Chengdu has a strong reading culture, reinforced by a large student population and by a local habit of spending long, unhurried afternoons in public places. The result is a city with more good bookshops than most in China, and with a particular tendency toward large, beautifully designed shops that function as public living rooms.
Fang Suo Commune
Fang Suo, in the Taikoo Li development in the city centre, is the best known. It occupies a large space with very high shelves, a wide selection of art, design, literature and humanities titles, and a substantial cafe and events area. The architecture is part of the attraction, and it draws as many people for the space as for the books. There is a small but well-chosen foreign-language section, and regular talks, launches and exhibitions.
Independent shops and chains
Chengdu also has a good spread of smaller shops. Yanjiyou and several similar chains mix books, stationery, coffee and design objects in a way that has become standard in Chinese cities, and there are genuine independents in the university districts and in the older parts of town, often specialising in second-hand books, Sichuan local history or art. The Sichuan Provincial Library has modern reading rooms open to the public, which is a good free option if you want to work quietly for a few hours.
Reading cafes
What makes Chengdu distinctive is how many bookshops are also places to sit for a long time. Tables are plentiful, refills are cheap, and nobody moves you on. Many stay open until ten at night, and several open early. You will see students working, retirees reading newspapers, and groups meeting to discuss a book. Tea and coffee are the usual orders, and prices are moderate by big-city standards.
Practical notes
Fang Suo and the larger shops are in the centre, easily reached from Chunxi Road station on Lines 2 and 3. Foreign-language books are expensive because of import duties, and Chinese paperbacks are very cheap, which makes this a good place to buy contemporary Chinese fiction in the original. Most shops accept card and mobile payment, and staff in the larger ones usually speak some English. Carry your passport if you plan to use the public library, as registration is required.
