Taiwanese founder of Eslite book chain dies at 66

Robert Wu Ching-yu, whose well-known chain Eslite brought the novelty of a 24-hour bookshop to the Taiwanese capital, has died from a heart condition at 66.

Wu collapsed in his Taipei ­office on Tuesday and was taken to the Taipei Medical University Hospital at about 7pm, where he was pronounced dead.

The Eslite Group confirmed his death in a short statement.

Wu, who was the founder and chairman of the group, reportedly suffered from a congenital heart condition and had undergone several operations over the years.

He opened the first Eslite Bookstore in Taipei in 1989, a year after his first major heart surgery. Wu, who was born in the coastal city of Tainan, later said he had experienced an epiphany at that time, and felt driven to start an “eternal business” promoting the culture of reading in Taiwan.

Eslite grew into a well-known chain offering a unique “must-visit” experience for Chinese speakers, described by former Taichung mayor Jason Hu Chih-chiang as the “pride of Taiwan”. There are now 42 of the bookstores in Taiwan, three in Hong Kong and one on the mainland – in Suzhou, Jiangsu.