E-commerce impact, industry shrinkage, tightening censorship: Chinese independent bookstores seek a way out
Under pressure from e-commerce and strict censorship, Chinese independent bookstores face a wave of closures. However, owners are finding new survival paths through moving to regional cities, using live streaming for transparency, and exploring niche cultural markets.
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- 📰 Published: April 19, 2026 at 16:12
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- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:49 (1h 18m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Taipei, 19th) Under the environment of e-commerce impact, industry shrinkage, and tightening censorship, Chinese independent bookstores have ushered in a wave of closures in recent years, with operators finding their own way out in different circumstances; but experts point out that facing China's huge population base and growing local cultural ecology, independent bookstores still have room for development.
Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported today that reports show the indicator reflecting the sales scale of publications, "Ma Yang" (total list price of all books calculated by multiplying price by number of copies), decreased by 15% year-on-year last year. As veteran Chinese independent bookstores like Douban Bookstore exit one after another, a batch of new bookstores that emerged post-COVID-19, centered on physical connection and public discussion, also face difficulties. Beijing's first feminist bookstore, "Another Bookstore," announced its closure last month.
The report quoted A Cui, the owner of an independent bookstore in Beijing, saying that when the epidemic was just unsealed in 2023, "everyone was holding back a fire in their hearts, eager to express and connect." But in the second year of his bookstore's opening, due to rent pressure, he had to move away from the central area. The foot traffic was unsustainable, losing tens of thousands of RMB every year.
A Cui said, "Sometimes there are no customers all day, only 'relevant departments' patronize." Grassroots neighborhood organizations come to the bookstore door every day to "take photos and clock in." Someone pointed to the signature banner in the store, "I Cannot Remain Silent," and asked, "What exactly do you have to say?" As daily friction became more frequent, A Cui felt exhausted dealing with it.
In addition, "force majeure" and "technical reasons" have also become frequent guests on event cancellation notices; even volunteers helping with operations were taken away by police to be questioned about the bookstore's daily routine.
Besides external pressure, a sense of gap is also one of the reasons for the decision to close. A Cui gradually felt that the theories repeatedly discussed could not reach the public level, and practical changes were out of reach. "Once the event is over, trivial matters flood back: what about the rent, what about the inventory?" The bookstore held more than 200 events in 3 years, leaving many precious moments, but at the same time, A Cui also realized that he could no longer afford the price of being "Another."
Chengdu's "Youxing Bookstore," known for hosting public lectures, must report its activities to local cultural departments every week. Bookstore owner Zhang Feng believes it might be time to lay down grand visions and burdens and travel light.
Unlike most "burn after reading" cultural salons, Youxing live-streams and records all events, laying them bare before the public. The original intention was to allow more out-of-town readers to participate online and relieve operational pressure, but now it allows Zhang Feng to face supervision frankly. As a veteran media person, Zhang Feng believes that the transparent model Youxing adheres to creates a different kind of trust, which is true public discussion in his eyes.
In the second half of last year, after two events were halted and canceled, Zhang Feng announced the bookstore was about to close due to "force majeure." Unexpectedly, in less than a week, the bookstore came back to life, as the "closure storm" greatly increased the bookstore's visibility and drove operational improvement. Zhang Feng said the bookstore did not self-censor because of this; instead, the scale of topics was sharper than many similar events.
After A Cui bid farewell to "Another Bookstore," he moved to Quanzhou, Fujian, to reopen "Wulei Bookstore." As an emerging cultural tourism city in recent years, Quanzhou attracts many young people escaping big cities and has a relatively diverse cultural atmosphere. A Cui rented a four-story old house, and the rent is only 1/5 of the Beijing storefront. He plans to continue focusing on gender issues, explore more of Hokkien local culture, and hopes to use geographical advantages to connect independent bookstores in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
Fang Kecheng, initiator of Hong Kong cultural space "Filter Bubble" and associate professor of journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that Guilin's Yeshan Bookstore opened the market by marketing "book blind boxes" through Xiaohongshu, breaking through the scale restrictions of third- and fourth-tier cities; Chengdu's "Dubenwu" sells slow-moving books with a unique perspective and channels. "Some rely on top-down government resources, some through business model innovation, some combine with the Internet, and some simply change locations."
He pointed out that China has a huge population base, and local cultural ecologies are growing, so there is still room for development. "The system has never been a monolith; crevices and mobility still exist."
Zhang Feng believes, "There is no way to guarantee a bookstore will stay alive forever." Holding a "last day" mentality, he will do more things without leaving regrets. After Chengdu independent bookstore "Wild Pear Tree" closes in 2025, principal Zhu Yan will continue cultural salons in different cities in a pop-up format. He recorded the journey on social media, saying, "In the flow, do concrete things, face real people, even if it's insignificant, do a little, do a little." (Editors: Chou Hui-ying / Chang Shu-ling) 1150419
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Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported today that reports show the indicator reflecting the sales scale of publications, "Ma Yang" (total list price of all books calculated by multiplying price by number of copies), decreased by 15% year-on-year last year. As veteran Chinese independent bookstores like Douban Bookstore exit one after another, a batch of new bookstores that emerged post-COVID-19, centered on physical connection and public discussion, also face difficulties. Beijing's first feminist bookstore, "Another Bookstore," announced its closure last month.
The report quoted A Cui, the owner of an independent bookstore in Beijing, saying that when the epidemic was just unsealed in 2023, "everyone was holding back a fire in their hearts, eager to express and connect." But in the second year of his bookstore's opening, due to rent pressure, he had to move away from the central area. The foot traffic was unsustainable, losing tens of thousands of RMB every year.
A Cui said, "Sometimes there are no customers all day, only 'relevant departments' patronize." Grassroots neighborhood organizations come to the bookstore door every day to "take photos and clock in." Someone pointed to the signature banner in the store, "I Cannot Remain Silent," and asked, "What exactly do you have to say?" As daily friction became more frequent, A Cui felt exhausted dealing with it.
In addition, "force majeure" and "technical reasons" have also become frequent guests on event cancellation notices; even volunteers helping with operations were taken away by police to be questioned about the bookstore's daily routine.
Besides external pressure, a sense of gap is also one of the reasons for the decision to close. A Cui gradually felt that the theories repeatedly discussed could not reach the public level, and practical changes were out of reach. "Once the event is over, trivial matters flood back: what about the rent, what about the inventory?" The bookstore held more than 200 events in 3 years, leaving many precious moments, but at the same time, A Cui also realized that he could no longer afford the price of being "Another."
Chengdu's "Youxing Bookstore," known for hosting public lectures, must report its activities to local cultural departments every week. Bookstore owner Zhang Feng believes it might be time to lay down grand visions and burdens and travel light.
Unlike most "burn after reading" cultural salons, Youxing live-streams and records all events, laying them bare before the public. The original intention was to allow more out-of-town readers to participate online and relieve operational pressure, but now it allows Zhang Feng to face supervision frankly. As a veteran media person, Zhang Feng believes that the transparent model Youxing adheres to creates a different kind of trust, which is true public discussion in his eyes.
In the second half of last year, after two events were halted and canceled, Zhang Feng announced the bookstore was about to close due to "force majeure." Unexpectedly, in less than a week, the bookstore came back to life, as the "closure storm" greatly increased the bookstore's visibility and drove operational improvement. Zhang Feng said the bookstore did not self-censor because of this; instead, the scale of topics was sharper than many similar events.
After A Cui bid farewell to "Another Bookstore," he moved to Quanzhou, Fujian, to reopen "Wulei Bookstore." As an emerging cultural tourism city in recent years, Quanzhou attracts many young people escaping big cities and has a relatively diverse cultural atmosphere. A Cui rented a four-story old house, and the rent is only 1/5 of the Beijing storefront. He plans to continue focusing on gender issues, explore more of Hokkien local culture, and hopes to use geographical advantages to connect independent bookstores in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
Fang Kecheng, initiator of Hong Kong cultural space "Filter Bubble" and associate professor of journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that Guilin's Yeshan Bookstore opened the market by marketing "book blind boxes" through Xiaohongshu, breaking through the scale restrictions of third- and fourth-tier cities; Chengdu's "Dubenwu" sells slow-moving books with a unique perspective and channels. "Some rely on top-down government resources, some through business model innovation, some combine with the Internet, and some simply change locations."
He pointed out that China has a huge population base, and local cultural ecologies are growing, so there is still room for development. "The system has never been a monolith; crevices and mobility still exist."
Zhang Feng believes, "There is no way to guarantee a bookstore will stay alive forever." Holding a "last day" mentality, he will do more things without leaving regrets. After Chengdu independent bookstore "Wild Pear Tree" closes in 2025, principal Zhu Yan will continue cultural salons in different cities in a pop-up format. He recorded the journey on social media, saying, "In the flow, do concrete things, face real people, even if it's insignificant, do a little, do a little." (Editors: Chou Hui-ying / Chang Shu-ling) 1150419
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The text, pictures, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.