Hefei, 23 Apr (Xinhua) -- In Liyang Old Street at the foot of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, a 300-year-old Huipai ancient building is hidden in the downtown area, with a simple poetry and unique temperament, and the words "Zhanchuan Bookstore" are written on the white wall of the green tiles that have been eroded by wind and rain over the years.
Entering the bookstore, the wooden pillar stone carvings and green brick moss marks of that year are still clearly visible. By the mottled old walls and under the light-gathering patio, the reader can always find a comfortable corner to read quietly.
In 2017, Dai Xiaoliang, the founder of the bookstore, came to Laojie for the first time and formed an indissoluble relationship with it. "Such a good cultural relic, if it is to be reborn, it must be given new meaning." Dai Xiaoliang, who has more than ten years of experience in reading promotion, decided to "revitalize" the ancient house with reading as the carrier.
Since 2019, the conservation restoration project of the ancient house has been launched. In October 2020, Zhanchuan Bookstore officially opened to the public, becoming the first Huizhou cultural theme library in Anhui Province and the first 24-hour library in Huangshan City.
Exterior view of The Cham chuan bookstore. (Courtesy of the Publicity Department of Huangshan Municipal Party Committee)
The "revitalized" ancient mansion has been transformed into a composite urban reading space with the functions of traditional and modern culture, reading and cultural tourism, covering an area of 1,200 square meters, with a total collection of more than 13,000 books, including nearly 500 local documents and Huizhou cultural books. The bookstore has also opened up integrated services with the Huangshan Municipal Library, implemented the practice of borrowing and repayment, introduced digital reading equipment, and broadened the service industry of the local urban reading space.
The round table under the old wall is Guo Fei's fixed seat. Guo Fei is a teacher at Huangshan College, and he will come to "punch in" several times a week, sometimes ordering a cup of coffee to read books for half a day, and sometimes consulting literature processing work here. "I have been reading for many years, and reading has helped me build a spiritual world, which makes me more pleasant to read in the environment of Hui culture." Guo Fei said.
Some people like the bookstore because of huizhou culture, and some people fall in love with huizhou culture because of the bookstore. "The green brick small tile horse head wall, the cloister hanging down the lattice window, here is like being in the library of the ancients, you can more truly feel the pulse of traditional culture." Mr. Wang, a frequent visitor to the bookstore, entered the world of hui culture from here.
There is a children's reading area under the patio, and there is often a small figure quietly turning over books. Toot is the youngest reader here, but has a long "reading age". When the bookstore first opened, he insisted on following his mother to "punch in" until now, when he could not walk.
Earlier than the Zhanchuan Bookstore, the Yanzi family of the Zhanchuan Bookstore made nests on the pillars. During the construction, Dai Xiaoliang protected them. "The sight is good, the swallows always return to their nests, and returning to the spiritual home through reading is a symbol." Dai Xiaoliang said.
Interior view of Zhanchuan Bookstore. (Courtesy of the Publicity Department of Huangshan Municipal Party Committee)
Reading promotion and cultural inheritance are symbiotic here, and the aroma of books is quietly spreading. Since its opening, Zhanchuan Bookstore has gradually become a local "net red bookstore". Despite the impact of the epidemic, the turnover in 2021 will exceed 1 million yuan, with an average daily flow of nearly 500 people on a daily basis and an average daily flow of more than 2,000 people in the peak season.
At present, there are 78,000 physical bookstores in the country, and Dai Xiaoliang believes that physical bookstores play an irreplaceable role in urban cultural leadership, public cultural services, and the promotion of reading for the whole people. Every year, he insists on organizing hundreds of reading salons, public lectures, traditional cultural experiences and other activities in bookstores.
During the National Day in 2021, Zhanchuan Bookstore held a "Huangshan Poetry Night" in Laojie. More than 20 poets from all over the country read and tasted poems on the stage, and nearly 2,000 people listened quietly, including poetry lovers who came specially, citizens and tourists who stopped to stay, and courier brothers and sanitation workers who had just unloaded tired, and the old street under the night was more quiet than before.
"Reading is the spiritual landing point. Let the bookstore become a platform for cultural exchange and interaction, so that more people can read books and fall in love with books. "Born and raised in the countryside and experienced the era of poor reading, Dai Xiaoliang can more clearly feel that the state's investment in the construction of reading infrastructure for the whole people has continued to increase in the past decade."
Readers at The Cham Chuan Bookstore are reading books. (Courtesy of the Publicity Department of Huangshan Municipal Party Committee)
Since 2014, reading for all has been written into the government work report for 9 consecutive years. In 2021, "deeply promoting reading for all and building a 'book-fragrant China'" was written into the 14th Five-Year Plan and the outline of long-term goals for 2035.
At present, the overall level of penetration of mainland libraries in the community is still not high, and the construction of public cultural positions and the promotion of high-quality reading resources still need to be further improved.
Next to the bookstore, the ancient Zhanchuan River flows quietly, and the inside and outside of the bookstore are full of breath. "People who have a higher pursuit of life are always on the way to fly to the spiritual homeland, reading is the wind on the way, and the fragrance of books is always with them." Dai Xiaoliang said so. (End)