In Shanghai, there is only one bookstore with the scenery of Lujiazui and the Huangpu River.
Located on the North Bund, Jiantou Bookstore's low-key façade makes it stand out among the high-rise buildings. Entering the bookstore can feel cramped, as the ground floor is so small that it can only accommodate a cash register and a few display desks, and a wooden staircase leads upwards, connecting three floors. The staircase is circular and hung with strings of warm yellow light bulbs, which look like shining stars when viewed from below. Even at the corner of the staircase, there are bookshelves full of selected books. The 1.5th and 2nd floors are still very cramped, but as soon as you enter the 3rd floor, your eyes suddenly open up.
The third floor is the main book display area, which has opened up a children's book area, providing picture books, children's literature, stationery, toys and other children's products. Next to the children's area is the literature section, where novels, essays and other literary works are displayed, so you will often see adults holding sample books and reading on the floor with children without disturbing each other. The biography café on the third floor is a popular place, so if you want a wider view and more comfortable seating, you can take a seat in it. The window seat is the most sought-after, because sitting there, the window is extremely transparent, and the scenery of the Oriental Pearl and the Huangpu River can be seen at a glance.
In the early days, Jiantou Bookstore became popular in the circle of friends because of the name of "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", largely because of the bookstore's open and foreign reading room. The 10-meter-high ceiling, arched floor-to-ceiling windows and dome corroborate each other, and the bookcase is 8 meters high, with the river view outside the window, a sense of magic is about to come out. Today's reading room has been converted into an event hall, where lectures and lecture halls are usually held, and is not open to readers during non-event hours.
Jiantou Books is not unbiased in the selection of books, and biographies are their characteristics. Jiantou Bookstore holds a theme character exhibition every month, as soon as you enter the bookstore, the first floor will display character-related books in a conspicuous place. Celebrities such as T. Barnum and Zheng Lu held exhibitions. In addition to biographies, Jiantou Bookstore also covers other types of books, the 1.5th and 2nd floors are mainly books on economics and finance, science and technology, and the 3rd floor is not only the above-mentioned children's picture books and literary works, but also humanities and social sciences, art, and life books.
