Love the city of "reading", the fragrance of books is moist (decoding , bookish China)

Source: People's Daily

Photo: Beijing Zhongshuge Rongke Store. Yi Xiao, a reporter of this newspaper, photographed: Inside the public library building of the Red Chamber in Beijing, readers are concentrating on reading. Photographed by Zhang Wujun, a reporter of this newspaper

Core reading

You can buy books to read, you can watch movies and listen to songs, you can learn and relax... In Beijing, physical bookstores are transforming into a new type of public cultural space, striving to embark on a path of transformation and upgrading, innovation and development. In order to promote the development of the physical bookstore industry, Beijing has issued a series of support policies to explore diversified development, meet people's rich cultural needs, and make bookstores a beautiful landscape in the city.

Chinese bookstore Yan Wing Lou store, readers are intently watching the exhibition of old photos of the central axis; the national reading shop, an entrepreneurial team is enthusiastically discussing the design plan; Sanlian Taofen Bookstore, readers enjoy reading time quietly by the night lights...

This is Beijing, a city steeped in reading.

Policy support

Promote the recovery of the industry

"I've been lucky to catch up with good policies." Fu Shuai, general manager of Beijing Foreign Research Bookstore, said. At the end of 2013, the state issued a policy to exempt books from vat on wholesale and retail sales. In June 2016, 11 ministries and commissions, including the Central Propaganda Department, jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Supporting the Development of Physical Bookstores. Since then, the foreign research bookstore has received support funds from physical bookstores in Beijing every year.

Rent subsidies, special bookstore incentives, demonstration bookstore selection, management personnel training, and promotion of bookstores to enter the takeaway platform... Since 2019, Beijing has further increased its support, and the two levels of finance in the urban area have invested hundreds of millions of yuan in a multi-pronged approach to alleviate the difficulties of physical bookstores.

Peng Mingbang, the founder of Yonghe Book Garden, has a profound experience. At the beginning of the opening of Yonghe Bookstore, it coincided with the epidemic prevention and control period, benefiting from the support policy, there was no layoffs and salary cuts in the past two years, and it was also rated as the "2020 Community Bookstore". CITIC Bookstore has 18 stores in Beijing, more than 10 of which have been supported. "Not only financial support, but more importantly, the guidance of policies and directions, which is crucial for the long-term development of bookstores." Liu Min, deputy general manager of CITIC Bookstore, believes.

"The effect of the support policy is obvious, the business environment of physical bookstores has been greatly improved, the appearance has undergone great changes, and it is transforming from traditional stores to public cultural spaces." Liu Mingqing, chairman of the Beijing Zhixin Cultural Industry Research Institute, said.

Affected by favorable policies, a number of bookstores such as Shanghai Sanlian, Jiantou Bookstore, and Zhong Shuge have settled in Beijing and have opened more than 30 stores. In June 2019, Zhongshuge opened its first store in Beijing, and the fourth store is expected to settle in Daxing within this year. "We hope to attract readers with the beauty of design, sit down with the beauty of content, and make readers stay with the beauty of service." Zhong Shuge, the person in charge of the Beijing area, told Aiqun.

"The recovery of physical bookstores has benefited from the policy support of government departments for physical bookstores and the active reading atmosphere." Introduction of the staff of the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee. In 2011, Beijing launched a national reading campaign, which has lasted for 12 years and has become a cultural activity with widespread public participation and throughout the year. In 2020, Beijing was named "Bookstore City of the Year" by the China Book Publishing Industry Association.

In 2021, Beijing will carry out more than 30,000 special reading activities of various kinds, affecting and covering more than 20 million people. At the end of 2021, the number of physical bookstores in Beijing increased to 2,076, ranking first in the country, completing the task of building 0.8 physical bookstores with 10,000 people, "one district and one book city" became the standard, and the number of comprehensive book cities of more than 1,000 square meters reached 47, of which 7 were over 5,000 square meters of extra-large comprehensive book cities.

Focus on the main business

Improve the quality of your books

Book sales are the main business of brick-and-mortar bookstores. "We want to save the best place in the bookstore for the books." Li Bolin, general secretary of the party branch and chairman of Wangfujing Bookstore, said. At present, nearly 80% of the total sales of Wangfujing Bookstore come from books, serving nearly 3 million readers every year, and is still the first bookstore in the capital in terms of cumulative book sales, time and number of readers. In terms of selection, bookstores have changed the previous practice of entering books in all categories, and professionals are specifically responsible for improving the quality of books on the shelves. As the first member-based female bookstore in China, Yufeng Bookstore has set up a book selection committee composed of members to regularly eliminate a batch of poor books identified as "long and many times".

In order to promote the development of the main business of physical bookstores and improve the level of refined management, the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee organized experts and scholars to continue to carry out research on the construction of the demonstration standard system of physical bookstores for more than a year. On this basis, in 2021, Beijing for the first time clarified the threshold of the support policy for physical bookstores: physical bookstores with publications as the main business and continuous operation for more than 1 year; physical bookstores with an operating area of not less than 30 square meters and a publication operating area of more than 50%; and no less than 2,000 publications on the shelves, with no less than 500 varieties. According to this criterion, Beijing selected 99 annual demonstration bookstores for the first time. In January this year, Beijing put forward the "four clear" normative requirements for physical bookstores to carry out reading culture activities, focusing on thematic direction, type form, data retention, mass participation, etc., to improve the standardization level of support project management.

"Books are the soul of bookstores, and the quality of the selection determines the development of bookstores. Bookstores cannot compete with e-commerce in terms of quantity, and only by working the quality and service of books can they win readers. Liu Yajun, deputy secretary-general of the China Digital Publishing Expo, said.

In terms of meeting the needs of readers, physical bookstores have also made great efforts.

There is no place to put books at home - the foreign research bookstore Dongsheng Science and Technology Park store launched a 365 yuan borrowing annual card, the Yufeng Library launched a membership system, and the "Wangfujing Library" jointly founded by Wangfujing Bookstore and Beijing Dongcheng District Library allows readers to buy books and borrow books in bookstores. I don't know how to choose books - Beijing Book Building has jointly launched a number of recommended book lists such as "Study Book List" and "Beijing Distribution Group Expert Book Selection Group Good Book Recommendation". No time to visit bookstores – community bookstores allow readers to read good books on their doorstep.

"Physical bookstores are an important public cultural infrastructure, which should be better integrated into the lives of the people, meet people's cultural needs, and shape the spiritual temperament of the capital." Guo Bin, president of the Beijing Xicheng District Library Management Association, said.

Cross-border integration

Transform cultural spaces

The children's book lending area is equipped with a small round table suitable for parent-child reading, and the young people in the shared study room are focusing on learning... After the upgrading, the Beijing Book Building is more beautiful and the service is more intimate. "A bookstore is not just a place to buy books, but also a cultural parlor of a city. We strive to provide a wealth of cultural products, not only to meet the needs of readers, but also the needs of the bookstore's high-quality development. Qin Hui, deputy general manager of Beijing Book Building, said.

"Physical bookstores cannot always rely on government subsidies to survive, but must effectively enhance the awareness and ability to serve readers and society, and embark on a win-win road of social and economic benefits." The staff of the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee said. Guided by the selection of featured bookstores, the most beautiful bookstores and demonstration bookstores, Beijing has vigorously promoted the development of "bookstore +", encouraged bookstores to incubate new businesses and new scenes, and initially formed characteristic models such as "combination of museums and stores", "combination of factories and stores", "bookstore + classroom", "bookstore + cultural tourism", "bookstore + drama" and so on.

There is a value, but also a connotation. Beijing's brick-and-mortar bookstores are striving to forge a path of transformation and development.

Idea innovation is key. As a poetry-themed bookstore, Niche Bookstore is both a bookstore and independently plans to publish books; it has both a physical store, an online store and self-media; and both professional activities and services to the surrounding community. "As reading habits change, the function of physical bookstores to sell books will weaken, and the function of being a regional cultural exchange space and a place for lifelong learning will be strengthened." Peng Mingbang said.

Cultural activities are standard. In recent years, Waiyan Bookstore has held more than 600 academic and cultural and parent-child reading activities in various forms, and created brand activities such as "International Poetry Night" and "Research Mother Picture Book Story".

Convergent development is the trend. You can buy books to read, you can taste tea and meet friends, you can watch movies and listen to songs, you can write and paint, you can learn and relax... In Beijing, these cross-border brick-and-mortar bookstores are increasingly favored.

Emotional communication is the foundation. "Accompanied by light music, quietly reading and thinking, peace and tranquility"... Looking at the reader's message, you can really feel the significance of the physical bookstore for the reader.

"Beijing will fully explore the cultural resource endowment of physical bookstores as urban public reading facilities, further promote the transformation and upgrading of physical bookstores in the capital, innovate and develop, and create better reading products, space services and activity systems to serve the majority of readers and add a force to The Fragrance of Books in Beijing." Wang Yefei, a first-level inspector of the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, said. (Reporter Shi Fang)

People's Daily (April 27, 2022, 11th Edition)