James Baquet

    THIS week a Shenzhen newcomer asked me where she could find English-language books in Shenzhen.

    When I first came to Shenzhen, there was only “one place in town” for English books: the venerable Book City in Luohu (just west of the Mixc, at Da Ju Yuan Metro Station), which can still offer the occasional gem. Upstairs has mostly 19th-century classics and the like; but don’t miss the basement where there’s an excellent selection of books on art and architecture.

    Not far away, on the northwest corner of Shennan and Shangbu roads (Ke Xue Guan Station), is the Shenzhen Book Center. Browse around; on several floors here you’ll find everything from textbooks to a few current best-sellers.

    Traveling farther west, you’ll encounter Shenzhen Book City CBD store, north of the Civic Center at Shao Nian Gong Station. In the northern part, there are textbooks in the basement, and the usual classics (with a few current books) on the ground floor.

    But walk south, and in the other section of the complex you’ll find Aeon (Yiwen) Imported Books, with lots of up-to-date books and magazines.

    Just to the west is the main Shenzhen Library, where you’ll find current magazines on the fifth floor and not-so-current English books on the second.

    Finally, if you’re in Nanshan, check the Nanshan Book City on the southeast corner of Binhai and Nanhai boulevards. The selection is similar to that in the Luohu store: textbooks and classics, Chinese lit in English, and the occasional modern volume.

    Happy reading!