjoy tea and both Chinese and Western food and beverages.
The two-story traditional structure is decorated with fine calligraphy and paintings by well-known artists.
It offers a breathtaking view of the West Lake and landscapes beyond.
Eleven years ago, Zhu was a university English teacher, diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer requiring surgery and lengthy chemotherapy.
Today Zhu is the gracious hostess with pink cheeks and a warm smile, but back then she was forced to ponder life's questions as she contemplated death.
"It's the attachment to life that helped me conquer death," she says, "and the love of family and friends helped me to survive. I asked myself what I could contribute to society if I recovered and what was the purpose of life."
Finally, she determined to open a book bar for bibliophiles to spread caring and knowledge in the scenic city.
"Whether I would die soon or not, I want to leave something for others," she says.
In her sick bed she imagined her dream place: It would have the elegance of a tea house, the relaxed ambience of a bar, the bustle of a cafe, the overflowing information of an Internet cafe and floor-to-ceiling books. It would be a place for sharing ideas.
In 2000, Zhu mortgaged her house and borrowed money to establish her first book bar on Wensan Road W.
"I found the purpose of my life after a grave illness," says Zhu. "It is now my fortune and my life."
The book bar is known as a gathering place for literati and book lovers; its reputation also attracts tourists.
Dozens of distinguished Chinese writers and poets have visited.
Some, like Jia Pingwa and Mo Yan, left calligraphy that is now displayed.
However, the place was nearly closed twice - once was the SARS epidemic outbreak in 2003 and the other two years ago when road renovations drove customers away.
"I couldn't give up, or I would lose everything," Zhu says. "I would fail society."
She asked for government help, and last year she was helped to move the bar to Baoshi Hill where rent is low.
"The determination to run a book bar and to share culture is very rare in today's commercially driven society," says Wang Jian'er, from the Information Office of Hangzhou.
The 280-square-meter establishment has three outdoor terraces with spectacular views of mountains and the West Lake. There's room for free cultural seminars.
Zhu and her family live upstairs in the attic.
Zhu was once offered triple the price to sublet the place, she refused.
She plans to organize activities such as "Reading Classical Books Beside West Lake" and "Parent and Child Readings" to attract more people to culture.
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