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Pop-up bookstore in Shanghai to host different Chinese author every day for two months

Despite its tiny dimensions, the shop in former French concession promises literature lovers 3,000 ‘quality’ titles

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It might be small but a new pop-up bookshop in Shanghai is set to host scores of Chinese authors over the next two months. Photo: Thepaper.cn

Literature fans in Shanghai flocked to a tiny pop-up bookshop in the former French concession on Sunday for the first of a planned 60 visits by some of China’s most celebrated writers.

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Over the next two months, a different author will visit the compact concept store – it covers just 30 square metres – each day to read from their work, recommend their favourite books and share their personal collections, news website Thepaper.cn reported on Monday.

The shop, located within the Sinan Mansions development, welcomed Leo Ou-fan Lee as its first guest over the weekend and crowds of people queued for the chance to hear him speak.

The 75-year-old Harvard University professor read from his book Shanghai Modern. First published in 1999, it explores Shanghai between 1930 and 1945, when its publishing and filmmaking industries were nurturing a new generation of artists.

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“What makes Shanghai precious today is the preservation of culture,” Lee was quoted as saying.

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