At the end of 2021, Fudan Used Bookstore, which has been operating for 22 years, officially closed its stores. On the last day of the scheduled business hours, we went to the old used bookstore on Zhengsu Road and chatted with the owner about the old books and the old bookstore.
At 7:00 p.m. on December 10, 2021, it was the usual closing time, but today the Fudan used bookstore is still crowded, and there are readers standing in front of every bookshelf and corner, crouching to find books.
This was the day when fudan used bookstores were scheduled to close, but because too many old customers in other places could only come to say goodbye to the bookstore on weekends, the store advocated applying to the street office to extend the business date by two days. He sat in the middle of a pile of old books, smiled and said to the customer who called to inquire: "As long as anyone is willing to come today, I can accompany him until twelve o'clock." ”
Fudan Used Bookstore is located at 55 Zhengsu Road, sandwiched between a bustling wet market, an Internet café and apartments. Its signboard is not conspicuous, and if it is not purposefully sought, it is easy to overlook its presence.
The humble signboard of Fudan Used Bookstore
The 67-square-meter bookstore has more than 50,000 old books, and as soon as it enters the door, its first impression is that it is forced. Since coming to Shanghai in 1999, Zhang Qiang has run the bookstore for 22 years, and he has told the story of opening the store too many times to different media and friends.
When he first came to Shanghai, Zhang Qiang, who had not found a job, found many good old books in the ninth dormitory of Fudan that had been thrown away as waste. He collected 15 kilograms of old books with the only 30 yuan he had on his body, and began to sell books on the ground on the National Year Road. Half a year later, by chance, he met the owner of the China Science and Technology Book Company and worked as a clerk in the bookstore at No. 55 Zhengsu Road.
The business of new books is not easy to do, and the boss took Zhang Qiang's advice and set aside a small area in the store, asking him to contact the sellers of the Temple of Literature to do some old book business - this is the predecessor of Fudan Old Bookstore. At the end of 2005, the boss went abroad, and Zhang Qiang managed the bookstore for him, and began to sell old books. In order to put more books, he and his boss built a circular compartment for the bookstore. It was not until 2008, when the original owner wanted to transfer the bookstore to Zhang Qiang, that he officially changed from manager to operator.
Zhang Qiang's love for books, especially old books, came earlier than running a bookstore. Since shanghai, the Temple of Literature has been a must-visit place for Zhang Qiang every weekend. The habit of collecting books, chatting with friends, and learning about the market for used books persisted until around 2008. Later, although he went less, Zhang Qiang still kept in touch through QQ, WeChat and old friends of the Temple of Literature.
At the Temple of Literature, Zhang Qiang came into contact with a large number of people who loved books for the first time, and the most memorable for him was an old gentleman named Wu Yingchun. Although Wu Yingchun has been dead for five or six years, Zhang Qiang can still remember his brisk footsteps every time he receives a good book.
Every weekend, Wu Yingchun rides a tricycle from Huangpu to Yangpu, collecting books in bookstores along the road. Because the price of his books is relatively cheap, every time he comes to Fudan Used Bookstore, there will be a large group of readers around, and when he is finished on the shelves, he will start to grab books, and Wu Yingchun will happily watch everyone rush to buy.
"He doesn't trim the edges, he doesn't care about eating and wearing, and his only pleasure is to collect old books and sell them to people who are willing to read." He had been living in an old house, and five years ago it had rained and the attic was leaking, and he was worried that his books would be wet, so he hurriedly climbed to the roof to repair it, and accidentally fell down, but did not rescue him. ”
Busy shop advocates strong
Talking about the closure of the Temple of Literature Book Market, Zhang Qiang's tone was more sad. "It is a pity that the Temple of Literature is no longer there, it was once a very good business card in Shanghai's cultural circles." Now some of the literary temple books will be in the Fuyou Commercial Building (selling books), but they are mixed with the small commodity market, and the feeling of that year has changed, not pure. ”
In the more than twenty years since the bookstore was opened, the "old book" was like a red rope, linking Zhang Qiang with countless people who loved books and books. Many old Fudan professors are regular customers of Fudan old bookstores, there is a "Fudan old bookstore guestbook" in the drawer of the store, the words on the cover are written by Fu Jie, a professor of the department of Chinese, which contains many memories of old Fudan professors, on the first page, Zhou Zhenhe, an old professor of the Department of History, inscribed the words "Find books for readers, find readers for books", which has now become the slogan of Fudan old bookstores. ”
Many old Fudan professors have left their own "ink treasures" in bookstores.
Zhang Weiran, a professor in the Department of History, would go to Fudan Used Bookstore every night before the epidemic to read books. "We were next door to a wet market, and his wife went grocery shopping and he went up to read a book. The wife bought the vegetables and told him to go home downstairs, and he promised with his mouth that the book in his hand was still unwilling to put it down, and he had to ask the wife to come up and pull him personally before leaving. Later, Zhang Weiran also specially inscribed a calligraphy of "blessed reading" for the old bookstore, which has been hung in the store by Zhang Qiang.
Guo Jingyi, a 94-year-old professor in the Department of Economics, has loved to shop here since the first day the used bookstore opened. He used to come every day, and when he got older, he struggled to walk, but every month or two he would let his family help him. Sometimes Guo Jingyi would bring a flashlight, a bookshelf after a shelf to read and find books, "this situation is very touching to me."
Every day, walking between tens of thousands of old books, tidying up, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., occasionally cycling to other places to collect books, such a day Zhang Qiang and his wife Zhang Qin are more than ten years old. Late last year, however, a lawyer's letter from the street office shattered that calm.
They were told that due to the overall planning of the street, the area where the Fudan used bookstore was located was included in the scope of renovation, and the street commissioned the law firm to urge the old bookstore to relocate as soon as possible at the end of December 2020. After consultation, the time limit was delayed until the end of February 2021, and then there was no definite information.
During the year, the relocation was like a sword of Damocles hanging over the head of Fudan's old bookstore. A friend once suggested that Zhang Qiang apply to the street office to keep the Fudan used bookstore for the sake of the community cultural atmosphere, "maybe you can open a store in a bigger place." Zhang Qiang was very moved to hear it, thinking that if he really expanded the area, many of his previous ideas could come true, "you can hold lectures, make a display cabinet, and provide readers with some free tea." Unfortunately, he submitted his past application and sank into the sea, but it was a notice that "it must be closed by December 10, 2021".
Zhang Qiang also looked at some store sites during the year, but he did not find a suitable location. When it comes to relocation, his biggest concern is that after the bookstore is re-located, the current strong cultural atmosphere will disappear. "Our name is Fudan Used Bookstore, and many of our old readers are Students and Teachers of Fudan, and we want to continue to set up shops here to give everyone a place where they can read comfortably."
Due to the proximity of the closure, there are many old customers in the shop. Most people did not greet Zhang Qiang out of shyness, and he did not have time to take care of everyone when he was busy. Only a little boy who accompanied his mother to choose books caught his attention, and he stopped what kind of books he was busy cleaning up, enthusiastically asked the boy what type of books he liked to read, whether he would go to the bookstore with his mother, and took out two books as gifts for the boy.
Until the boy and his mother left the store holding the book, Zhang Qiang's mouth still had a happy smile. "I've always wanted children to walk into our bookstore more often, and I'll encourage them when I see them reading, because I really want to make a little contribution to culture over the years."
In 2019, due to the reports of many media, Fudan Used Bookstore suddenly became an "Internet celebrity" on social media, and the originally deserted bookstore suddenly came to many people who came to punch in and take photos. Zhang Qiang did not mind this, "Our reading atmosphere is already so poor, if a few of the 100 people who come to punch the clock can be infected by the atmosphere of the bookstore, it is also a good thing to buy a book here."
In the sad atmosphere of farewell, there was still a small episode that made Zhang Qiang unhappy. On the afternoon of December 10, when Zhang Qin went downstairs, she found that the staff of the street office was forcibly demolishing the sign of fudan used bookstore. The originally inconspicuous advertising paper was torn to pieces, and Zhang Qin did not hold back for a moment and quarreled with the staff.
Zhang Qiang looked at the scene in front of him, and originally wanted to argue a few words, but when the words came to his mouth, he couldn't say them.
"Some readers may just want to come over and take a picture of us in the doorway, and now the ad is gone, it seems to have become a hole, and I have a feeling that my face is broken." Looking at the wall that should have been pasted with signs, Zhang Qiang always felt that his heart was empty.
Edit: Echo
Illustrator: Morain