A corner of the Stoic Book Haven

Tucked away just outside the west gate of Peking University, Stoic Book Haven sits behind ivy-covered stone walls, quietly overlooking the Wanquan River. For over 20 years, it has served not only as a bookstore, but also as a place of quiet reflection and retreat for readers.

It's one of many bookstores hidden within Beijing's hutongs, nestled between apartment blocks - places that offer more than just books. They bring a renewed sense of cultural connection and the quiet warmth of community life.

The number of bookstores in Beijing has grown from 1,994 in 2020 to more than 2,100 in 2024, according to official statistics from the municipal authority. To support their development, both district and city governments have introduced targeted subsidies and assistance programs.

A walk through four of these spaces - Stoic Book Haven, zall bookstore, Xuannan Bookstore, and YiFang Bookhouse - reveals how deeply embedded these bookshops are in their neighborhoods, and how their missions extend far beyond the shelves.

Connecting through books

At Stoic Book Haven, nearly 80 percent of the 4,000 books on the shelves are secondhand.

"Many come from students in Peking University who have graduated and couldn't take their books with them, or from alumni living abroad who wanted the books to continue their journey here," founder Zheng Yu told the Global Times.

Inside the bookstore, the reading area is open to the public. Cozy furniture, old lamps and free access give the space a lived-in, timeless feel. Zheng said most visitors are nearby residents, university faculty and students, or people who discovered the store through social media.

"We want this to be an accessible sanctuary and a place for people to slow down," he said.

Hu Jiani, a third-year physics PhD student at Peking University told the Global Times that she learned about the bookstore from one of her teachers. "It was hard to find - I circled three times," she said. "But when I walked in, I almost cried. It felt like a hidden world." Now, she visits whenever she needs quietness, especially to write or escape the pressures outside.

From 2019 to 2020, the bookstore received subsidies from Haidian district. In 2024, it was awarded a city-level bookstore grant from the Beijing municipal government.

A short walk from the busy alleys of Nanluoguxiang leads to zall bookstore, which comes from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province.

"When we first opened here, I realized that many of the residents were senior citizens, and often living alone," Wang Yi, the store's manager, told the Global Times. "The issue of aging feels deeply real here. How to face the later stages of life with dignity - both for today's seniors and for all of us in the future - is a challenge the society as a whole must address."

Wang has made community care a daily ritual at the bookstore. In the summer, the tearoom stays air-conditioned and open all day, offering a refuge from the heat. Seniors can drop in at any time to read or rest.

"If they want to read, they can come anytime. A bookstore should be a public cultural space that's easily accessible to the neighborhood," said Wang.

The bookstore even keeps a personalized list of book requests from local senior citizens. Zhang wanted a guide on flower care. Li asked for war memoirs. Wang has their names and preferences saved on her phone.

It also offers curatorial support for neighborhood events, including a book club that has served more than 300 senior residents.

"If every community had a cultural haven like this - a place to unwind and find peace - residents would have a spiritual home to return to after work or school. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" said Wang.