Books
Society
[Big read] The rise and fall of China’s independent bookstores
Built by idealists and sustained by belief, independent bookstores became places to gather and breathe in China. As the tide turns, their owners face the hardest question: how long to keep the lights on. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui speaks to academics and those in the industry to find out more.
Zhang Guanghui
19 Jan 2026
History
[Photos] Turning pages with Moon Jae-in: A Taiwanese publisher’s unexpected encounter
The launch of a Taiwan-produced photo book themed around Korea in Seoul drew much local media attention and even caught the eye of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao shares the story behind publishing this World War II-era Korean photo collection, and how it sparked a memorable encounter.
Hsu Chung-mao
08 Aug 2025
Culture
Why civilisations burn their own books
In times of peace, books are indeed a treasure trove. However, the scholarly air that emanates from tireless reading and burning the midnight oil holds little value amid the blood and chaos of years of war, remarks Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai.
Chew Wee Kai
02 May 2025
Culture
A study room of one's own: 21st century Chinese intellectuals and their pursuit of knowledge
Cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai shares the ups and downs of being an avid reader, from the difficulties in keeping his book collection neat and orderly, to the joy of having a handful of treasured books. He marvels at the sketches a friend made of the study rooms of literati, academics and calligraphers who have since passed on. While his study room is crammed with books and looks more like a storeroom, his love for books burns bright like it does for fellow literati.
Cheng Pei-kai
05 Apr 2024
Culture
Etching the turbulence of youth on wax paper: A former journalist remembers
Unless one is of a certain age today, one would probably not have etched wax paper or made printings from them. Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai recalls the days of painstakingly preparing sheets of wax paper full of the memories of youth.
Chew Wee Kai
09 Jun 2023
Society
Challenges of Singapore's Chinese community amid competing influences: Lessons from an old bookstore
Looking back on the history of Union Book Co, one of Singapore's oldest Chinese language bookstores, editor-in-chief of the Chinese Media Group Lee Huay Leng muses that Singapore has always been a crossroads of different cultures and thinking. Even today, the challenge is to remain open yet stay vigilant against competing influences. Responding with Singapore's national interest at heart is the mark of a nation's confidence.
Lee Huay Leng
15 Jul 2022
Culture
Chinese bookshops in Singapore: Art salons of the 1970s and 1980s
With the arrival of a swanky new Chinese bookshop/gallery/cafe in the heart of town, Teo Han Wue recalls that such integrated spaces are hardly new in Singapore's history. Several Chinese bookshops in the past held art exhibitions within their premises and were often the stomping ground of artists and the arterati. What were these art salons of days gone by like?
Teo Han Wue
12 Mar 2021
Culture
How the Shanghai Book Company enlivened Singapore's cultural scene
In December 2020, family and friends of Shanghai Book Co Ltd produced a commemorative book of the now-defunct bookstore. Founded in 1925, Shanghai Book Co Ltd played a pivotal role in shaping the consciousness of Chinese-speaking Singaporeans in the 1950s. It was a meeting point of ideas and voices, not only from greater China, but within Southeast Asia. In fact, it had helped to nurture the budding interest of Chinese-speaking young students in Malay language and culture. Teo Han Wue recounts how this bookshop in North Bridge Road, easily stereotyped as Chinese-centric, became instead an emblem of openness and cultural diversity.
Teo Han Wue
10 Feb 2021