I remember six years ago, when I first landed in China, finding an English language bookstore with a decent selection was a hard thing to do. While the situation has gotten much better, it’s still difficult to find a place with a wide selection of English books of both older and up to date offerings. And good luck finding a comfortable quiet place where you can buy a coffee and sit and read for hours, that just doesn’t exist.
I should mention that in Kunming, where I used to live, visitors can find the amazing Mandarin Books. They have an unparalleled selection of English books about Yunnan, it’s many ethnic groups, and Southeast Asia and they also have an impressive collection of very old books. Though one look at the prices and you might just faint, especially if you’re a lowly student. They ship worldwide.
In Hunan, I was resigned to the fact that an English language bookstore wasn’t going to suddenly pop up near me. So when I traveled outside of Hunan – whether it was Beijing, Hong Kong, or Luang Prabang, Laos - I always picked up some good reads. Luckily, I also have a father that likes nothing more than to send me copies of the New Yorker and lots of books. Before I came here I had imagined that Shanghai would be a mecca of good bookstores, but on getting here there wasn’t a place that instantly stood out to me as “the best.” Asking the few locals I know hasn’t produced better results.
So I did some research online. Finding the information lacking in many ways and that there are more bookstores than I expected, I thought I would do a survey of the best of the best in Shanghai bookstores and write about what I found on this blog. The bookstores on my list to visit so far include:
Charterhouse Books on Nanjingxilu & Charterhouse Books on Huaihai zhonglu
Garden Books (City Weekend Review)
Shanghai Book City on Fuzhou lu (上海图书城)
Shanghai Music Bookstore (上海音乐书店)
Vintage Bookstore (新文化服务社) (City Weekend review)
Shanghai Art Bookstore (艺术书店)
Blue Fountain Books (蓝泉图书)
If any of you have other suggestions please write them down in the comments of this post. I would really appreciate your help in this search!
I am aware these are not all purely English language bookstores, even though that is my focus. But how could I miss the chance to check out a bookstore devoted to music or one with nothing but Buddhist texts? Both are extremelly hard, if not impossible, to find in America these days. I left out stores devoted to children’s books, though there seem to be several in the city. Kid’s Republic seems like a good bet.
Another question is what should I do with my growing library in China. I’d have to be a Saudi Prince to ship my books by mail or put them in my checked luggage (the fines!!). Use an electronic reader you say? I’ll save my thoughts on that subject for another time.
