Qilin: Unique bookstore in Kunming wet market

A unique bookstore stands in the newly-opened Zhuanxin wet market on Dianchi Road, central Yunnan’s Kunming city. Stepping into the Qilin Bookstore, you will find a wide array of books, ranging from classical literature to modern novels, from historical culture to art philosophy.

Decorative items such as record players and black-and-white old televisions, as well as artworks like paintings and sculptures, are displayed on the bookshelves. You can feel the rich elements of history, culture, and modern life blending together.

What’s worth mentioning is that, Qilin has also collaborated with Kunming Postal in rolling out postcards and other cultural and creative products featuring Yunnan specialties such as vegetables and wild mushrooms, and it also provides stamping services for readers.

According to the owner Pan Wei's, modern urban life requires meeting diverse cultural needs, and the establishment of Qilin the urban wet market aims to make it a meeting point for people to enjoy both the market and culture. Besides the over 3,000 volumes of books in the bookstore, various reading clubs and cultural exchange activities will also be organized in the future.

Source: Yunnan Daily; trans-editing by Wang Yunya