Story & Photos: Da Thuong
Librairie Avant-Garde, located in an underground parking garage in Nanjing, is one of the world’s best bookstores.
In this era of e-readers and enormous chain booksellers, the successful independent bookstore is increasingly rare. However, there are still holdouts, places where idiosyncrasy and sheer love of books are able to persist. One of the boldest expressions of this independent ethos can be found in Nanjing, China, where Librairie Avant-Garde, the brainchild of Qian Xiaohua, has become a local institution and a destination for bibliophiles from around the world since its inception in 1999.
“I want people to feel like they are in an old-fashioned library”, said Qian, who chose a location near Nanjing University for the bookstore, which has become a haven for countless students.
The checkout counter is built out of thousands of old books and engraved with literary verses, while portraits of authors such as Frank Kafka, J.P. Sartre and Ernest Hemingway decorate the space. A striking, enormous cross dominates one wall, an expression of Qian’s Christian faith, while a large replica of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Thinker welcomes customers near the entrance. A selection of music ranging from Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain to John Lennon also sets a tone, with portraits of these artists sprinkled throughout the bookstore in tandem with artwork by contemporary local artists. Book-related items, such as postcards, notebooks and bags are for sale and Qian also frequently hosts meetings and conferences and events related to books and the publishing industry.
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Librairie Avant-Garde’s style has clearly struck a chord, and the bookstore has been able to expand, with eight stores around Nanjing and three outside of the city in special locations, such as Huishan, an ancient preserved town near Nanjing, and another housed in an old Chinese shrine on Bishan Mountain.
Behind every Librairie Avant-Garde is the underlying vision of Qian: “Each bookstore is an icon of humanitarian values of the city. It’s a shelter for roaming souls.”
