Walking the streets of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, I felt I was on a mission to find out what sort of book culture Hong Kong possesses. The bibliophile in me had visions of finding quaint little bookshops stocked with hand-selected titles, manned by well-read, knowledgeable staff and perhaps even laced with the smell of coffee brewing.
What I found was a city alive with vibrance and excitement about ... shopping. The malls are temples towards which those walking the overpopulated sidewalks are driven to worship. A chain of bookshops, called PAGEONE, is however only found in the bigger malls which house the likes of Gucci and Vivian Westwood. Of its three stores in Hong Kong, if I had to pick one, my favourite would be the one in Causeway Bay’s Time Square Mall. It has a clean, modernist look with fashionable white shelves and, if it’s volume you are after, you may have found heaven.
Readers are spoilt for choice with books that can only be acquired from specialty shops back home and I was particularly impressed by the shop’s well-stocked art, architecture and design sections. (PAGEONE also encompasses a publishing company of some great design books).
However, the shop is very commercial and the bestsellers at the moment are movie tie-in jackets, like The Reader, My Sister’s Keeper and Angels & Demons, and Bobbi Brown’s Makeup Manual. And, although it delivers aesthetically, it lacks atmosphere. What is needed are some chairs where readers can browse through books, take in the setting and relax.
At least there is a cup of coffee brewing in the overpriced coffee shop next door.
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