As an expatriate in Shanghai, one of the drawbacks of living and working in China is to find a good English bookstore where you can stock up for those long train rides, or nights when the only thing to watch on TV is a mediocre local film with no English subtitles.

My Favoutie Mags

I’m a huge fan of Reader Digest ! I discovered RD when I was about 13. My dad subscribed RD every year and he had a whole shelf full of back issues in his study room. He woud urge me to read “My Story”, the harrowing true tales of danger or near death, stories that beyond the call of daily life in nearly every issues. If you are a RD fan too, and want to get US edition, you can find it at a small stall inside Carefour in Gubei.

My Favourite English Bookstore

I don’t subscribe RD in Shanghai, but I do pick up a copy from XinHua Bookstore everytime I visit Xujiahui Grand Gateway Mall, my favourite bookstore chain – has 70 years of history with thousands of outlets across the nation. This outlet has the most complete English section and is also the nearest to me. Although it’s small, but it’s jam-pack with a variety of books and mags. From Harvard Business Review to entertainment magazines, self development books, children reading materials, fiction & non-fiction, architecture to interior and product design books. Ron would always get his Business Week over here. Sometimes, price for Fortune and The Economist are higher then the amount printed on the cover! Don’t ask me why…

XinHua Bookstore – Xujiahui:

XinHua Bookstore at Grand Gateway Plaza, 4th floor. Renovated last year if I’m not wrong. It’s much smaller when I first visited this store in 2004.

Business & Entertainment Magazines

Self developments books

Fictions & Non-Fictions

Architecture & Interior, Graphic to Product Design books.  Most of these books were wrapped in plastic and you can hardly have a glance throught it!

Shanghai Hong Kong Sanlian Bookstore – Huaihai Lu:

The facade.

Previous issue, Asia edition for just 20 yuan!

Shanghai Hong Kong Sanlian Bookstore
Another bookstore in Huai Hai Middle Rd that I visited frequently. You get RD previous issue here at just 20 yuan! English section here are not as complete as Xinhua, you can’t find magazines like Business Week, Fortune, The economist..etc. But you will find a huge and comprehensive selection of Lonely Planet Travel guides and probably some novels!

Address:

• No. 624 Huai Hai Middle Rd.

Inmedio – Gubei Carefour:

Just beside Carefour entrance

Gubei Carefour:

A small corner inside Carefour, it’s behind the escalator to 2nd floor.

Reader Digest US edition

Depends of what kind of books you want, there’s some other great bookstore around Shanghai too:

Chaterhouse Booktrader
Have a wide selection of cookbooks and novels, a small section of travel guides, kids, entertainment and sports magazines, but can’t find Reader Digest everytime I go. Price are much more higher compare to other foreign language bookstore. You can also get free mags like CityWeekend here.

Address:

• Shop B1-K, ShanghaiTimes Square, 93 Huai Zhong Road. Tel: 021 6391 8237
• Shop 68, 6F, Super Brand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Xi Lu, Pudong. Tel: 021 5049 0668
• Shanghai Centre, 1376 Nanjing West Road

Popularity: 24% [?]

3:19 pm

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