More than reading: Will Chinese bookstores gradually turn into Instagram-worthy tourist attractions?
Updated 22:40, 24-Sep-2019
By She Jingwei
03:47

Many Chinese readers, who had switched to e-reading devices and online bookstores, are now flocking back to brick-and-mortar bookstores as they offer a wider range of new elements including cultural and creative products and reading events, as reported by China Daily earlier this year. 

When the most basic function of bookstores has gradually been replaced, many investors decided to explore and seek more possibilities. Hanging gardens, gorgeous decorations, innovative designs, exquisite and cozy atmosphere are diversifying the libraries' functions. Besides the bookstore serving as a basic reading space, aesthetics, leisure and entertainment have brought new vitality to bookstores. 

Tianjin Binhai Library. /VCG Photo

Tianjin Binhai Library. /VCG Photo

As today's living quality improves, people's pursuit of taste and cultivation goes beyond reading. In recent years, many online sensational bookstores have popped up in China, where visitors usually take stunning photos there instead of just reading books. It seems that Chinese bookstores have gradually been turned into Instagram-worthy tourist attractions. Based on this buzzing social phenomenon, CGTN had a street interview with some visitors.

A unique reading experience

Compared with traditional bookstores or libraries like Xinhua Bookstore, many online sensational bookstores have a built-in coffee shop or dining area for visitors. While immersing themselves in stacks of books, tourists can also enjoy a cup of coffee or grab something to eat. 

The reading area at Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The reading area at Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The Mofan Bookstore, which is tucked away inside an alley near Xuanwumen Station in Beijing, is housed in an old, two-story building with gorgeous interior decoration. However, what attracts visitors most is the building style of the bookstore and its cultural atmosphere. A waiter of the Mofan Bookstore told CGTN that about 60 percent of visitors come to the bookstore just to take photos instead of reading books. 

The Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The cultural and creative products at the Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The cultural and creative products at the Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The interior decorations at the Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

The interior decorations at the Mofan Bookstore in Beijing. /CGTN Photo

Meanwhile, another newly-built library also faces this dilemma. Perched alone on a beach in north China's Hebei Province, the Sanlian seaside library provides visitors with peaceful seaside views and is dubbed the "world's loneliest library." Inspired by a great painting from Andrew Wyeth, Dong Gong designed this seaside library for visitors to soak up the atmosphere along with the sun, the blue sky and the sounds of the beach. Now, this library has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from home and abroad. 

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

When Chinese bookstores gradually turn into Instagram-worthy tourist attractions, what will their future look like? 

Beyond reading: Future trends

But it's undeniable that apart from offering a space for readers, these kinds of online sensational bookstores are now serving as a city's major cultural hub – a number of events like movie screenings, comedy nights, lectures or literary festivals have added highlights to today's brick-and-mortar bookstores. For instance, the Bookworm Bookshop in Beijing hosts weekly and monthly cultural events including Chinese culture talks or sci-fi short story club, bringing a cultural feast for both booklovers and travelers. Readers can follow its official WeChat account to stay up to date on the latest events and choose what they like. 

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

The Sanlian seaside library. /VCG Photo

According to the street interview, some visitors come to these kinds of sensational bookstores just to take photos and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. "As the saying goes, 'Read ten thousand books, walk ten thousand miles.' However, it's not necessary for us to walk ten thousand miles by reading ten thousand books. It's impossible for us to read through all books," said a visitor to Mofan Bookstore in Beijing, suggesting that personal cultivation and taste come from parents, and we cannot learn everything from books.

Will you come to these kinds of online sensational bookstores to buy or read books? Or do you just come to take photos and post them online? Just as another visitor said, "It depends on everyone's own hobby." 

Videographer: Zhang Yi

Video editor: Chen Haoxuan