BEIJING bookstores Bookworm and Poplar Kid’s Republic are among the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world, according to U.S. entertainment Web site Flavorwire.com.

Another Chinese bookstore included in the list is VVG Something in Taipei.

Bookworm is described by the Web site as a place with “magic in the air,” and the Web site asks “how could any kid (or adult, for that matter) resist those delicious reading nooks” at Poplar Kid’s Republic.

The bookstore in Taipei’s Xinyi District is “almost utilitarian but filled with simple old world grace,” according to Flavorwire.com.

“This store is a little like what we might imagine our ideal ship’s main cabin to look like,” it added.

Flavorwire did not give a specific ranking to each bookstore on its list. Only four Asian bookstores — VVG Something, Daikanyama T-site in Tokyo and Bookworm and Poplar Kid’s Republic, both in Beijing — made the list.

With online bookstores such as Amazon having taken over the bookselling world and bookstores closing one after another, things can sometimes seem a little grim for brick-and-mortar bookshops.

However, Flavorwire said some bookstores are so beautiful that they are worth getting out of the house or even the country to visit “whether you need a new hardcover or not.”

“We can’t overestimate the importance of bookstores — they’re community centers, places to browse and discover, and monuments to literature all at once — so we’ve put together a list of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, from Belgium to Japan to Slovakia,” the Web site said.

The top 20, which were listed in no particular order, also included the Libereria El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina — a majestic converted 1920s movie palace that uses theater boxes for reading rooms and draws thousands of tourists every year — the Selexyz Bookstore in Maastricht, the Netherlands, which is inside a converted Dominican church; the Plural Bookshop in Bratislava, Slovakia; Shakespeare & Company in Paris; Cook and Book in Brussels; the Bookabar Bookshop in Rome and two bookstores in California — The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles and Bart’s Books in Ojai.

(SD-Agencies)

Museum opens more space to present new image

THE Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is taking major steps to repair its image after a series of scandals last year, said its new curator.

One move will be to increase the amount of space open to the public from 46 percent to 76 percent, said Shan Jixiang at a news conference Tuesday.

“The Palace Museum is like an encyclopedia,” said Shan, who is the former director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage prior to taking up his appointment as curator a month ago. “Managing it is a new challenge for me.”

In 2011, the museum received more than 14.2 million visitors, setting a world record. This was twice the amount of 2002 and is expected to increase by 10 percent this year.

“Catering to the demands of so many visitors is quite a challenge for the Palace Museum, especially when the visitation patterns vary so much according to time and place,” Shan said.

The daily number of visitors during the May Day holiday, National Day holiday and summer vacation period usually rises to an average of 80,000, twice the usual amount. Most visitors tend to congregate around the palace, putting pressure on the surrounding area.

To improve the situation, more areas will be opened to the public as repairs are completed. The distribution of exhibits and viewing access for streams of visitors will also be rearranged.

Commercial stands and temporary exhibitions at the Duanmen Gate area have been removed and up to 28 ticket boxes will be set up to prevent queues from getting out of control. Facilities for wheelchairs and baby carriages will also be introduced.

Commenting on last year’s scandals, Shan confirmed that the Jianfu Palace garden will not become a private club, but will be used for small-scale exhibitions, seminars and news conferences. Shan stressed that safety and security are the most important matters.

Last year in May there was an embarrassing burglary by a petty criminal who hung around after closing time and swiped seven precious objects that took his fancy. Then in July, information leaked out that the museum had tried to cover up an accident in which a Song Dynasty (960-1279) dish shattered during a botched scientific test. (SD-Agencies)