A new chapter in the story of personal libraries

A bookstore in the central province of Hubei is making a bid to revive China’s ancient culture of home study by designing and supplying libraries tailored to homeowners’ specific demands.

The service, provided by the Hubei Foreign Languages Bookstore in Wuhan, the provincial capital, is thought to be the only one in the country.

Since starting the service in April, the store has received nine orders, and many people have visited to consult staff members, according to Chen Yun, the general manager.

“In addition to designing libraries, we also make tailored recommendations for customers’ book collection. Our bookstore is probably the first in China to offer such a service,” he said.

The rooms are designed to hold 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000 books. The price of a 1,000-book library is about 50,000 yuan ($7,490). However, that does not include the cost of the books, and customers can only select 70 percent of the volumes that will sit on their shelves, although the store will offer advice based on the client’s profession and hobbies.

The bookstore will choose the remaining 30 percent of the library, which will comprise works by well-known authors and scholars, including Yang Shuzi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wuhan University professors Feng Tianyu, a culturologist, and Guo Qiyong, who teaches sinology. The collection will also feature classic works of literature, history and philosophy.

“In addition to tailored libraries, we can also make suggestions to enlarge the collection, based on customers’ needs, and order more books,” said Chen, adding that the store has agreements with more than 500 publishing houses.

He said the idea of starting the service occurred to him in 2015 after many of his friends asked his advice about building personal libraries.

“While living standards have improved a lot, people’s spiritual and cultural lives are lagging behind. Since ancient times, Chinese people have paid great attention to their personal libraries.

I think people will return to printed books eventually ... it could help them to study systemically.” general manager of the Hubei Foreign Languages Bookstore

Chen Yun, Nowadays, many people build libraries when they decorate their home. However, they can also be used for something other than books. Many people don’t know how to choose books and also have no idea about which classics are worth reading,” he said.

“Many people are busy and can’t remember much of the fragmented reading they do on their smartphones. I think people will return to printed books gradually because it could help them to study systemically.”

In addition to booklovers and young parents with university educations, many of the customers are entrepreneurs.

Wang Baobin, who works for a construction company in Wuhan, welcomed the service, even though he hasn’t applied. Despite having about 10,000 books at home himself, the 42-year-old believes most families could manage with 300 to 500 books, and 1,000 to 2,000 books would be too many for the average home.

Gong Zheng, a history teacher at a senior high school in the city, is considering using the service. “I noticed the special service when I came to the store to buy books for my students. It’s very nice. I have a 40-square-meter library to decorate, and I want to ensure it will meet the needs of different family members,” he said.

Gong, 31, said his ideal library would be one with shelves on all four walls, which he believes would create a good atmosphere for children to read in.

“At present, I only read one book a year, but I really hope I can spare more time for reading in the future,” he said.