XINHUA Bookstore, the country’s largest book circulation and distribution network, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

Born in the wartime revolutionary base of Yan’an in Shaanxi Province, Xinhua Bookstore has been playing an important role from then until now and is hailed as a “golden brand.”

“It was established by the Communist Party of China and is under its direct leadership. It carries revolutionary genes,” says Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, at a symposium celebrating the bookstore’s anniversary in Beijing on May 18.

The chain’s logo is calligraphy written by Mao Zedong in 1948.

Now, it has 12,000 stores and distribution centers, and 130,000 employees. Both its total assets and sales volume have exceeded 100 billion yuan (US$14.5 billion), according to Ha Jiuru, director-general of the China Xinhua Bookstore Association.

Many people like Wang Xiaohui, who was born in 1972 and grew up in Baoding, Hebei Province, say the brand was always a part of their lives.

“Xinhua Bookstore was my childhood dream place. I always went there to read my favorite illustrated books,” says Wang. She later joined the company as an employee at the age of 19, fulfilling her dream.

About 1,700 articles were received for the online campaign My Stories with Xinhua Bookstores. The web page was viewed 20 million times, showing readers’ personal connections with the brand.

Wang witnessed the chain updated its operations to sell over mobile channels and open new, boutique-like shops that make bookstores more like a place to read, experience local culture and spend leisure time. (China Daily)