On the last afternoon of Kaohsiung preparing to return, I left my time to Eslite Bookstore . It turned out that there are so many people who like to read; it turned out that reading can be such a thing to enjoy.
This is a quick glance at Eslite Bookstore in Taipei Ximending . Eslite Bookstore was founded in 1989 by Taipei Renai Road Circle. Based on the original intention of humanities, art, creativity and life, it has developed into today's compound business model with cultural creativity as the core.
"Sincerity" is a sincere heart, a persistent care; "quality" is a professional quality and a rigorous choice. The name "Eslite" represents Eslite Bookstore's pursuit and practice for a better society.
Although Eslite Bookstore is located in a large shopping mall, there is no noise. When you walk into Eslite Bookstore, you will unconsciously slow down, and you will see nothing but the sea of books. The elegant style of calligraphy is unique.
There seems to be no certain rules for reading books here. Whether you sit or lie, sit on the ground, or sit on the stairs, it doesn’t matter how to sit or where you sit. The book with the fragrance of ink in your hand is the most important thing.
On the last afternoon in Kaohsiung, I left my time to Eslite Bookstore located in Kaohsiung Sanduo Business District Dayuanbai . This place is larger than the Taipei bookstore I went to the day before yesterday. Although there are many readers, there is no sound and they are all immersed in the sea of books.
Just in Taiwan, with a total area of 36,000 square kilometers, there are more than 40 Eslite Bookstores. Almost everyone who travels to Taiwan is willing to spend most of the day in a compact travel plan and spend most of the time in this bookstore.
In addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong, we also have this bookstore in our Suzhou . Eslite is no longer a geographical indication of a city, but also a symbol of culture.
And for the current Eslite Bookstore, the founder Wu Qingyou gritted his teeth and went through a 15-year loss-making business path.
After Wu Qingyou graduated from university, he became a new wealthy person in Taiwan with his own business talent and hard work. In 1985, the energetic Wu Qingyou bought a piece of land to build a house in the rich district of Yangmingshan, Taiwan, and specially found the Feng Shui master of to see Feng Shui. The Feng Shui master told him: "If you want to make money, the house faces south; if you want to be healthy, the house faces north; but if you want to accumulate some wisdom in your life, then your house faces east." In the end, Wu Qingyou chose the East.
1988, Wu Qingyou met the God of Death for the first time. He had a congenital heart disease, which made him stop his heartbeat during heart surgery. This experience gave Wu Qingyou an epiphany. He wanted to do something meaningful to change the trajectory of his life.
1989, the first Eslite Bookstore was born in the circle of Renai Road in Taipei. Solid wood floors, Chinese and foreign language books, classical music, the classic "Impression of Eslite".
In the following five years, Eslite Bookstore branches continued to open, and some branches also went bankrupt, and the capital chain was worrying. When he walked into the bankrupt branch, Wu Qingyou read the stories left by "Eslite fans" on the notebook over and over again. He found that at least in the hearts of book lovers, Eslite has become a habit of life. After making money or getting investment, Wu Qingyou spent a lot of money on the attempt to combine business and cultural life.
1994, Eslite Bookstore incorporated Chengjian Company into its subsidiary and integrated it into a "catering business office", which was the beginning of Eslite's creation of a "department store"; in 1999, Eslite Dunnan Store began an innovative business method of "opening 24 hours a day".
In 2006, Wu Qingyou rented the 6-story Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan's Shinkong Mitsukoshi Department Store. There are only two floors selling books, and it has evolved into a 45,000-square-meter "lifestyle" bookstore, which can attract more than 12 million visitors every year. In the same year, Eslite Bookstore began to turn losses into profits.
The end of this article is a sad story. On July 18, 2017, Wu Qingyou, the founder of Eslite Bookstore, suddenly passed away at the age of 67.In many Eslite Bookstores in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, the scenes of "Eslite fans" who are obsessed with books sitting on the ground and reading selflessly will surely comfort the old man's spirit in heaven.
to be continued, let us continue to learn about Kaohsiung together.
