Hong Kong - in terms of bookstores, has so far lagged behind many other Asian cities such as Tokyo, Taipei and even Bangkok. I am thinking, there just aren't that many bookworms around to warrant them, but may be I was terribly ignorant in making that statement.
With the arrival of Eslite, a Taiwanese bookstore chain, I decided to go for a stroll in what becomes the largest bookstore in Hong Kong, housing some 100,000 titles and promises to open 24 hours on Thur-Sat for a month's trial.
As a starter, I was greeted with hordes of people wanting to be the first to scope out Hong Kong's latest bookstore. That was all good and expected but for the main dish, I didn't expect to see readers carrying baskets full of shopping, eagerly trying to sweep through the stationery on offer. It becomes very apparent that Hong Kong REALLY is a paradise for shoppers (not readers). Will Eslite help cultivate some night owl bookworms in future? We will soon find out, wouldn't we?
Eslite - famous not only for an extensive collection of books but also in-house art galleries, cultural events, designer products and cafés. While I was awfully disappointed by the fact that the cafe was still closed and I couldn't try their coffee, I stumbled upon a very interesting exhibition - featuring the prominent Chinese artist XU Bing.
With the arrival of Eslite, a Taiwanese bookstore chain, I decided to go for a stroll in what becomes the largest bookstore in Hong Kong, housing some 100,000 titles and promises to open 24 hours on Thur-Sat for a month's trial.
As a starter, I was greeted with hordes of people wanting to be the first to scope out Hong Kong's latest bookstore. That was all good and expected but for the main dish, I didn't expect to see readers carrying baskets full of shopping, eagerly trying to sweep through the stationery on offer. It becomes very apparent that Hong Kong REALLY is a paradise for shoppers (not readers). Will Eslite help cultivate some night owl bookworms in future? We will soon find out, wouldn't we?
Eslite - famous not only for an extensive collection of books but also in-house art galleries, cultural events, designer products and cafés. While I was awfully disappointed by the fact that the cafe was still closed and I couldn't try their coffee, I stumbled upon a very interesting exhibition - featuring the prominent Chinese artist XU Bing.
His latest book "Book from the Ground" is
created after spending much time travelling around the world, and with
all that time wasted in airports, he began to notice the many symbols
surrounding him. He thought it would be interesting to use this
minimal way of communicating to create a story book.
For the next ten minutes, I stood there with admiration and desperation, trying to figure out what this sign means.
For the next ten minutes, I stood there with admiration and desperation, trying to figure out what this sign means.
It is with the intention from artist HU Bing, that this can be read and enjoyed by everyone, whether literate or not.
I can't decode this and I am feeling so stupid.
Can you get what he's trying to say here? I am struggling still.
So there I left the bookstore - pondering whether my inability to read this makes me a literate nor a nonliterate.
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