Millennial Used Books

If Zhengyang Bookstore is a miniature museum of Beijing’s history and culture, Déjà vu Bookstore founded by Wei Ying is a community for like-minded readers to sell and buy used books.

Zhengyang Bookstore: An Impromptu Beijing Museum

“Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, Zhengyang Bookstore is located in the courtyard of the pagoda in honor of the Buddhist monk Wansong Xingxiu (1166-1246) and comforts the honoree’s soul with the fragrance of its books,” wrote a loyal fan of the bookstore. Located in Zhuanta Alley in Beijing’s bustling Xicheng District, the 350-square-meter Zhengyang Bookstore specializes in second-hand books about the old city and maintains a low profile in its central urban location.

In the courtyard of Zhengyang Bookstore stands the Pagoda of Monk Wansong, and several pomegranate trees were planted in front of the pagoda. It is flanked by antique fish basins, door panels, and gate piers that match the quaint decoration style. Surprisingly, Cui Yong, founder of the antique bookstore, was born in the 1980s. In 2009, as Beijing was undergoing major renovation and construction, the then-26-year-old felt an obligation to do something to preserve some pieces of the historical and folk culture of old Beijing. He founded a bookstore specializing in second-hand books about old Beijing in Langfang 2nd Alley, Dashilan Commercial Street. On the World Book Day in 2014, Cui took over Beijing’s first non-profit public reading space, Zhuandu Reading Space, a site provided by the government for free for him to open Zhengyang Bookstore.

For Beijingers, the bookstore bridges past and present Beijing because every member of a three or four-generation family can find a familiar façade of Beijing. In contrast with the fancy decoration of some popular bookshops, Zhengyang Bookstore is more like a traditional Beijing-style quadrangle dwelling where books can “live” and people can chat. “If writer Lao She (born in Beijing in 1899, known for vivid usage of the Beijing dialect) was still alive, he would certainly be a frequent visitor to the bookstore,” Cui said.

Turning its back on the traditional business strategy of offering as many titles as possible, Zhengyang Bookstore gradually embraced the identity of a theme bookstore dedicated to Beijing history and culture. Whenever he travels to a foreign city of historical or cultural significance like Paris, London, Rome, or Tokyo, Cui inquires about local bookstores specializing in the cultural history of the city and has not yet found one. A special cultural carrier of old Beijing, Zhengyang Bookstore has continuously attracted many experts, scholars, and culture aficionados to learn more about the ancient city. Pursuing cultural revitalization, the bookstore aims to build a complete knowledge system of Beijing studies based on its book collection and publishing operations. “My ideal is to develop Zhengyang Bookstore into a time-honored store for the new era,” added Cui.

Déjà vu Bookstore: A Community of Readers

In 2017, Wei Ying built Déjà vu Bookstore as China’s first C2B2C second- hand book online platform enabling users who want to sell a book only to simply scan the ISBN code. An algorithm verifies the title and determines a buying price based on supply and demand. Then the seller waits for a scheduled pickup, and the book is shipped to a factory where all of Déjà vu’s incoming purchases are cleaned, polished, disinfected, and packaged before they reach new buyers. A company staffed by only 100 people, Déjà vu has amassed six million users so far. From selling only one book a day at first, it now sells more than 20,000 second-hand books daily and has circulated more than 13 million copies in total.

Déjà vu’s slogan is: “Good books are worth reading twice.” The meaning of its name is feeling like one has lived through the present situation before. Wei Ying feels it perfectly captures the moment an old book tugs at the heartstrings of a new customer. Traditionally, people buy a book because it is useful to them. Déjà vu seeks to turn the traditional practice into a new engagement experience: When you sell your used books, you are sharing your values and social currency. When you buy used books, you are building connections with people who share your values.

When popular Chinese authors and actors started selling books on the Déjà vu app, more people began noticing the platform and becoming users. Although similar apps already existed for other sectors, online bookseller Déjà vu created a cultural community of shared values that helps build connections. Such an atmosphere attracts loyal users.

According to Déjà vu, the three most circulated books on its platform so far are: The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Japanese crime author Keigo Higashino, sold 18,730 times, What I Have Seen by Chinese reporter Chai Jing, sold 17,902 times, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, sold 17,462 times. In the second-hand book community that Déjà vu has nurtured, books worth reading again circulate over and over and often generate far more wealth for the company than a new edition would.

Both used bookstores spearheaded by creative millennials hearken to Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station in Harry Potter: They take readers into a different world.