New cultural landmark: Zhejiang University welcomes Sino-West Bookstore

On May 9th, amidst the Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University proudly inaugurated the Sino-West Bookstore, marking a significant addition to its academic landscape.

A new icon on campus

Spanning an impressive 500 square meters and boasting a collection of 30,000 volumes, the Bookstore, operated by Popular Bookmall, stands adjacent to the campus's southern gate, seamlessly bridging the gap between the university and the wider community.

Art prints adorns the spaces between bookshelves, elevating the ambiance and nurturing the aesthetic sensibilities of patrons. Above, the tales of Zhejiang University's pioneers are showcased, underscoring the rich humanistic legacy.

A thriving campus necessitates a stellar bookstore, remarked Porf. SUN Zhouxing, the Director of the Zhejiang University Library.

During the trial run over the May Day holiday, the store saw over 6,000 visits, indicating its immediate popularity.

A sanctuary of knowledge

Browsing through a bookstore is a journey of intellectual exploration and creative inspiration. The curation process at Sino-West Bookstore is paramount. Distinguished by its academic focus, the Bookstore primarily features scholarly works in humanities and social sciences.

Sino-West Bookstore is a professional bookstore with academic orientation, offering a gateway to the expansive realm of human knowledge, asserted Prof. LIU Dong, the Dean of Sino-West Academy of ZJU.

Six towering bookshelves proudly exhibit the works of Sino-West Bookstore's reading mentors. These twelve well-known scholars at home and abroad, including senior professors from Zhejiang University, provide insightful recommendations to patrons.

Prof. LIU Dong and the scholars of Sino-West Academy curate monthly reading lists. As a cornerstone of Sino-West Academy's mission to explore China and introduce Western sinology, pioneering research and publication remain their steadfast objectives.

In Prof. LIU Dong's vision, the bookstore is a crucible for academic discourse and intellectual innovation. We aspire to forge a enduring repository of knowledge, enabling readers to access a vast spectrum of human wisdom.

We illuminate the beacon of civilization within a modest space, remarked MIAO Bingwen, the General Manager of Popular Bookmall responsible for Jiangsu Province.

A feast of campus culture

How can Sino-West Bookstore cultivate enduring appeal and emerge as a beacon of campus culture? Prof. LIU Dong advocates for the cultivation of a distinct cultural ethos and academic focus to fulfill its educational function.

Sino-West Bookstore houses a lecture hall that serves as a hub for perpetual academic engagement, while also opening its doors as a communal study space during regular hours.

The venue hosts book launch events, uniting readers with authors, translators, and scholars alike. Monthly lectures by reading mentors and Sino-West reading salons, centered on classics and shared experiences, further enrich the intellectual fabric.

Reading is a personal endeavor, yet the opportunity to engage with others is invaluable, Prof. SUN Zhouxing remarked.

Within this lecture hall, Prof. LIU Dong has envisioned the Sino-West Theater—a platform for showcasing films, music, and drama, fostering a deeper appreciation of life's artistic marvels across time and culture. A diverse tapestry of vocal and visual arts refines public sensibilities, complementing the act of reading,he emphasized.

Universities are crucibles of knowledge and incubators of youth. Continuous intellectual nourishment, ideological exchange, and innovative thinking are essential, remarked SONG Huasheng, a professor at the School of Economics.

It is envisioned that Sino-West Bookstore will become an indelible hallmark of Zhejiang University's collective campus experience.

Adapted and translated from the article written by CHEN Sijia, FANG Neng

Translator: SHENG Yanzi (’25, Communication)
Photo: QU Xinyu
Editor: HAN Xiao (’25 PhD, Education), TIAN Minjie