Chinese embrace new era of reading

A mother and daughter are seen reading in Sanlian Taofen Bookstore, April 22, 2014. Sanlian Taofen Bookstore (STB) in Dongcheng District expanded its operating hours round the clock on April 8. [Photo /Beijing News]

Beijing's first 24-hour bookstore has been filled with night-owl bookworms, with the recent extension of its hours coming just before World Book Day, which falls on Wednesday.

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore (STB) in Dongcheng District expanded its operating hours round the clock on April 8, with staff members' undoubted fatigue rewarded with plaudits and boosted revenue.

Yuan Yue is one happy customer. The 28-year-old from Hebei Province welcomed having an alternative venue in which to read. "It provides a better place to spend the long night than at home," said Yuan.

STB, opened in 1996, displays 80,000 titles across 1,500 square meters, and is one of Beijing's cultural landmarks.

Readers can now be seen sitting on cushions scattered on staircases of the two-story store, and the third-floor cafe is crowded with people reading their newly purchased books.

Da Na, a college student from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, stayed at the cafe till 3 a.m. with her friends. "Paper books can be marked and they have a feeling that no electric book can replace," she said of her preference for conventional reading formats in an era when digital tablets are becoming more popular.

According to Fan Xi'an, manager of the state-owned STB, it has sold more than 650,000 yuan's ($105,519) worth of books since April 8. The annual sales volume was only 130 million last year.

"The popularity of the scheme shows potential to arouse people's reading interests," said Fan.