The newly renovated Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore

Founded in 1956, the Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore is located on Fuzhou Road Cultural Street in Shanghai. It is a well-known professional ancient books and literature bookstore in China, specializing in ancient books, academic works, and traditional culture books. The Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore closed for renovation on January 8, 2024, and reopened to readers on April 21, 2025 with a brand-new look, attracting many readers to come and see its new style. The renovated bookstore has a unique and novel appearance, and the glass curtain wall forms "turning pages," just like an open book that can be read and appreciated. The bookstore has six floors with a total construction area of nearly 3,000 square meters, including more than 1,600 kinds of old thread-bound books and more than 50,600 kinds of books on the theme of excellent Chinese traditional culture, making it the largest ancient book store in China. It is an elegant place that blends classic and modern, tradition and fashion. Stepping into the bookstore and walking along the traditional persimmon calyx pattern on the ground is like walking into the "library" of the ancients. On the two columns, there are inscriptions by Mr. Gu Tinglong, the former curator of the Shanghai Library and bibliographer - "Preserving ancient and modern knowledge, gathering the essence of heaven and earth," which fits the artistic conception of the "library." On the double-height "boutique bookshelves" on the first and second floors, 339 simulated photo-reproduced copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia at home and abroad printed and published by the National Library Press and 1,800 copies of the Continued Collection of the Complete Library in Four Sections published by the Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House are displayed at the end of the atrium, forming an entire book wall. These two grand collections record the vast history of China and are classic masterpieces of Chinese culture. There are also various high-quality books from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, and all-encompassing. The third floor is the "Bargain Book Paradise." Revolving around the theme of "Dialogue between Ancient and Modern," readers can indulge in the sea of books composed of more than 4,000 kinds of special-priced books and more than 23,000 kinds of old books, satisfying the joy of "bargain hunting." New and old thread-bound books are the characteristics of the Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore. Many new and old thread-bound books are displayed in the "Bogu Zhai" on the third floor, reflecting the achievements of the bookstore in ancient book restoration and protection. Among them, the old thread-bound books are even more precious, including various Ming and Qing editions such as the 120-volume Later Han Dynasty Book of the Ming Dynasty. It also houses a set of The First Collection of Rare Books from the Complete Library in Four Sections, with a total of 231 kinds and 1,960 volumes, which was photo-reproduced and published in 1935 based on the Wenyuange edition of the Palace Museum. Because it is precious, "Bogu Zhai" only allows two people to visit at a time, and the staff will enthusiastically explain the past and present lives of these books, which is a feast for the eyes. It can also be sold and purchased here. In the "Dunhuang Space" on the fourth floor, more than 1,000 kinds of professional books on Dunhuang themes and light and shadow interaction are introduced. The hand-painted cave murals and caissons integrating elements such as the Jataka Tales of the Deer King, "Three Rabbits with Shared Ears," and "Flying Musicians," as well as Dunhuang costumes, musical instruments, and cultural creations, converge into a mysterious and magnificent desert landscape. This is currently the bookstore in Shanghai that introduces the most varieties of Dunhuang literature, with more than a thousand kinds of professional books on Dunhuang themes, including 110 volumes of Dunhuang Documents in the National Library of France and 23 volumes of Tibetan Documents in Dunhuang and the Western Regions in the British National Library. Readers can see out-of-print books such as Paul Pelliot's Notes on the Dunhuang Grottoes and A Panorama of Dunhuang Mural Stories. Lectures and markets are often held on the fifth and sixth floor roof terraces. Starting in May of this year, the bookstore will hold various lectures and other activities on the Saturday of the last week of each month. In addition, in the elegant atmosphere of fragrance and melodious piano music, you can also experience the life style of the ancients of smelling fragrance, listening to the piano, tasting tea, and reading books. It feels like a great place for lovers of history, literature, calligraphy, religion, and traditional Chinese medicine. Address: No. 401 Fuzhou Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai (near Middle Shandong Road) Business hours: 10:00-20:00 Public transportation: Take Metro Line 2 and get off at East Nanjing Road Station, and walk about 500m.