The charm of old, yellowed pages
To many Shanghai residents, the bookshop that has the most comprehensive selection of books in the city is not a sprawling, multistory complex, nor is it a hip establishment that comes with a cafe and lifestyle area.
Located in Lancun Road in Pudong New Area, Xiaozhu’s Bookstore looks to be the very antithesis of such establishments. Measuring 1,238 square feet, the store features a decor that is austere at best. The only form of decoration is the framed Chinese calligraphy works found on the shelves.
Moreover, the shop sells only secondhand books.
“I don’t run this place to make money,” said the owner Zhu Fengtao, who opened the store after retiring a decade ago. “Running a secondhand bookstore, especially a physical one, isn’t a profitable business these days as people can simply buy books online. I do this because I don’t like traveling or playing mahjong like most elderly people. Rather, I just love reading. I also hope that my shop can help others relax, especially those who earn a lot of money but face a lot of pressure.”
But the diminutive nature of the shop is hardly a reflection of the fact that it is an impressive repository of books. In addition to the 60,000 used titles found in the shop, the 63-year-old retiree also owns 240,000 that are stashed in six warehouses.
Running a bookstore may hardly seem exciting, but Zhu said he is never bored. Besides categorizing the books on the shelves, he also has to spend a lot of time curating his collection and appraising purchases before setting a reasonable resale price.
The fact that Xiaozhu’s Bookstore has been in business for more than 10 years speaks volumes about its popularity with local readers. This was also evidenced by how quickly business returned to normal following its closure because of COVID-19. Today it attracts about 100 customers every day.
Among Zhu’s regular customers is Hu Yongchu, a doctor in the anesthesia department of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital.
“Many forgotten treasures can be found between the tattered pages of used books,” said Hu, who buys mostly medical titles.
“I do not merely obtain knowledge from the books. Oftentimes I get autographs, notes or sketches on the pages by previous owners who are renowned experts in the field.”