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SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

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Iconic new landmark unveiled at SISU: Shanghai witnesses first cross-cultural bookstore


27 October 2020 | By ZHUO Qinhong | Copyedited by GU Yiqing

  • SISU Bookstore

    “We hope that it becomes a cultural landmark with warmth and unique style”, says Xu.

  • TONGJI Bookstore

    Black 'Ink' Icecream

  • Zhida Bookstore

 

A

fter the renovation lasting for a whole year, the brand-new bookstore of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) recently says hello to its first group of visitors on Hongkou Campus.

Located at 560 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai, SISU bookstore has been in business for 40 years and is reborn with new characteristics in spatial design and operating ideas.

The First Cross-cultural Bookstore

Based on resources from Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLEP), one of Chinese famous publishers, and SISU, this bookstore highlights its strength in language studies and cross-cultural communication.

At the entrance, there is a logo hollowed out in the similar form of the letter W, representing Chinese counterpart of the pronunciation of “foreign language”.

The ceiling of the bookshop is painted as a starry sky full of poems, well-known sayings, and portrayals of the renowned from all over the world. Besides, the form of circle within the hall also implies the merging of various cultures.

Books on display includes textbooks, academic monographs, multilingual reading materials, involving more than 30 modern languages.

SISU bookstore also designs the Language Testing Room for VIP to test their ability in English listening, reading, speaking and writing, and therefore, students could select the most suitable books for themselves.

Modern Operating Ideas

This upgraded bookshop operates in a fashionable way that merges books with coffee, snack, and cultural products.

Starbucks next door attracts more consumers to enter the bookshop. Walking with a cup of coffee into the European-style box designed for in-depth reading and then sitting on the sofa, readers naturally get into the spiritual world created by authors.

“Not only will the bookstore invite domestic and foreign students from SISU to be volunteers, but also hold reading activities, meetings for book sharing, and exhibitions or seminars relevant to international themes”, says Xu Jun, the managing director of SISU bookstore.

The bookstore aims to exploit its advantage in foreign languages and create a 4s bookstore which combines together four functions including search, sales, solution and service.

“SISU bookstore is going to be a place of fun”, says the director of Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLEP).

“We hope that it becomes a cultural landmark with warmth and unique style”, says Xu.

University Revitalizes Bookstore

In recent years, brick-and-mortar bookstores owned by various universities in Shanghai develop in a fast pace, setting up more than 30 bookshops in total. These bookshops are mostly supported by their own university and publisher. Some private bookshops also seek for cooperation with famous universities nearby.

Relying on abundant resources from the renowned Tongji University, Tongji bookstore provides reading service for professors, students, designers and other groups of readers. Moreover, it offers water, relaxing area, cold storage and book-delivering service, totally for free.

“The newly-invented ink ice cream went viral on social media and sold very well”, says Qin Yan, the director of Tongji bookstore.

During the pandemic, Zhida Bookstore was inspired by the merging of Fudan University and the Internet, and therefore, it launched a series of online activities called “Trips to the Press” and then held 2 to 3 offline activities per week to accumulate data from readers, so as to explore and satisfy their needs. Beiye Bookstore was also forced by the pandemic to try online meetings for book sharing and webcasts.

Every university has their unique cultural genes. Their active exploration of advancement during the covid-19 epidemic makes their bookstores come to life and help create a new generation of cultural landmarks.

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Press Contact

SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

Further Reading