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Curl up with a good book at these places
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BOOKSTORES are struggling in a time when reading on digital devices is convenient and inexpensive. But cafes, teahouses, libraries or other places offering comfortable chairs and a decent selection of books and periodicals can still carve out a niche in the market.
A 24-hour bookstore/cafe that opened in Hangzhou a few months ago has become a trendy hangout. Reading Tree Coffee, co-run by state-owned Xinhua Bookstore and Feelbest Coffee, boasts almost 30,000 titles as well as a variety of cuisine that ranges from breakfast foods to night snacks.
“It does not matter whether you call it a cafe or a bookstore, our aim is to keep you here to read,” says manager Jiang Kan.
She says the store has hosted book launches, signings and lectures to keep customers walking through its doors.
Reading Tree has done so well that dozens of customers can still be found between 1am and 6am as food and books are sold at a 50 percent discount.
It is the city’s first 24-hour bookstore/cafe but there are other places where readers can sit back and flip through the pages of a good book like “The Dragon Lady” or “A Thousand Splendid Suns.”
Shanghai Daily recommends three venues popular with avid readers.
1013 Book Cafe
This cafe has warm lighting with jazz music playing in the background.
It’s also got more than 1,000 books. The first floor has about 100, but the second floor is where avid readers go to while away an afternoon. There’s a wall of books, large tables and the music isn’t as loud, making it a nice place to get lost in a novel like “Shalimar the Clown” or “Master and Commander.”
The first floor is usually busier with customers eating a selection of rice and pasta dishes and gulping down various beverages. Alcoholic drinks are served at night.
Address: 156 Wen’er Rd
Hours: (0571) 8800-3900
Feelbest Coffee
This is one of the first cafes in the city that encouraged customers to hang out and read for hours.
About 1,000 books and magazines cover topics from philosophy and history to fashion and romance.
The cafe is well designed with tall bookshelves forming a circle in the center and there is a combination of square and circular tables for readers to sit at while they peruse books.
The cafe serves salads, pastas, sandwiches, desserts and, of course coffee.
Address: 3/F, 436 Fengqi Rd
Hours: (0571) 8515-8000
Hangzhou Public Library’s Buddhism Branch
Among lofty pine trees is Faxi Temple. Nearby is a small building that is somewhat obscured by trees. It looks like a house, but it’s actually a library featuring Chinese books about Buddhism.
Hangzhou Public Library’s Buddhism Branch can’t be beaten when it comes to an old-time feel. Paper lanterns along with wooden ceiling, pillars, shelves and flooring make it feel as though it’s the late 1800s.
Free parking, Wi-Fi and drinking water (bring a cup) are a nice touch although readers need a Hangzhou citizen card to borrow a book.
Of course, bringing your own book, tablet or laptop is allowed. Find a good chair and desk or plop yourself down on a sofa and read as long as you like.
The temple serves a vegetarian lunch for 5 yuan (80 US cents). Admission to the temple is 10 yuan.
Address: 317 Tianzhu Rd (Find the path to Faxi Temple and the library is on the left side, about 100 meters north of the temple)
Hours: 9am-5:30pm (closed on Mondays)
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