Book sellers using delivery app to satisfy city’s readers

For those who prefer the feel of holding a real book in their hands as opposed to an ebook, a new service has been devised based on the popular takeout delivery model allowing book lovers to get their hands on the real thing in as quick as 30 minutes and without having to leave home.

With the help of the Beijing government, 72 brick-and-mortar bookstores in the city started offering “takeout books” on food delivery platform Meituan to stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Xinhua News Agency. This is one of the latest efforts by the Beijing government to support local cultural businesses, which have been hit hard by the outbreak.

“Nearly 40 percent of the cultural companies participating in a recent survey estimated a loss of over 1 million yuan ($141,410),” Zhao Lei, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Beijing Committee, said at a news conference held on Feb 19.

Many cultural activities have been put on hold to halt the spread of the virus. Nearly 5,400 performances have been canceled and 183 museums closed in the city since the onset of the outbreak, according to Chen Dong, head of the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

In response, Beijing unveiled a range of relief measures in February to tide its cultural sector over during the global health crisis.

These include subsidies for Beijing-based studios that pushed back or canceled film releases originally scheduled for the Spring Festival holiday, a traditionally lucrative period for the entertainment industry.

Cultural businesses hit hardest by COVID-19, such as cinemas, theaters, event organizers and travel agencies, are allowed to delay social insurance payments until July 31. They will not be charged late payment fees and their credit history will not be affected.

Bookstores with proper COVID-19 control measures in place have been encouraged to stay open during the outbreak. The government will also hand out more coupons to the public to spend on cultural products.

The cultural sector has long been an important economic engine for Beijing. The added value of cultural enterprises or organizations above designated scale — with an annual sales revenue surpassing 5 million yuan — accounts for about 10 percent of the city’s GDP, according to Zhao.

Beijing has in recent months introduced a series of long-term plans and guidelines to raise the cultural profile of the city nationally and internationally. These contain plans to give commercial districts a cultural makeover by bringing in quality cultural facilities, landscapes and projects, and also by hosting more product launches for local and international brands.

In addition to improving established commercial zones such as Wangfujing, Xidan and Sanlitun, new cultural and recreational spaces are to be developed in emerging urban areas including the Huairou Science City and the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone. These spaces will feature a combination of arts, shopping and interactive experiences.

To add technology muscle to cultural offerings, the government will facilitate the cooperation between cultural establishments, and academic institutes and technology giants.