Rising online sales leaving bookstores on the shelf

Literature enthusiasts chat outside the Youhe Bookstore. HOU LIQIANG/CHINA DAILY

"I will continue to work in the book industry even if Douban goes bankrupt. My work is related to my dreams and faith," she said.

"Douban started as an outdoor bookstand. Our original intention was very simple. It was to open a bookstore that concentrated on the humanities and social sciences, and placed particular emphasis on academic studies. We think there should be bookstores of that kind near all universities, instead of outlets that mainly sell bestsellers," she said.

In March last year, when Chen Fei started the Taiyang Bookstore in a residential area near Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the literature-loving graduate planned to make a living from his venture.

Taiyang specializes in high-end literature, but demand was so low that after six months Chen was forced to turn the store into a parttime operation and take a job as a welder at a factory that makes electronic equipment.

"I could not even make enough to cover the rent of 800 yuan a month," the 28-year-old said, adding that he had so few customers last summer that he had to set up a stall on a busy pedestrian street to sell his wares.

In addition to his savings, Chen borrowed about 20,000 yuan to start the store, which is located in a converted 20-square-meter garage. He earns 3,000 yuan a month from his welding job, but after he has made debt repayments, there is nothing left to buy stock for the store. He now lives in the store to save money, but he is determined to continue following his dream.

"I started Taiyang, and I want to make it better," he said.

Five years ago, there were five bookstores in the vicinity of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, but now there are only three, and their operations have been greatly reduced. Instead of books on humanities and social sciences, they now mainly sell textbooks and teaching aids for postgraduate exams, which are more profitable, according to Chen.

Simple life, simple mission

Huang Jie, 25, and his wife Xiao Nan, 29, started the Youhe Bookstore in late January 2015. Although the high rents forced them to relocate early in the store's life, they began making a profit last year. Even so, the takings barely cover the couple's living expenses, Xiao said.

She and her husband lead a simple life, and most of the furniture in their store has been rescued from trash piles.

When he was in college and had little money, Huang often visited a secondhand bookstore near his campus in search of old volumes.