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City offers a world of words
By Shi Xiaohan |
May 5, 2011, Thursday
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WITH a long history and rich cultural heritage, Hangzhou is "heaven on Earth" not only for visitors, but also for bibliophiles from all over the world. Public libraries and bookstores are always filled with page-turning thrills, while reading clubs welcome book lovers from all backgrounds.
Bookstores
Hangzhou has big bookstore chains as well as many independent boutique bookshops, both capable of catering to various readers' needs. Bookstores in Hangzhou are always full of surprises and browsing is always encouraged.
With an area of 7,400 square meters, Hangzhou's Foreign Language Bookstore is one of the biggest. More than 10,000 imported books and some 5,000 imported audio products are sold on the third floor of the store. An entire collection of Lonely Planet guidebooks and English-language magazines, such as National Geographic, are also available. English-language novels are sold on the second floor along with language-learning materials. The bookstore is decorated in a Western style with a book-shaped chandelier above the lobby and wooden stairs.
Contrary to the state-owned mega bookstores such as the Foreign Language Bookstore, Fenglinwan, a 12-year-old private bookstore, specializes in academic books.
"Fenglinwan's core competence is the steady development of a network over a dozen of years," said Zhu Shenghua, a former investment analyst who opened the bookstore. Today, the 2,000-square-meter bookshop has been divided into a cafe, art room and creative products counter as well as a book area. The store frequently hosts free performances, lectures and meet-and-greet events with well-known writers. With its reputation, Fenglinwan was hired by Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, to set up a library at the company headquarters in Hangzhou last year.
Public libraries
Hangzhou was the first city in the country to feature public libraries with "equal, free and easy-to-access services for all." Following the example set by Hangzhou Public Library, all public libraries in Hangzhou are free of charge.
Situated near the West Lake, Zhejiang Library, one of China's oldest libraries, is famous for its grand collection of ancient encyclopedias. A feature less well-known about the library is its large selection of books in foreign languages such as English, Japanese, Russian, German and French.
Most of the foreign books are non-fiction covering subjects of law, economics, medicine and arts. A special collection of donated publications from overseas including information about various universities and books donated by Japanese libraries is on the third floor. The library was also designated to be a UN depository library in 2001 with more than 1,500 copies of UN documents available for reading. About 80,000 audio-visual documents concerning politics, economics, history and geography are free to check out on the second floor.
Unlike the academic atmosphere of Zhejiang Library, Hangzhou Library has a homely environment with the theme "people's library, the citizens' reading corner." The library is furnished with cozy carpets, comfortable sofas and wooden bookshelves to attract readers. In the foreign language section where reading areas are reminiscent of salons in stately English homes, there is even a virtual fireplace adding a finishing touch to the grand treatment. Other sections are delightfully decorated in different styles such as Zen and country according to the subject matter of the books they hold. Equipped with lamps and free wi-fi, there is plenty of space in the library for readers to spend quality time cuddling up with a good book.
Reading clubs
If you like meeting new friends, joining a reading club could be an enjoyable way of indulging in your hobby of reading. In Hangzhou, it is not hard to find places to meet like-minded individuals and discuss opinions and ideas raised by books you have read.
The Innocent Age Book Bar at the foot of Baochu Pagoda near the West Lake houses 7,000 books in Chinese and English and offers a breathtaking view of the West Lake landscapes.
The founder of the book bar organizes regular reading salon events such as "reading classical books beside the West Lake" and "parent and child readings." Since 2003, the book bar has hosted the "Open-air Poem Reading Salon" on the last Saturday afternoon of every month.
Participants read and discuss various types of work by poets from all over the world.
Some members also share their own poems with the group.
If you are curious about traditional Chinese culture, "West Lake Reading Salon" might be the event where you can meet people who share your interest.
The salon, aimed at bringing traditional culture back to life, was started by an employee at Xiling Publishing House and a calligraphy artist.
The bi-weekly salon began last October and takes place every other Saturday afternoon at the China Art Weekly Gallery right under Wushan Mountain.
Participants from various backgrounds share their enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture including ancient literature, philosophy, art, architecture and even traditional medicine.
All participants sign up at the salon with writing brushes in the same way ancient intellectuals did when they gathered.
Bookstores
Hangzhou has big bookstore chains as well as many independent boutique bookshops, both capable of catering to various readers' needs. Bookstores in Hangzhou are always full of surprises and browsing is always encouraged.
With an area of 7,400 square meters, Hangzhou's Foreign Language Bookstore is one of the biggest. More than 10,000 imported books and some 5,000 imported audio products are sold on the third floor of the store. An entire collection of Lonely Planet guidebooks and English-language magazines, such as National Geographic, are also available. English-language novels are sold on the second floor along with language-learning materials. The bookstore is decorated in a Western style with a book-shaped chandelier above the lobby and wooden stairs.
Contrary to the state-owned mega bookstores such as the Foreign Language Bookstore, Fenglinwan, a 12-year-old private bookstore, specializes in academic books.
"Fenglinwan's core competence is the steady development of a network over a dozen of years," said Zhu Shenghua, a former investment analyst who opened the bookstore. Today, the 2,000-square-meter bookshop has been divided into a cafe, art room and creative products counter as well as a book area. The store frequently hosts free performances, lectures and meet-and-greet events with well-known writers. With its reputation, Fenglinwan was hired by Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, to set up a library at the company headquarters in Hangzhou last year.
Public libraries
Hangzhou was the first city in the country to feature public libraries with "equal, free and easy-to-access services for all." Following the example set by Hangzhou Public Library, all public libraries in Hangzhou are free of charge.
Situated near the West Lake, Zhejiang Library, one of China's oldest libraries, is famous for its grand collection of ancient encyclopedias. A feature less well-known about the library is its large selection of books in foreign languages such as English, Japanese, Russian, German and French.
Most of the foreign books are non-fiction covering subjects of law, economics, medicine and arts. A special collection of donated publications from overseas including information about various universities and books donated by Japanese libraries is on the third floor. The library was also designated to be a UN depository library in 2001 with more than 1,500 copies of UN documents available for reading. About 80,000 audio-visual documents concerning politics, economics, history and geography are free to check out on the second floor.
Unlike the academic atmosphere of Zhejiang Library, Hangzhou Library has a homely environment with the theme "people's library, the citizens' reading corner." The library is furnished with cozy carpets, comfortable sofas and wooden bookshelves to attract readers. In the foreign language section where reading areas are reminiscent of salons in stately English homes, there is even a virtual fireplace adding a finishing touch to the grand treatment. Other sections are delightfully decorated in different styles such as Zen and country according to the subject matter of the books they hold. Equipped with lamps and free wi-fi, there is plenty of space in the library for readers to spend quality time cuddling up with a good book.
Reading clubs
If you like meeting new friends, joining a reading club could be an enjoyable way of indulging in your hobby of reading. In Hangzhou, it is not hard to find places to meet like-minded individuals and discuss opinions and ideas raised by books you have read.
The Innocent Age Book Bar at the foot of Baochu Pagoda near the West Lake houses 7,000 books in Chinese and English and offers a breathtaking view of the West Lake landscapes.
The founder of the book bar organizes regular reading salon events such as "reading classical books beside the West Lake" and "parent and child readings." Since 2003, the book bar has hosted the "Open-air Poem Reading Salon" on the last Saturday afternoon of every month.
Participants read and discuss various types of work by poets from all over the world.
Some members also share their own poems with the group.
If you are curious about traditional Chinese culture, "West Lake Reading Salon" might be the event where you can meet people who share your interest.
The salon, aimed at bringing traditional culture back to life, was started by an employee at Xiling Publishing House and a calligraphy artist.
The bi-weekly salon began last October and takes place every other Saturday afternoon at the China Art Weekly Gallery right under Wushan Mountain.
Participants from various backgrounds share their enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture including ancient literature, philosophy, art, architecture and even traditional medicine.
All participants sign up at the salon with writing brushes in the same way ancient intellectuals did when they gathered.
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