Bookshops in Beijing survived the shift to online retail by becoming something else: places to sit, drink and listen. The surviving independents are concentrated in the old city and in the university district of Haidian, and several of them keep hours that would be unusual anywhere else.
Sanlian Taofen Bookstore
On Art Museum East Street, a few minutes from the National Art Museum, Sanlian Taofen has been running since the 1990s and is famous for staying open through the night. The shelves lean towards history, philosophy, politics and translated fiction, with a good Chinese literature section. There is a cafe, benches, and a genuine late-night reading culture - students and shift workers sit on the floor with stacks of books at two in the morning. The English-language selection is small but well chosen.
One-Way Street Space
One-Way Street began as a small shop and has grown into a brand with several branches, mixing books with coffee, stationery and a regular programme of talks and readings. The atmosphere is more contemporary than Sanlian's, and the art, design and social science sections are strong. It is a good place to find Chinese writing in translation and to pick up a magazine you would not see at home.
Wan Sheng Bookstore
Wan Sheng, in the Haidian district near Peking and Tsinghua universities, is the scholarly end of the market. It is a large, densely packed shop where academics come to find editions that are out of print elsewhere, and the turnover of used and rare titles is part of its appeal. It sits in a quiet courtyard away from the tourist routes and feels like a working bookshop rather than a destination.
Practical notes
Sanlian Taofen keeps a 24-hour schedule, though it is worth checking current hours before making a late trip. Most other shops open around ten and close by nine. Prices for imported English titles are high because of import costs, and Chinese-language paperbacks are extremely cheap - a good reason to buy local authors. Card payment is widely accepted, and staff in the larger shops can usually manage basic English.
