Number of bookstores growing in the country

BEIJING — China had 225,000 bookstores and sales outlets for books at the end of 2018, a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year, according to an annual report on the country’s bookstore industry released on Jan 8.

The report, released by China’s Books and Periodicals Distribution Association, showed that the total sales revenue of publications in the country reached 370.4 billion yuan ($54.76 billion) last year, up 5.9 percent year-on-year, while 158 billion yuan was from retail, which enjoyed an 11.3 percent growth.

Private bookstores played a significant part in the development. As of October, 85 of over 160 outlets of the Sisyphe Bookstore were opened in 2018 alone, and Yanjiyou, another popular brand, opened 53 bookstores from January to November, according to People’s Daily.

New media also contributed to the growth, with major outlets such as Yitiao opening brick-andmortar bookstores last year.

According to the paper, the revitalization of bookstores in China was largely due to favorable policies unveiled in recent years.

After a national guideline on supporting the bookstore industry was issued in 2016, 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities also released policies to boost the industry.

For instance, 50 million yuan of subsidies have been given to 151 bookstores in Beijing since the release of the local guidelines in July, the paper reported.