On May Day, can you only stay at home? Come here! Beautiful and safe

Where is the safest place to be during the epidemic?

Bookstore!

There are screenshots to prove it——

We found several small bookstores in Beijing, Xiamen, Wuhan, and Chengdu. These bookstores are not only good-looking and unique, but not ordinary The place where Internet celebrities check in is indeed beautiful and pure.

If the May Day epidemic prevention and control requirements allow it, or the epidemic situation improves after the May Day holiday, you must go to these "small but beautiful" bookstores. You are also welcome to “reveal” good bookstores worth visiting in the comment section.

Location: No. 1, Houyuanensi Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Business hours: Monday to Sunday 10:00~18:00

Beijing Dongcheng Nanluogu Lane is often crowded with tourists, but the adjacent Houyuanen Temple Hutong is particularly quiet. Walking into the alley, you will find an antique courtyard house. When you enter the red lacquer door, you will find that there is a unique world here - there is a poetry-themed bookstore "Niche Bookstore" hidden in the courtyard.

Although the bookstore is small, the layout is not crowded, and the bookshelves, tables and chairs are arranged loosely and clearly. When you walk into the bookstore, the first thing you see is a large book wall with a height of 5.7 meters. On it are collections of poems from ancient and modern times, Chinese and foreign, which have become the symbol of niche bookstores. The rest of the bookshelves and desks are filled with recently published poetry collections, many of which are planned and published by niche bookstores themselves, such as the "Chinese Good Poetry" series, "Everyday Poetry Calendar", and some humanities and social science books.

"Niche Bookshop is the quietest bookstore in Beijing." Peng Mingbang, the founder of Niche Bookshop, once said, "I hope it will have 20 readers every day. I don't mean to say that I am unwelcome. More readers will come, but I hope those who come will be real readers.”

Peng Ming Bang is quite famous in the domestic bookstore industry. In May 2017, 53-year-old Peng Mingbang officially resigned from China Youth Publishing House, where he had worked for decades, to start his own business. He founded a joint venture company, Beijing Xiaozhong Yaji Culture Media Co., Ltd., which mainly publishes Chinese contemporary poetry.

He adopted the "front store and back club" approach and equipped the publishing company with a bookstore, which is a niche bookstore. In this way, the owner of the publishing company is the owner of the bookstore, and the editor can chat with the author about the book manuscript in the bookstore. The niche bookstore has become a "cultural living room" - a place where readers and authors can be entertained, and where friends can chat about poetry.

The books placed on the shelves of independent bookstores reflect the bookstore owner’s “book quality”. Peng Mingbang was an avid poetry reader when he was young. When he went to Chongqing to study for graduate school in 1986, he only brought two books with him, one of which was "Selected Poems of Yesenin". But from then on, due to his major, Peng Mingbang gradually drifted away from poetry. It was not until 30 years later that he picked up his passion for poetry again due to the opportunity of planning and publishing a collection of poems.

For the selection of books from niche bookstores, Peng Mingbang's criterion is "if a book is not sold in the end, am I willing to use it as my own book collection?"

The clear theme positioning of poetry has enabled the niche bookstore to attract "real readers" in Peng Mingbang's heart, and it has become a theme bookstore well known to domestic poetry authors and readers, with many people coming from all over the country. In addition to publishing and selling poetry collections, niche bookstores also organize various activities around poetry and literary themes.

The staff of the niche bookstore told China Science News that readers of all ages come here, with more and more young people coming here. A young man once told her that he was used to reading a poem every night before going to bed, closing his eyes and experiencing the emotions conveyed by the poet, and falling asleep in a poetic atmosphere.

Niche Bookstore is not the only themed bookstore founded by Peng Mingbang. Peng Mingbang calls himself a "theme bookstore paranoid patient". At the end of 2019, he opened the first physical bookstore in China with the theme of signed books, "Yonghe Shuting".

Yonghe Bookstore is located in the center of Yonghegong Lama Temple in Dongcheng District, Beijing. Many of the books displayed in the store are signed versions by authors, but even signed books by well-known authors are sold at the original price.

Peng Mingbang said that, like niche bookstores, Yonghe Bookstore is also characterized by serving niche readers. This reader group is fans of signed book collections. "Through signatures, readers and authors have a closer connection, and it also gives paper books the warmth of the author," he said.

Location: In the Northwest Lake Greening Plaza, No. 703 Jianshe Avenue, Beihu Street, Jianghan District, Wuhan City

Business hours: Monday to Sunday 9:00~21:00 (temporarily during the epidemic period 9:00~17:00)

On the grass of Wuhan Northwest Lake Square, there is a glass house with three transparent sides. This is the home of the museum-themed bookstore Deba and Rainbow Bookstore. Founded in 2009, Deba and Rainbow is a well-known independent bookstore in Wuhan.

Affected by the general environment, Deba and Rainbow Bookstore have also experienced the same situation as all physical bookstores. The difference is that they persisted despite ups and downs. In 2020, this bookstore returned to people's attention with the theme of natural history.

For a long time, the theme of "humanities, arts, and social sciences" has been the portrait of independent bookstores, and there are very few bookstores with the theme of natural sciences. "The epidemic has given us more to think about," bookstore manager Zeng Gang told China Science News. From the initial "literary and artistic" route to the return to "nature", one of the important factors is the epidemic. The days of isolation at home have made many people yearn more for getting closer to nature.

Zeng Gang has been engaged in the publishing of natural science books, and hopes to have a space to display his work.

"At first I thought about locating the bookstore in a park, integrating it with the landscape of lakes, grass, and woods. Later I thought it would be better to make it a themed bookstore related to nature from the inside out." Zeng Just said.

Comfort is the most direct feeling given by this bookstore. On the day of the interview, a heavy rain suddenly came, causing many people who were walking in the park to come to the bookstore to take shelter from the rain. Readers who met by chance were sitting on the armchairs, listening to soothing music and the calls of blackbirds outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, enjoying the rainy afternoon while reading.

Another "identity" of this bookstore is the City Bookstore in Jianghan District, Wuhan. Zeng Gang selected more than 3,000 books on popular science, natural history, and plants from the Jianghan District Library and used the library as part of the bookstore. Through a corridor, you can walk to the exclusive area of ??the bookstore. Various nature books and a wall of gardening tools are placed on the bookshelf, waiting for naturalists to choose.

From a traditional humanities bookstore to a natural science and museum themed bookstore, the readership has changed, but Zeng Gang feels that there is great potential: "Providing a space where 'birds of a feather flock together' for interested people can better Reflecting the value of in-depth reading. "Now, the two best-selling books in the store are "Wuhan Plant Notes" and "Wuhan Birds Illustrated Book."

Among the readers of Deba and Rainbow Bookstore, there are not only office workers nearby, but also natural history lovers. Wu Chenlan, the nature instructor of Northwest Lake Park, is an old friend of the bookstore. In her eyes, this is her second office and study.

"Here you can find the books you need without being disturbed, and it is also a place to get close to nature." She said.

As a natural history-themed bookstore, various natural science popularization activities are indispensable. One morning two weeks ago, a parent-child bird watching event was organized in the park where the bookstore is located. Deba and Rainbow Bookstore were transformed into indoor classrooms for this event. "Sitting in a bookstore, you can see nature outside the window." Wu Chenlan said that it is precisely because of being in a museum-themed bookstore that the way of combining knowledge, nature and reality seems logical.

Zeng Gang introduced that nature reading clubs, "Young Bear Broadcasting Class" and other natural history-themed public lectures and courses are the bookstore's flagship programs.

Some local authors will also come here with new popular science books to hold a sharing session. Once, a bird expert who was passing through Wuhan was invited to give a sharing.

After the bookstore became a home for “naturalists”, more and more scientific researchers from botanical gardens, zoos, bird watching associations and universities joined the bookstore’s circle of friends.

"Foreign museum bookstores have a long history." Although at present, the road ahead of physical bookstores is not smooth. But Zeng Gang believes that only when some people insist, others will be willing to join. Perhaps it won’t be long before we see the emergence of bookstores with mathematics and physics themes.

"I hope that the existence of Deba and Rainbow Bookstores can become the soil for physical bookstores and allow more bookstores to sprout." He said.

Photo by Zhang Wenjing

Location: No. 8 Guihua Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Business hours: Every Wednesday to Sunday 13:00~16 during the trial operation period: 00 (need to make a reservation in the "Yin Ge Study" WeChat applet)

There are three trees in the small courtyard of No. 8 Guihua Hutong, Dongcheng, Beijing, two are jujube trees and the other is paper mulberry. There are several tables and chairs placed under the tree. People often sit on the chairs, holding a book in hand and reading seriously. Occasionally I look up and see the green leaves swaying in the sky in all directions.

This is the Yin Ge Charity Study Room established by BGI CEO Yin Ye in March this year. Brother Yin’s charity library neither sells books nor coffee. People come here just to read.

The small alley yard can only accommodate three reading rooms, but it provides readers with more than 1,000 natural science and life science books for free reading. Yin Ye once said in his WeChat public account "Brother Yin Talks about Genes": "This is the place with the most and most complete collection of life science books in Beijing!"

The books in the study are divided into history of science, history of life, There are several major categories including plants and animals, genetic science, brain and cognitive science, disease and health, sociobiology, and future science. In addition, there is a special children's reading area. Most of these books are popular science books that Yin Ye has read and personally selected.

From the beginning, Yin Ye said that Brother Yin’s Charity Study Room does not have internet celebrity study rooms that take pictures and check in. The only thing prohibited in the study room is the use of mobile phones for entertainment. What they want to achieve is to make everyone who enters the study feel a sense of fulfillment, gain, and happiness tightly wrapped in books and wisdom. Judging from the trial operation for more than a month, the study has already shown such effects.

Zhiyan, the person in charge of the study, told China Science News that although the study controlled the number of people through a reservation system during the epidemic, not many readers came to the study in normal times, but the vast majority of readers, whether they were older friends Even as a child, I would conscientiously maintain a reading time of about two hours.

The furnishings in the study are also thoughtful and full of natural and life science elements. When you walk into the courtyard, you can see a wooden bird flapping its wings in the wind; the spiral staircase in the courtyard is like the double helix structure of DNA; there are eight letters on the chair cushions in the reading room, all embroidered by Zhiyan himself. It is the abbreviation of the eight essential amino acids for life; the paintings on the wall of the children's reading room are decorated with shells, and there are fossils, animal and plant specimens on the table... After reading, the children's favorite thing is to go to the yard. Help Zhiyan grow flowers and grass and get in touch with nature.

In addition to the reading room, the study also has an exhibition room. The space is not big, but it is worth seeing. For example, it contains China’s first real sequencer.

Yin Ye once said that the original intention of building libraries and bookstores should be to facilitate readers and solve people's needs for knowledge. Therefore, it is more practical to establish small libraries or bookstores in various communities. Yin Ge Charity Study Room is making such efforts and attempts.

Currently, the study is recruiting volunteers. Yin Ye and his friends hope that more people will participate in the charity reading cause. Zhiyan said that in the future, the study room will also hold online or offline activities from time to time, inviting big names in the field of life sciences to share with children. Of course, Yin Ye is also among them.

Location: Gangtou Village, Houxi Town, Xiamen City

Business hours: Monday to Sunday 9:00~19:00

Houxi Town, Xiamen City Gangtou Village was once known as "Little Hong Kong", but with its decline, it became a temporary residence for migrant workers. The dirty and messy living environment makes it no different from many urban villages.

But just 6 years ago, a small garden building appeared in Gangtou Village, made entirely of wood. At night, it is shrouded in warm lights and stands out in the dark urban village. It has a very literary name - "Firefly" public welfare library. Today, this library has become a "check-in" place in Xiamen City, with people from all over the country coming here.

Yan Yupeng, the founder and manager of this library, has a rather special identity - a bailiff of the Xiamen Intermediate People's Court. His daily tasks are mainly to escort major criminal suspects to court, and sometimes participate in executions.

Yan Yupeng, who grew up in this urban village, changed his destiny because of his studies - he went to university and took the judicial examination. At first, Yan Yupeng just felt that an environment and atmosphere with books was important to him. So, after work, he began to teach himself carpentry and built a small study for himself and his family.

At that time, children in the village would come to this study from time to time to do homework, read, and play with their friends. "Can these left-behind children living in marginalized areas also change their lives through reading?" Yan Yupeng began to have a bigger idea, building a library for children in urban villages.

With the help of designer friend Mule, the library determined the architectural framework. It is divided into two floors. The first floor is a public welfare activity space, and the second floor is a library, including a 24-square-meter glass wooden house and a 50-square-meter outdoor natural reading space.

What Yan Yupeng builds is a village cultural incubation center with the library as the entry point, and it is also a platform for exchanges between urban residents and rural areas. In addition to children having books to read, adults can also participate in various art activities held on the platform. Adults and children can find their own place and study independently.

In the past six years, donations from libraries in Xiamen city and district and all walks of life, as well as some new book subscription activities, have given this library a collection of eight to nine thousand volumes.

The library also recruits school-going children from the village to become mobile librarians, responsible for sanitation work, sorting books, organizing and planning activities...With the support of enterprises, they can also receive a sum of money every month Fixed "salary". On weekends, many volunteers from nearby schools and universities also join the library as administrators.

Now, this library is no longer just a simple reading space. Volunteers from all over the world also provide children with a series of colorful courses such as Chinese studies, handicrafts, yoga, and Little Judge Summer Camp. .

Just this year, the library has a new director who graduated from Tsinghua University. She is Kan Mei, the liberal arts top scorer in the Gansu Provincial College Entrance Examination in 2008. The children are very interested in this "student" and often pull her to read and tell stories.

Since she joined the library full-time, she has encouraged children to publish blackboard newspapers and write wish lists, while also sharing "learning secrets" with them. Kan Mei, who is at a turning point in her career, has a unique life experience because of such a job.

The library has become the cultural center of Gangtou Village. Under its influence, a series of cultural and creative spaces have gradually formed, such as Guqin Museum, Hanfu Experience Hall, Ceramics Hall, Meigao Academy, and Chuxinyuan. , and also derived cultural activities such as the Gangtou Village Culture and Art Festival.

Text | Yang Chen

Location: No. 300, Yifu Road, Chenghua District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Business hours: Monday to Wednesday 10:00~18: 00 Friday to Sunday 10:00~21:00

In an old community in Ximen, Chengdu, there is an old bookstore with an area of ??only 100 square meters hidden. The "manager" of the bookstore is Fu Tianbin, a lover of rough-edged books.

He started collecting books in 1992 and founded a second-hand bookstore called "Maobian Bookstore" in 1998.

In 2018, Fu Tianbin made an important decision: signed a contract with Fuqing Road Street (formerly Taoqi Road Street), Chenghua District, Chengdu City, and reached the "Maobian Bookstore·Taoqi Academy" project. The academy is composed of The subdistrict office provides the venue, Maobian Bookstore provides books and professional experience, and both parties jointly manage it.

The bookstore has grown bigger, has undergone some changes, the content has become richer, and more book friends have been made, but Fu Tianbin’s original intention has never changed.

In today’s more spacious bookstore, which covers an area of ??more than 1,000 square meters and has a collection of more than 100,000 books, there are sometimes all kinds of new books, but of course old books are still an indispensable part. Fu Tianbin described old books as being like old friends, only by reviewing the past can one learn the new.

At three o'clock in the morning on the day of the interview with China Science News, Fu Tianbin went to the used book market and received three large bags full of books.

The process of collecting books is both joyful and sad, with achievements and frustrations. At the end of last year, Fu Tianbin found a batch of documents at the book market, most of which were working manuscripts and notes, recording the import and export of Sichuan tea in the last century, as well as precious tea-making lecture notes and teaching materials. Two suitcases of information cost Fu Tianbin more than 10,000 yuan. But after I went home and sorted it out carefully, I felt it was worth it.

It was also during that time that Fu Tianbin met a bookstall owner who sold materials from Chengdu cooking magazines. In a woven pocket filled with magazines from the 1990s, the sharp-eyed Fu Tianbin found photos of Sichuan chef competition exercises in the 1950s. Although they were only one or two inches in size and had no artistic value in photography, they were better than the ones shown. The content is precious.

The other party demanded 40,000 yuan as soon as they opened the door. After several rounds of bargaining, a deal was never reached. Unexpectedly, after Fu Tianbin left, this batch of information was bought by another person.

Speaking of this, Fu Tianbin regretted, "It's not that it has a lot of room for appreciation, but it's a pity for the academy's Sichuan cuisine themed exhibition, and it's a loss for the research on the history of Sichuan cuisine." But. He knows that in the process of collecting books, there will be successes and disappointments. "I still need to learn to wait, be more patient, and know more about books."

In addition to continuing to do a good job in the used book business, Fu Tianbin also has some persistence at Maobian Bookstore and Taoqi Academy. For example, we do not engage in commercial activities that have nothing to do with books, nor do we create so-called Internet celebrities.

As it approaches its 25th "birthday", Maobian Bookstore, which emerged from the old neighborhood, is also undergoing a transformation.

Nowadays, books, as a medium, carry more functions. Fu Tianbin introduced that Maobian Bookstore·Taoqi Academy highlights the four major functions of teaching, learning, asking, and research, creating a reading space, an aesthetic education space, and a study space, and carrying out lectures, exhibitions, calligraphy and painting classes, tea art or flower art life aesthetics experience classes, and Thread-bound book experience and other various activities.

"It is not just a book business, but using books as a medium to make local culture come alive through some "meaningful" themed activities, and to excavate and inherit the cultural treasures in these old papers. . ”

He believes that being a bookstore also bears certain responsibilities. “First, it is to provide a comfortable space for everyone, not only a venue, but also a spiritual field where they can enjoy themselves. At the same time, it also provides services. Let the purity brought by reading enrich more people’s lives and hearts.”

Fu Tianbin said that at present, Mao Bian Shu is still a special business of the academy. Although it is not "mainstream", it shows a rare reading interest and guides readers to slow down their lives and sink their love. Read on. "I hope everyone can feel the lifestyle and attitude that we convey and advocate as a bookstore when reading the Maobian books."