(Lady Book Saloon)
ANCHOR:
Digital reading devices have brought great convenience to readers but dealt a heavy blow to bookstores and libraries. Perusing titles in a bookstore used to be a favorite pastime for many people, but some bookstores have been forced to close amid shrinking visitors numbers and growing operational costs.  So what's the future for bookstores?
REPORTER:
"Beijing News" is a leading daily in China's capital, boasting a large circulation. Ever since its inauguration more than seven years ago, it has published a special book review section in its Saturday edition. In the 16-page special, editors present reviews of books on a range of topics such as literature, arts, business and science. The section also invites scholars, publishers, artists and ordinary readers to vote for their favorite books. The paper's most recent book review recommended 20 books by both Chinese and foreign authors for summer reading.
Tu Zhigang, Deputy Editor-in-chief of the newspaper's "Book Review," says unlike years ago when he had to rely on bookstores to supply the books for review and other information, he now gets most of them online from virtual retailers such as Dangdang.com. Many bestsellers actually won their original fame from the internet.
"People talk a lot about where book-reading is heading. There has been some pessimism that book-reading is about to fade out of the public arena. I think the medium of book-reading is changing, but reading itself is already deeply rooted in human beings."
Nevertheless, Tu Zhigang says he is seeing a decline in traditional bookstores. The most recent case being the closure of Feng Rusong, which was famous for its up-to-date academic books and reader-friendly environment. He says the growing costs of running bricks-and-mortar bookstores as opposed to online ones are forcing bookstores to rethink their operation models. But in the long-term, this will not be a bad thing.
"In the last two to three years, there have been quite a few small bookstores with strong characteristics that have found their places in Beijing. They target a small group of readers and focus on a special field. I personally visited an arts bookstore in Songzhuang in Tongzhou District during the weekend. It was built on the basis that many residents there are involved in arts—painting, sculpture, film-making. It has achieved huge success by turning itself from simply a place for people to buy books into a gathering of artists."
Tu Zhigang believes that bookstores in China are returning to their initial functions of being venues for cultural exchanges and social activities. In the west, mainstream bookstores nowadays are not big multifunctional ones, but small community-based stores that let people with common interests meet together to brainstorm.
Some bookstore owners in China, especially those who run privately owned ones, agree.
This is a talk given by a cancer-fighting group in Yu Feng Shu Guan, a bookstore that specifically targets female readers. Unlike traditional Chinese bookstores where only book promotions are allowed to be held, Yu Feng opens its arm to various women-related events, from courses on beauty and culinary skills to how to be a successful business woman and the dos and don'ts of job promotions.
Sun Tingting, the bookstore's director of planning, says Yu Feng now has three branches in Beijing and a total of 2,000 members whose ages range from 20 to 45. Unlike typical bookstores, Yu Feng is trying out a business model of serving as both a bookstore and a library.
(Sun ambiences)
Tingting says by paying a minimum of 720 yuan, or 112 U.S. dollars, each year, readers can borrow up to six books per visit with no limit on borrowing privileges for 12 months. She says although this creates additional maintenance costs, Yu Feng is making an attempt to survive in the digital age.
"The development of bookstores has evolved to the post-bookstore era. Bookstores are no longer outlets for book sales, but places with combined functions and different business models. We hope Yu Feng can be the place where people with common interests get their voices heard and make friends."
(ambiences-2)
Helping people getting their voices heard and finding friends are why Yu Feng translates as the "Lady Book Saloon." The books here are arranged on shelves under interesting categories such as "Books Written by Women" and "Books Written for Women."
Interestingly, I spot a corner in the shop where branded digital reading devices are on display. Ting Ting agrees advanced technology is causing many people to adjust their reading patterns, but she insists that technology is not handing a death sentence to book-reading. Although it's changing some people's methods of reading, it is not changing human-to-human relations. As reading has become a habit for many people in contemporary society, they still need a place where, according to Yu Feng's motto, they can "relax their feet and free their hearts."
(ID-2)

                                    (Poplar Kid's Republic)
ANCHOR:
It's widely believed that children aged below three are best suited to form good reading habits. However, due to a lack of suitable reading material and poor guidance teaching children how to read, China is still in its infancy. However, thanks to government efforts, educational institutions and NGOs, an increasing number of families are starting to realize the importance of helping young children to learn to read.
REPORTER:
Xu Xihao just celebrated his second birthday. Despite not yet mastering the ability to express himself in full sentences, he is already an avid book worm. Everyday before dinner, Xu Xihao knows it's story time with his parents.
"He likes us to hold him in our arms, and turn the pages together. We put our fingers on the cartoon images in the books. Most of the time we read stories to him and sometimes we have short dialogues. Although we are not sure how much he understands the stories, we're certain that he enjoys reading, and we value these intimate moments."
Xu Xihao is not short of books. Growing up in China, the world's biggest publisher of children's books, with more than 40,000 kinds of children's books published each year, children like him have a variety of literature to choose from. By 2010, among 576 publishing houses across the country, more than 90 percent were involved in the publishing of children's books.
But according to Li Xueqian, Director of China Children's Press & Publication Group, compared to children in the West, Chinese children, especially those at pre-kindergarten age, need more quality reading time with the company of their parents. A survey among parent readers revealed that more than one third of those surveyed said their children wanted their parents to read for them. Slightly less than one third said their children wanted their parents to be present while reading, while the remainder said that their children prefered independent reading.
"For children aged below three, they need the assistance of their parents. It's important to read for children. Children's books use vivid language and techniques such as reduplicatives, or onomatopoeia in order to make stories more attractive. Reading for children using these words, tones, and techniques can arouse their interest in reading."
Li Xueqian says early childhood reading helps children fall into the habit of reading for themselves, thus helping to establish their initial values towards life. Parents have an important role to play in this process.
"When reading a book together, children and their parents are in very close relation. Children see and hear encouragement and praise from their parents, which helps them build their sense of confidence."
Parent-child reading is starting to find its place in China, but the development of the practice did not come easily. As part of traditional Chinese thought, reading is for learning. Many parents begin to present skill enrichment books, poems or nursery rhymes written in card form to their children when they are toddlers, with the purpose of teaching them how to read characters or how to count numbers. The pragmatic approach to reading influences parent-child-reading, which makes it almost impossible to create a fun reading environment.
Poplar is a household name among many Chinese young parents. It's always among the top of the list when choosing huiben, or picture books, for children. Being the largest professional children's book publishing company in Japan, Poplar opened its first picture book store, Kid's Republic, in Beijing in 2005, tailoring their stories for children under eight years of age.
(book store ambiences...)
In this two-story book store, books are put onto different shelves in accordance with the ages of the children. Little readers can stand, sit or even lie on the ground to read. They can also take part in a number of activity groups for story-telling, paper-cutting and painting.
Zhang Xuejuan is manager of Kid's Republic. Better known by friends, both adult and children alike, as Mao Mao, she recalls the confusion and misunderstanding she and her colleagues faced when they decided to introduce their picture books into China.
"For a long time, in our education system, the function of reading was to learn, and to learn only. Parents insist that by reading their children should learn some skills, such as recognizing and memorizing characters. But what we advocate is the nurturing of a concept based on the idea of 'pleasant reading', where children should first have an interest in reading. They should be able to experience the fun and love of reading while doing so."
Mao Mao says that many parents grew up during a time when reading was a one-way learning process, with most not realizing it to be a problem at all. Therefore, there was no impetus for them to push for a change. In addition, the high cost of picture books has also kept away many potential buyers. Mao Mao explains that the average cost of a picture book is about 20 yuan, or 3 US dollars. That's more than double that of a children's cartoon book, which causes many parents to think that the books are too expensive.
"The production cost of a picture book is high. We have a team of writers. They design and make fascinating books for children. We also need high standards for print and publication. In China, most of Poplar's books are imported from Japan, so we also have to cover copyright royalties in our production costs."
By using simple lines and easy colors, Poplar trys to tell stories in a child-oriented way. In many of its picture books, there is not a single word. Children read stories from pictures, using their imagination to tell what is happening. Poplar stresses the active participation of parents. It believes parent-child reading is an effective way of forging family relations. Parents play an indispensable role in reading, as they can guide and influence their children on what they themselves like and dislike.
To allow Chinese children access to the unique world of picture books, Poplar chose kindergartens and apartment complexes as the places where they would introduce their concept. Despite not being an easy process to change the perception of a whole generation of parents, the public is starting to accept this 'new' way of reading.
The turning point came in the last two years when an increasing number of Chinese parents became more willing to change their conventional reading patterns and decided to inject more fun into their children's reading process.
"I think one main reason for the boom of picture books is that many of the One-Child generation have become moms and dads. Compared to the older generation, they are more prone to novelties. They are open to new ideas that they believe will benefit their children. They didn't read these types of picture books when they were young, so they want their kids to make up for what was lost during their childhood."
Mao Mao has discovered that the new generation of Chinese parents is more concerned about spending quality time with their children. Instead of asking their children to master one particular skill, they care more about helping their children form habits, or attitudes, that can benefit them throughout their lives. A prime example of this desire for quality time is the increased number of fathers taking their children to the book store, telling them how to read; which was traditionally the role of the mother.
Mao Mao says when Poplar first entered the Chinese market six years ago it estimated that it would need ten years in order to cultivate the market for picture books. However, that period is certainly shorter than it had anticipated. What's even more inspiring is that an increasing number of native children's book writers are becoming more active in using their pens and paintings to provide children with the kind of stories that can inspire their imagination.