10 Cool Places For Book Lovers In Shanghai
For all of you who love to read and love real books, this is volume two of our guide to the best of Shanghai's alternative literary scene. Apart from the well-known bookstores on Fuzhou Lu, there are actually a surprising number of cool places to find that desired piece of print around town. Check it out.
Zhongshu Books
Where:
930 Thames Town, Songjiang District
269 Humin Lu, Minhang District
This book store is one of the best reasons to visit Thames Town, apart from taking pics of this fake British neighborhood of course. After millions of yuan worth of investment and involvement from well-known designers, this has to be one of the more beautiful bookstores in the whole of China.
The layout of this cathedral-like space is really impressive with more than 60,000 books crammed into every available corner. Another Zhongshu bookstore opened in Minhang not long ago, and the rumors are that the owners want to expand to become the biggest bookstore chain in the country.
Long Time No Read
Where: 1208 Yuyuan Lu, Changning District
Opened last year, Long Time No Read mainly sells art and design books from overseas, with heaps of original copies and limited editions, in both Chinese and English.
They also hold small art exhibitions, a reading club, movie screenings on a regular basis and autograph sessions.
Poplar Kids’ Picture Bookstore
Where: 262 Yuyuan Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu, Jing’an District
Designed like a fairy-tale with colorful bookshelves, greenery and tree stumps all around, Poplar bookstore offers one of the biggest collections of picture books for kids in the city.
You can find both Chinese and English editions from different parts of the world. They also hold a heap of reading activities over the month, where even the grown-ups might have some fun.
Lou Shi She Ji Shu Ba (陋室设计书吧)
Where: 145 Nanchang Lu, near Maoming Lu, Luwan District
Designed in a pleasant loft style by the owner himself, this cozy spot doesn't look that much like a bookstore, but it still has a wide selection of art, design and other kinds of creative literature to purchase.
Make sure to get a coffee there while wallowing on the sofa - they are pretty comfy.
Eslite Bookstore
Where: Shanghai Tower F/52,53, Lijiazui, Pudong New Area
Taiwan's largest bookstore chain is landing in Shanghai by the end of this year (official dates still not announced yet). Located in Shanghai Tower on the 52nd and 53rd floors, it is expected to be world's highest bookstore, with huge reading areas and one of the largest collections of Chinese and foreign books in China. Sounds impressive.
Charterhouse Books
Where: 99 Huaihai Zhong Lu, Luwan District
Offering a big variety of board books for kids and adults, Charterhouse bookstore came to Shanghai from Hong Kong, meaning that the selection of foreign books is very descent. You can find some rare English fiction and non-fiction on the shelves, plus magazines like Rolling Stone and People.
It might cost a pretty penny mind you - the price is almost the same as it would be back home. But hey it's worth it for a book you love. They also take orders for books from Amazon.com, which is quite convenient if you can't operate the website yourself.
Point to Life Bookshop
Where: Bridge 8, 25 Jianguo Zhong Lu, near Sinan Lu, Xuhui District
Converted from a former car manufacturing plant, Bridge 8 is a space that literally seethes with fashion and design companies. And sure thing, there is also a bookshop - which is not bad in fact. Concentrating mainly on art, advertising, design and photography, they also have an extensive set of foreign magazines like ID, Monocle, Wallpaper, Another Magazine, and the list goes on.
Red Bookstore
Where: Red Town, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu, Xuhui District
This is another art-focused bookstore located in the area of Red Town. Although the place is not big, it's crammed with good photography, architecture and graphic design books.
Arbre du Voyageur
Where: F/4 155 Wuyi Lu, near Yan’an Xi Lu
This bookstore has the largest collection of French books in Shanghai, including ones for kids, travel books, fiction, classic literature and more. They operate on a card only system, so you need to have a membership card (RMB 30) to order and purchase.
Cans Bookstore
Where: Build. 3, M50, Moganshan Lu, near Suzhou Xi Lu, Zhabei District
A tiny bookstore selling design, architecture, photography books and more fun stuff for us ‘creators’, and everything is neatly laid out on the bright yellow shelves. English and Chinese editions are all available, and if you can't find the book you want they will gladly help you to order it.
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