In Tianjin, a city in northern China, there is a large and popular bookstore. It welcomes visitors with tall steps and a unique spiral staircase. But the eye-catching shop is attracting more people who want to take photos than those who want to read.
Mainland China’s sales of physical books suffered during the pandemic. They have not returned to previous levels.
More unique bookstores have emerged in the country. But they have focused on making their interiors interesting. This is attracting photographers, not readers.
Zheng Shiwei is a Chinese architect. He warned that more people would visit these stores with no intention of browsing books.
Last June, a bookstore in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing became very popular with tourists. It had to ban flash photography, tripods and photoshoots.
