In the long alleys of Heping Street in Fengjing Ancient Town, there is a "Guzhen Used Bookstore". Under the signboard at the entrance of the store, which has been baptized by wind and rain for 30 years, there is a black and strong calligraphy - "Find readers for books, find books for readers", a short cross, expressing the original intention of the owner of the bookstore.
In his spare time, the 71-year-old owner, Sun Hailin, likes to sit at an old wooden table in front of the store, sort out books, or immerse himself in his reading world. He greeted every customer who stepped through the door and shared the story behind each book.
"There are a lot of books that are out of print, so many of the customers who come to my store come with nostalgia for the past." Sun Hailin said that he likes to listen to customers talk about their indissoluble bond with books, and he also likes to share his collecting experience with them over the years.
The space layout of the store is compact, and the small store of more than 10 square meters has a collection of nearly 30,000 books. On the bookshelves on both sides, each layer is densely packed with all kinds of thread-bound ancient books, literature, and old periodicals...... As long as customers put forward their general preferences and needs, Sun Hailin will patiently shuttle between the bookshelves, searching for the treasures hidden in the sea of books for them.
"Most of these books were collected one by one from second-hand book markets and private bibliophiles in various places in the early years, and the prices vary today." Sun Hailin said while displaying the collection, "I have treasured many editions of Chairman Mao's quotations, some of which have long been out of print, like the English version in my hand is the first edition of the pocket book in 1966." ”
In this era of the rise of digital reading, there are always some people who are willing to slow down and feel the charm of paper books. Mr. Chan is one of them, and he is passionate about collecting comic strips from the 80s of the last century, "The vivid colors always bring back fond memories of my childhood. And the comic books here are not only well preserved, but they are also complete sets of treasures. Mr. Chen said with a smile that he came here to search for books more often, and after coming and going, he became a book friend with Sun Hailin.
"As long as there are people who are willing to read and come to the bookstore, my store will always be open." Sun Hailin said, "I hope that through this bookstore, more people can feel the charm of old books and the joy of reading, and let these stories that 'sleep' on the shelves come back to life." ”
Correspondent: Huang Xinchen
Editor: Feng Shengdan
Editor-in-charge: Yu Lanting
Review: Chen Jianjun, Lin Kun