Sit Back and Read up on the Latest At This Magazine Space
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Reading this on your screen, you may be surprised to recall that, despite the fact that the Beijinger has stepped away from printing magazines, print media is still alive and – well, it’s not doing well per se – but it is alive! We’re reminded of this each time we bike past a newsstand and lament, “Oh, if only there were magazines in English, I wouldn’t have to subscribe to The New Yorker and hope it actually arrives at my doorstep this week!”
Well, dear reader, it’s time to cancel that overpriced subscription, because it turns out that Beijing actually does have a place to read your favorite periodicals, and what’s more, its centrally located in Read and Rest Hotel in a hutong just south of Beixinqiao (right next door to the noodle shop with perpetually long lines at the entrance.But, there’s a catch. Unlike the Spring Whispers book store in Sanlitun, the Spring Whispers Magazine Space is a magazine library rather than a shop. So, instead of a place to grab a magazine and take it home, it’s more akin to grabbing a coffee at Barnes & Nobles, flipping through it with a cup of coffee, then placing it back on the rack. (Only, instead of a Starbucks, the coffee is from the Twoo Cuup at the front of the hotel.)
It’s a relatively small space, but the magazine selection is surprisingly bountiful. Personally, I stick to the news and culture rack with its copies of the New Yorker, Monocle, Time, and National Geographic. But there’s plenty more for those who come to browse pages of design, fashion, and travel, with titles like Vogue, Frankie, Brand, Frame, and Fudge. There are even a couple of literary mags like Reader.
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If I have one complaint about the space, it’s that it lacks much comfortable seating, aside from the single bean bag at the top of the stairs. (Note: If I see you there, I will fight you for the bean bag.) Other than that, there are a few hard-back chairs and a couple of cushioned recesses that are nice for the rear end, but not great for the back.
In terms of beverages, visitors don’t need to shell out RMB 30 for a coffee just to quench their thirst, because there’s a beverage refrigerator at the entrance of the space, and fortunately, the drinks are not at all overpriced – just RMB 6 for a soda water, RMB 15 for a milk tea can, and beer bottles for RMB 20-30.
As for the price of visiting the library itself, a single visit is a mere RMB 50 – certainly cheaper than nabbing a copy at the airport, for example – but avid readers may consider buying into the VIP program that gives you unlimited access to the space for a full year at RMB 399. In any case, happy reading!Spring Whispers Magazine Space
69 Dongsi Beidajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东四北大街69号
READ: Pulpy Passions: WBcomics is the Best Beijing Graphic Novel Store You've Never Heard Of
Images: Joey Knotts
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