Reading Spaces
24-Hour Bookstore: Phoenix Cloud Bookstore
The Phoenix Cloud Bookstore is a reading space open to the general public 24 hours a day. Built by Phoenix Publishing & Media Inc. to promote citywide reading, the centre is also playing a large role in supporting Nanjing's application for the UNESCO “World Book Capital” and Creative Cities Network “City of Literature” titles. The bookstore is a designated "City Literature Hall" by the Nanjing Publicity Department and maintains a collection of more than 20,000 books. Its staff are at hand 24/7 to provide cultural services to city residents.
Half-City Reading Club
Half-City Reading Club takes its name from the famous proclamation that “women hold up half the sky”. Aimed at providing women with a dedicated space for cultural cultivation and reading, the club brings women together to share their experiences, promotes the confidence to be independent and of course is a great place to enjoy reading. The club activities include learning how to use reading therapeutically to address problems, feelings, desires and ambitions and discussions of the educational and aspirational qualities of literature.
Group Study Academy
Group Study Academy serves to bridge local colleges and the public. Early on, given that it was founded by several Nanjing University sociology teachers, its courses focused on sociology and the social sciences. Later, it began to hold a wider range of forums and lectures, such as those discussing the history of the Republic of China and the Six Dynasties’ cultures. The ultimate goal of the academy is to attract a more diverse population to reading by combining a variety of approaches to suit varied needs.
Happy Reading Club
The Happy Reading Club is committed to providing an “outdoor reading club” that integrates walking and reading. The club was founded in 2014 with a simple purpose: establish a platform where readers can enjoy literary walking tours.
Shangyuan Academy
Shangyuan Academy, located at the foot of Purple Mountain, is named after what ancient Nanjing was called, Shangyuan. The academy is rooted in Chinese traditional culture and committed to helping more and more people to further understand its historical origins and unique development with the ultimate objective being to show how Chinese traditional culture and philosophies can be integrated into daily life, not only at home but across the world.
Reading Leaders Alliance
The Nanjing Reading Leaders Alliance consists of coordinates joint efforts involving writers, scholars, journalists, publishers, and promoters of citywide reading activities, as well as leaders from around 400 grassroots reading clubs, including clubs for parents, students, and elderly readers. The 500-member strong Alliance’s discussions and strategizing cover areas of parenting education, youth education, college student growth, women’s cultivation, entrepreneurial communication and mentoring, healthcare, senior reading societies and much more. The Alliance plays a positive role in leading and promoting the construction and ecology of a literary Nanjing and hopes to do so long into the future.
Taicheng Study
Taicheng Study actually takes place in a teahouse built into the Ming Dynasty wall that surrounds the old city. Inside is exquisitely decorated and cosy. The antique charm allows those who enter to slip into a whole new era and world. Here is a window into the history of Nanjing, where you can order a cup of tea, read a book, touch the bricks of the Ming City Wall and listen to the sound of water lapping against the banks of Xuanwu Lake.
