Beautiful bookstore festival opens in historical hub
A foreign artist talks with customers at the Sinan Beautiful Bookstore Festival.
The 2nd Sinan Beautiful Bookstore Festival began on Thursday at downtown Fuxing Park and the historical Sinan Mansions.
The festival, which will run through October 1, brings together about 60 renowned bookstores in a marketplace-style event, open to the public free of charge.
The festival aims to create a relaxed and interactive atmosphere of "cultural and social gathering through books," according to the organizer.
The festival boasts a diverse array of bookstores, ranging from well-known chains like Readers Bookstore, Dayin Bookmall, and JIC Bookstore, to time-honored brands, such as the 72-year-old Foreign Languages Bookstore, the Shanghai Ancient Bookstore dating back to 1956, and the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House that was founded in 1952.
The reopened 1927 Luxun and Uchiyama Memorial Bookstore and Sinan Bookstore also took part in the festival.
Sinan Bookstore offers a curated selection of compact and high-quality pocket-sized books, including 65 literary classics and small editions of Nobel Prize-winning works.
"We believe that creating an immersive experience is essential for a successful book fair," said Deng Ying, marketing manager of Century Cloud Development Co.
Foreign visitors check innovative souvenirs at a bazaar on the sidelines of the festival.
Throughout the event, the bookstore has also introduced seasonal specialty drinks, such as the Sinan latte, custom canvas bags and the opportunity to take pictures under the plane trees at the mansions.
An art installation made from 3,990 discarded books has been unveiled to highlight a book exchange program. It features sections including the "Book for Book Zone," "Treasure Hunt Zone" and "Bookish Games Zone," introducing new ways to recycle old books.
The Banana Fish Bookstore also curated a special exhibition area – the Banana Fish Design Art Zone – showcasing various forms and derivative works driven by the creativity of art books. It emphasizes the aesthetic value of books, printing techniques and packaging materials, elevating books as both art and accessible art.
"We hope that through the festival, more citizens will discover distinctive bookstores, experience the creative sparks behind book production, and then revisit and explore more bookstores," said Fan Meichen, deputy general manager of the mansions.
In addition, a four-day outdoor vinyl music concert is set to coincide with the fair, featuring over 30 domestic and international musicians who will perform on the streets.
The mansions, the only wholly preserved historical garden villa complex in downtown Shanghai, include more than 50 historic villas of various styles. They were once homes to celebrities such as poet Liu Yazi (1887-1958) and Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961). Some of them have been turned into hotels, cafés, restaurant and shops.
Customers check out innovative books at the festival.
If you go:
Date: Through October 1
Venue: Sinan Mansions
Address: 532 Fuxing Road M.
复兴中路532号
Venue: Fuxing Park
Address: 105 Yandang Road
雁荡路105号
Customers browse books at the festival.
