With World Book Day just around the corner, the Xinhua Bookstore outlet in Bengbu, east China’s Anhui Province, has undergone an unusual makeover, giving book lovers a railway theme to whisk them off on their own literary journeys. 

Rails, switches, signals and old-fashioned “green train” car seats can now be found throughout the three-storey bookstore. 

As China’s largest state-owned nationwide bookstore chain, Xinhua Bookstore celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

With the development of online book sales, Xinhua Bookstore has been forced to adapt to a changing industry. Many of the stores across the country have been gradually closed because of declining customer numbers.

On the other hand, however, a new range of quirky and creative Xinhua Bookstores are fighting back, attracting readers to return to the high street across the country. The very first coffee-themed Xinhua Bookstore was unveiled in Shanghai earlier in March, making it a cozy place for bookworms to read and relax with a sip of cappuccino.

With books now available online in physical and digital formats, there is still a long way to go in terms of bringing the traditional bookstore into the 21st century, but Xinhua Bookstores - especially this train-themed readers' retreat - appear to be on the right track.