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SCMP Reporter

THERE IS Great news for  book lovers on a tight budget:  the biggest local bookstore - selling mainly Chinese books from the mainland -  is now open.

Xinhua Book City, in Leighton Road, Wan Chai, offers a wide range of Chinese and English books in genres such as popular fiction, health, literature and technology. It also sells  stylish stationary  and home accessories.

Books written in simplified Chinese  are particularly cheap. For instance, a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets translated into simplified Chinese costs only $22.

A copy in traditional Chinese translation would cost at least $80.

The secret behind the   low prices for  books in simplified Chinese characters is that they are directly imported from the mainland through the distribution agency  Guangdong Xinhua Book Distribution Group.

About 60 per cent of the Chinese books in Xinhua Book City are from the mainland while the rest are from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Ken Wan, director of the bookstore, said that  it was legal to sell books imported from the mainland, although  they had not been very popular among local readers in  recent years.

'Some second-floor bookshops sell    mainland versions of translated books at low prices, but most people are not aware of that,' he said.

Mr Wan said  the store was very careful not to sell books that are only  meant to be sold on the mainland.

The three-storey, 32,000 sq ft bookstore is spacious and trendy. Visitors can sit and read or relax.

At a game corner on the second floor, children can try out the latest computer and video games for

free.

Mr Wan said  most of the store's customers were families with children, but more teenagers were visiting the bookstore as word spread.

Next month, the bookstore will open a coffee corner and Chinese-style tea cafe. Story-telling sessions and talks are also scheduled  to make reading more appealing  to children and teenagers.

Margaret Ho, 20, who bought a mainland version exam guide for GMAT for about $40, said she   often visited the bookstore.

'The books here are really cheap. It saves me from travelling to Shenzhen to buy cheap books,' she said.

Jessica Chan Wing-yin, a first-year law student,  recently bought five books in simplified Chinese from the store. She said she preferred reading simplified Chinese.

'I am used to reading simplified Chinese from when I was studying overseas,' she said.

'Of course, I like them also because they are cheap.'

However, Alicia Wong, 21, said she would not read or buy  books from the mainland  just because they are cheaper.

'I only read books I am interested in. Price is a factor in my decision to buy a book, but it is not the decisive factor,' she said.



Cheap books