Chengdu ranks second only to Beijing in terms of the number of physical bookstores, and was selected as the "Bookstore Capital" by the China Book Distribution Association in 2017. As a popular bookstore, Fangsuo has become an indispensable cultural landmark in Chengdu.
Opened in 2015, Chengdu Fangsuo is the second bookstore in China, covering an area of 4,000 square meters, which is twice the size of the Guangzhou store. Combining the cultural characteristics of Sichuan with the historical story of Daci Temple, the bookstore is designed with the concept of "Tibetan Scripture Pavilion", creating an attic full of books and a covered bridge running through the left and right. The bookstore uses a large number of wood, copper, iron, stone and other materials, such as the entrance designed in the shape of a copper meteorite and the large cement pillars that can be seen everywhere, and also incorporates elements of planetary charts and constellations. In 2015, Fang was included in the list of the world's 15 most beautiful bookstores by Architectural Digest, an international authoritative home life magazine.
Although it has always positioned itself as a "public cultural space", books are still one of the most important parts of Fangsuo. The number of books in Fang's collection is among the highest in Chengdu bookstores, with 150,000 volumes, which are mainly divided into Hong Kong and Taiwan book areas, humanities and literature book areas, art and design book areas, and life and food book areas. A wide variety of original books and foreign magazines have always been a part of Fang's pride, whether it is "Sherlock", "A Song of Ice and Fire", "The Da Vinci Code" and other popular books, or "novum", "Magazine B", "The Gourmand" and other independent magazines, they can be found in Fangsuo. In addition to bestsellers, there is no shortage of limited-edition books and niche selections, such as Issey Miyake Global Limited Collector's Edition Collection, Yayoi Kusama x Alice in Wonderland. The price of the original books is mostly expensive, but there are quite a few books that provide samples, and there will be multiple different versions of the same book, giving readers more choice.
Fang also attaches great importance to the placement of each book, and for this reason, the bookstore has also set up a corresponding management team. "Fang Recommended", "Fang Chang Bang", "New Arrivals" and Chengdu-themed books are placed in a conspicuous place on the first floor, and readers can see them as soon as they enter the door. The second floor is the development of the four major book areas, the number of books is huge, and Fang has put a lot of effort into classification, for example, literature is divided according to geography, and then subdivided according to authors, and the album works are classified according to the school of painting and the era. The shelves of the bookstore are labeled with high and horizontal compartments, so even if there is no book search system, it is not too difficult for readers to find the books.
Xiaofang is a comprehensive aesthetic education and learning space built on the basis of the children's area of Chengdu Fang's Guangzhou store, located in the deepest part of the bookstore, and has been made into the appearance of an air cabin. In addition to reading, children can also play with building blocks, puzzles, and participate in the "Reading to Children" activities held regularly at the bookstore.
The cultural activities and experiential activities planned by Fang are also worth mentioning. The bookstore has a 600-square-metre exhibition area and hosts an average of 6 to 8 events per month, including lectures, exhibitions and concerts. Since its opening, Fang has invited celebrity writers such as Yang Liping, Jia Zhangke, and Zhang Dachun to give speeches at the scene, held exhibitions such as the Uranistan Film Festival and the Children's Text Exhibition, and successfully held the Chengdu International Bookstore Forum for two consecutive years, attracting tens of thousands of participants. Each month, the bookstore will hold a "Member's Day" event with a different theme, and bookstore members can not only have the qualification to enter the event for free, but also get birthday gift bags and enjoy discounts on book purchases.
Chengdu Fangsuo continued the complex format of the Guangzhou store and increased the number. In addition to the designer brand "Exception" of bookstore founder Mao Jihong, Fangsuo Fashion District also gathers brands such as YNOT and Massimo alba. The Aesthetics Zone includes more than 60 brands of lifestyle products from around the world, many of which are new to Chengdu. In addition, the bookstore also has a botanical and café area.
Since its birth, the daily customer flow of Chengdu Fangsuo has been as high as seven or eight thousand, and even tens of thousands on holidays, which is more than twice that of the Guangzhou store. The bookstore does not have a special reading area, next to the staircase, the railing of the covered bridge, and the bookshelf...... There is a crowd of people in any corner, and it is not suitable for reading on the spot. There is a lot of traffic, but there are far more people who come for the purpose of taking pictures and visiting than real readers, which is also a common problem of today's large brick-and-mortar bookstores, especially online celebrity bookstores.
