MCLC: Zhongshuge bookshop

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Zhongshuge bookshop
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Source: China Daily (5/20/13):
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2013-04/23/content_16437739.htm

Books with bling
By Wu Ni (China Daily)

Stylish dealer combines Chinese and European elements to lure readers, Wu
Ni reports in Shanghai.

In a time when a click of mouse can get a book delivered to your door,
would anyone bother to go to a bricks-and-mortar bookstore?

The Zhongshuge Bookshop, dubbed the most beautiful bookshop in Shanghai,
makes it worth paying a visit whether you need a new hardcover or not.

Located in Thames Town, a British-themed community in suburban Songjiang
district, the two-story spire-roofed house blends nicely with the
neighboring British-style architecture.

The doorway of the bookshop has a gothic dome, intending to impress
visitors with a sense of sanctuary, according to Alex Fang, the general
manager.

Entering the house, you can be overwhelmed by books, which fill up the
dark brown shelves and space between the steps of stairs. The floor of the
hall is a smooth glass under which rows of books are neatly put together
as if a large bookcase has been pulled down and laid under the transparent
floor.

"We are creating a sea of books," Fang says, "the reader is like a canoe
drifting in the sea of books."

To escape from that sea, turn left to a secluded area where all the clamor
seems to vanish. The hideaway, which looks like a labyrinth, is actually a
gridlike pattern reminiscent of Jiugongge (nine-grids structure) when
viewed from above. Jiugongge was the basis of urban planning in ancient
China.

Each of the nine grids is a small reading room and contains books of a
certain theme, such as economy, history and health. Cozy seats beside the
shelves or couches at the glass curtain windows provide a perfect place to
rest and read.

"We tried to add Chinese traditional elements to this European-style
building because it is the very essence of Shanghai culture that Eastern
and Western culture collide and interact," Fang says.

He also reveals a secret space in the labyrinth - a meditation room. The
small room has only one seat, and when the door closes one feels cut off
from the outside world.

"It was inspired by Steve Jobs, who would shut himself in a room and
meditate when faced with difficult problems," Fang says.
But readers who want to try it should first register to become members of
the bookshop through its website, www.zhongshuge.com.cn.

The entrance of the second floor is called the relaxation center, complete
with a bathroom. On the shelves are a series of hand-sized publication
called The Stories. The 50 year-old semimonthly has a long reputation of
entertaining readers with short stories and folk tales. One can take a few
to read in the toilet.

Despite the rare original editions of many books on art and design in the
corridor of second floor, it is hard to distract from the egg-shaped
reading room of the floor: Pure white bookshelves reach to the ceiling,
while mirrors and illumination make the space vivid and bright.

"If the first floor is built as a private study, the second floor is to
create a feeling of reading in the clouds," Fang says. "The space is for
breaking the limits and inspiring creative ideas."

Books here are for young people under 25, with topics such as science
fiction, puppy love and animation. No seats can be seen here and readers
can rest in whatever way they feel comfortable.

There are about 40,000 books in the bookshop and 25 to 30 percent are not
available in the online stores, which is one way the shop competes with
virtual stores, according to Fang.

The books and the decoration cost about 10 million yuan ($1.62 million),
he says.

To add charm to the bookshop, the coffee it provides is worth tasting.
Fang says the coffee beans are imported from Columbia and a secret recipe
makes it distinctive.

Swarms of people pose and take pictures in and outside the bookshop - many
apparently have more enthusiasm for taking photos than choosing books.

But Zhang Wenqing, 28, who works in Songjiang district, enjoys reading in
one of the nine grids. "The pace of life is too fast, but time seems to
slow down here and I feel so relaxed sitting here reading," the young man
says.

Another reader, Lyu Jianguo, who bought six books on history and
biography, says: "The books are good and the only defect is that the
bookshop is too far from central city."