Shanghai reads. The city has a longer publishing tradition than anywhere else in mainland China, and its bookshops reflect that - from large multi-floor stores in the shopping districts to small presses and art bookshops tucked into converted factories. For a visitor the practical value is simple: it is the easiest city in the country to find English-language books, maps, art and design titles and locally produced magazines.
The kinds of shop to look for
Four types are worth seeking out. The big general stores, which occupy whole buildings and carry a large foreign-language section alongside Chinese titles. The design and art shops, often in converted industrial space on the West Bund or in the M50 district, which stock imported monographs, architecture and photography books, and small-run zines from Chinese studios. The independent literary shops in the French Concession, which run readings and hold a curated selection of translated Chinese fiction. And the second-hand and remainder shops, where the stock is unpredictable and the prices very low.
Why it is worth an hour
Chinese book design has become a discipline in its own right, and the country's designers win international prizes for it. The bookshops are where you see that work on the shelf rather than in a photograph - unusual binding, exposed spines, printed edges and paper chosen for a particular novel. Even with no Chinese at all, the graphic and art sections are browsable, and translated Chinese fiction is now widely available in English, which makes a good souvenir that lasts longer than a fridge magnet.
Practical notes
Most shops have an in-store cafe and encourage you to sit and read; some keep a small bar for the evening. Opening hours are typically ten in the morning to nine or ten at night. Card payment works in the larger stores, while smaller shops may be mobile-payment only. Prices for imported books are high because of duty, so buy local publishers rather than imported editions if you want value. The concentration of shops in the former French Concession makes an afternoon of it easy on foot.
