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Tainan City Bookstore

  • Date:2016-03-01
Tainan City Bookstore

  • Chinese Name: 府城舊冊店
  • Located At: Tainan City (Southern Taiwan)
  • Year of Establishment: 2005
  • Did You Know That…?
  • There are seats at the entry of the bookstore welcoming visitors to sit down and read a book, have a cup of coffee, or start a dialogue. The relaxed atmosphere attracts people to stop by and join in the spontaneous discussions.
  • English Address:
  • No. 342 Dongmen Rd. Section 1, Tainan City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
  • Opening Hours:
  • 10am - 10.30pm
  • Contact Number: +886-6-276-3093
  • Website: https://www.facebook.com/tainanbookstore/


Situated near the historic monument of the Great East Gate (大東門), the Tainan City Bookstore offers a large collection of Taiwanese literature. In addition to selling books, it also serves as a venue for literary exhibitions and forums, making it a cultural hub in southern Taiwan for literary buffs.


Pan Jing-zhu (潘靜竹) and Pan Jing-xin (潘景新) are the owners who share the same passion for Taiwanese literature. Before opening the bookstore together, each of them had worked as a writer and owned an independent bookshop. Sharing the same ideas and interests, they jointly opened the Tainan City Bookstore in 2005 to promote Taiwanese literature and revive the public's interest in reading.


The bookstore is a three-storey building which stores books at the first and the second floor and uses the third floor for holding forums and exhibitions. The book collections span from second-hand and out-of-print books to new books on Taiwanese literature. It also stores documents and books from the public sector on local history and culture.


In addition, the store collects Taiwanese-language poetry volumes, books about the publishing history in Tainan, and journals written by co-owner Pan Jing-xin. The other owner is also a published author whose book contains her memoir, poems written in Taiwanese Hokkien, and mix media artworks.


To boost the local arts ecology, Pan Jing-xin has held numerous forums on a wide range of topics, thereby making the Tainan City Bookstore a platform for writers and artists to introduce their works, and a window for the public to access cultural resources and information for free.


To defy the decline of reading in contemporary society, the bookstore has hosted charity sales to advocate reading, and donated books and provided funding to disadvantaged children in Tainan City in the hope that every child will have free books to read. The owners also offer special prices for those who show a great appreciation for literature.


With a rich collection of books and regularly scheduled forums, the bookstore has provided the public with a place to explore rare literary books while participating in cultural events. It is also a destination for those who seek to understand the history of Tainan City through the sharing sessions hosted by Pan Jing-xin, who tells of local history through stories and anecdotes.