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May 30, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Bookstores try new concepts to lure customers

By Wu Huixin | May 30, 2014, Friday | Print Edition

A 24-hour bookstore is hoping to turn a new page in Hangzhou and early signs are encouraging.

Reading Tree Coffee has seemingly ignited a passion for books as it combines a bookstore and cafe. The brainchild of state-owned Xinhua Bookstore and Feelbest Coffee is designed to bring people back into stores and counter rising sales of ebooks.

The Chinese name, Yue Lan Shu, or happy reading tree, symbolizes the bookstore will take root in Hangzhou.

At this point, the store has 8,000 titles available although the owners are promising more than 20,000 will eventually be available.

Even though it has only been open for about two weeks, streams of customers have been attracted to its West Lake scenic area location. Meanwhile, the goal is to create a cultural scene and new hangout at the bookstore, which will host small exhibitions, reading parties and seminars.

Customer service assistants will help readers find books and bring them to their tables. If a customer can’t find the title they want at Reading Tree Coffee, assistants will order it from Xinhua Bookstore branches in Hangzhou. Free wifi service will also help draw potential customers.

The simple vintage decor creates a comfy atmosphere while the cafe serves up a selection of fresh juices, desserts and coffee. With Reading Tree Coffee doing well in its young life, the business model may open a new path for bookstores to compete with the likes of amazon.cn and dangdang.com.

Of course, it’s not the only bookstore in the city. Shanghai Daily recommends three others popular with avid readers.

Xiaofeng Bookstore

Established in 1996, Xiaofeng is one of the top 10 privately owned bookstores in Zhejiang Province. City newspapers always use the Xiaofeng bestseller list to take the pulse of the book industry.

Books available cover everything from art and social sciences to finance and children’s books. The parent-child reading areas in each branch are extremely popular. Nearby is a selection of toys and stationery items for sale.

Xiaofeng has eight branches in Hangzhou with the Tiyuchang Road outlet its city headquarters. Its list of registered members already exceeds 8,000. Branches will also hold cultural lectures from time to time.

Address: 529 Tiyuchang Rd

Tel: (0571) 8511-6671

Book Cube

Owner Zhu Shenghua believes a bookstore is not just a commercial place to sell books, but a platform where readers and writers can connect.

Though hidden among residential buildings at the end of Zijinghua Road, Book Cube is especially popular with students from Zhejiang University, which is nearby. Occasional lectures and academic salons on poetry, philosophy, current affairs and other issues have proven popular with students.

The bookstore also includes a gallery, exhibition room and a lecture hall, where more than 200 scholars and writers, thus far, have given speeches and lectures.

Address: 405 Zijinghua Rd

Tel: (0571) 8883-2499

Nan Pai San Shu

The bookstore is operated by Xu Lei, the author of the best-selling series “Secrets of a Grave Robber,” which describes the grave-robbing adventures of Wu Xie, a young man hailing from a family that had been tomb-raiders for centuries.

Xu, who writes under the pen name Nan Pai San Shu, lives in Hangzhou and is one of China’s most popular writers with millions of fans. His stories have created a big market for grave-robbing themed novels.

Nan Pai San Shu fans now flock to this bookstore and they may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Xu.

Address: 30 Qiaoxizhi St

Hangzhou


 

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