Gathering places

In addition to reading and buying books, many readers visit bookstores to kill time, look around, attend book lectures and signings, have drinks and snacks, or have a small chat, according to douban.com, a major website for ratings and reviews of books, films and music.

Some have become icons among readers.

The conceptual Sinan Bookstore in Shanghai's Sinan Mansions, for instance, has also made a splash during its two months in operation, but closed this month.

The diamond-shaped building's mobile shelves stock over 3,000 copies of over 1,000 books, hundreds of cultural items and many vinyl records from the 1970s.

It has invited over 60 celebrated writers to serve as "manager" for a day－that is, to meet and speak with readers.

Reader Chen Yani has visited the 30-square-meter store to meet her favorite writers. "The space is small. So I was very close to them," she recalled. She stayed until after 9 pm to make the most of the opportunity. "I looked back when I left, and the bookstore was shining on the dark street. It seemed sacred."

Some concerns raised

But the Report on China's Physical Bookstores also pointed to concerns about the future, due to high cost of rent and labor and competition from online bookstores.

Industry expert San Shi wrote that stores are becoming homogeneous in terms of design and business models. Suzhou Phoenix Book Mall's general manager, Zeng Feng, said there is little more physical stores can do to improve book sales.

And while new stores are opening, some old favorites are vanishing.

Shanghai's 21-year-old Hanyuan Bookstore closed at the end of the year.

Zhai Defang, who is SDX Joint Publishing Co's chief editor and Sanlian Taofen Bookstore's general manager, wrote: "It's still difficult for physical bookstores to survive. So more government support is vital."

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore's branch in Beijing's Haidian district has reportedly endured heavy losses since it opened on April 23－World Reading Day－in 2015.

It stopped remaining open 24 hours a day, which was one of its special features.

Still, many insiders see hope, including Liao Mei-li, who was co-founder of Taiwan's Eslite Bookstore and is the Fangsuo Bookstore chain's chief consultant.

"Bookstores are responsible for the transfer of knowledge and the cultivation of taste within the cultural industry. This is how we must stand out."

Time will tell if this will ultimately prove a bright point for physical bookstores' future.