Chongqing South Road Bookstore Street Introduction
●Introduction: Chongqing South Road, originally named Fuxian Street and Wenwu Street, is a historic bookstore street in Taiwan. At its peak, there were over a hundred bookstores and publishers, making it a popular spot for writers, intellectuals, and students to wander for an afternoon. For them, the bookstore street felt like their own Xinyi District, their shopping paradise; thus, it can be said that the bookstore street has nurtured many of Taiwan's elites. Nowadays, due to multiple impacts and challenges, the bookstore street is gradually declining, with most of the established large publishers remaining. Nevertheless, Chongqing South Road remains the area in Taipei with the highest concentration of bookstores. ●Features and Recommendations: During the colonial period, the "Taiwan Book Company" was established on Chongqing South Road, specializing in printing textbooks of the time. After the end of Japanese rule, it was renamed "Taiwan Bookstore." The literary atmosphere of Chongqing South Road is steeped in historical context. Today, numerous bookstores line the street, offering a wide range of books across various fields and purposes. Unfortunately, due to market changes, a decrease in readership, and competition from online bookstores, the number of bookstores here has significantly declined. However, even so, the bookstore street still holds an important position, as many publishers and bookstores continue to work hard to serve readers. Upon entering, one can feel the strong scent of books. Picking up a book, reading slowly, and savoring the intriguing parts can lead to a whole afternoon passing quickly. This feeling is shared by many who visit bookstores on Chongqing South Road. With its rich history, the bookstore street once boasted over a hundred bookstores and publishers at its peak! There are many well-established bookstores here, such as San Min Bookstore, which houses nearly 150,000 titles and pioneered the "library-style" bookstore in the country, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a vast world of knowledge. Other notable bookstores like Rulin Bookstore, World Bookstore, and Tianlong Bookstore also have their unique characteristics, totaling around 20-30 stores.
