Book Street

Author: Wang Yaohua, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Recorded the history of the book industry over a century in the form of a 10-meter scroll, preserving a forgotten memory and contrasting old and new storefronts, allowing readers to wander between history and reality. The inclusion of simple floor plans documents the former glory of Fuzhou Road. This volume embodies years of dedication, truly restoring Fuzhou Road to its authentic state. The bookstores on Fuzhou Road underwent adjustments, mergers, closures, conversions, or corporate partnerships, gradually consolidating into the Shanghai Science and Technology Bookstore, Shanghai Ancient Books Bookstore, Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore, and Shanghai Bookstore while maintaining its unique cultural district advantage. On December 30, 1988, the Shanghai Book City, a modern cultural landmark, was completed and opened at No. 465 Fuzhou Road. It occupied a 3,713-square-meter site with a construction investment of 340 million yuan and featured a seven-story retail building. This further enhanced Fuzhou Road's reputation as Shanghai's "Cultural Street."
Fuzhou Road's emergence as a cultural street began in 1861, when the Wuyanghai Bookstore moved to Maijiayuan near Fuzhou Road in 1864. Subsequently, bookstores such as Qianqing Tang, Shangyi Bookshop, and Shaoyeshanfang, as well as cultural institutions like Gezhi Study, Dianshi Zhai Stone Printing Bureau, and Guangxue Society, gradually appeared in the surrounding areas of Fuzhou Road. The prosperity of Fuzhou Road stemmed from the establishment of the headquarters of the Zhonghua Book Company on Henan Road in 1916, which extended the book industry from Henan Road's Qipanjie to Fuzhou Road. In 1931, the Dada Book Company moved into No. 310 Fuzhou Road, and in 1932, the Shijie Book Company established its store at No. 390 Fuzhou Road. This shifted the center of the Chinese book industry, particularly new bookstores, to Fuzhou Road, eventually turning it into a bustling commercial street. The surrounding area of Fuzhou Road, with numerous bookstores, newspapers, paper and ink shops, calligraphy and painting shops, and stationery and food stores, was known as "Fuzhou Road [Cultural Street]," reflecting the efforts of generations and the freeze of history. Today, recounting the story of Fuzhou Road evokes a sense of vicissitudes and nostalgia. History, after all, can sometimes be replayed. History moves forward.