"Double reduction" brings new opportunities to physical bookstores
Our reporter Lu Yanxia
After the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, on the first weekend of the school season, there were more small readers in the bookstore than usual. Some of them bought books, and more of them were reading.
Young readers keep walking into bookstores. Will it be a brand new opportunity for physical bookstores?
To this end, our reporter recently conducted a visit.
【Little Readers】
The number of bookstores has increased by nearly half
"Excuse me, where is Liu Cixin's book?" At the Asian Games Village Book Building last Sunday, people were crowded, sitting or standing, and there were children and parents reading, choosing and looking for books.
In the children's reading area of this bookstore, there are at least 70 or 80 children on site. If parents are added, there are more than 100 people in this area.
The bookstore staff told reporters that the number of young readers is nearly half the number of weekends this year. Many children came early in the morning and rushed back to read after lunch.
The two pupils of Qinghe No. 4 Primary School accompanied each other. Every weekend in the last semester, they had to take math and Chinese online classes. This time, they chose to read books in a down-to-earth manner.
One of the children’s mother, Ms. Zhang, said that after the “double reduction”, weekend time was more abundant. The two friends came to the bookstore for two hours in the morning, went out for dinner at noon, and went to Orson Park for another hour. Just returned to the bookstore.
"The children said that there are still two books that have not been finished."
The kid Zhang Qi went to school in Dongcheng District. He watched "Mi Xiaoquan Brain Teasers", "Father and Son" and "Special Forces School" beside him.
The previous Sunday was also the day when Zhang Qi was training math and English outside of school. Now he and his father come to the bookstore to study together. He said: "There are so many books here, you can find any books you want to read."
The reporter learned through on-site interviews that under the "double reduction" policy, parents did not take their studies lightly.
A father holds seven or eight counseling books in his hand, all of which he just bought with his daughter.
He said: "My daughter is in the second year of junior high school, and there is still a year to take the entrance examination." In addition, not all children have given up subject-based out-of-school training. The daughter is in the fourth grade and the son is in the second grade. They both take math and English online classes on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Ms. Chen said that there is no training class on weekends, which frees up a whole block of time for reading and exercise, and the children are very happy.
【Parent】
Have higher expectations for reading activities
The reporter learned in the on-site interview that with the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, parents have higher expectations for bookstores to carry out reading activities and recommended book lists.
Mr. Liu Qiming, who is taking his children to choose books, said, “I hope that the bookstore can carry out more activities to improve the overall quality of children. Even if you pay some money, even if you implement a membership system, I think it is feasible.” Mr. Liu said that children need to recommend reading books. , Not much, fine, good.
“There are too many books now, and there is a mixture of fish and dragons. I often don’t buy the books that I want to buy. I don’t want to buy them. I just buy them in a daze.” In addition, he believes that high-quality extracurricular reading materials are recommended for students to improve their independent learning. , Is also one of the services that the bookstore can provide.
According to the reporter's understanding, in the face of the new policy, some bookstores have already begun to make adjustments.
At the "bookstore" in Huilongguan, there were more young readers at the weekend. The person in charge of the bookstore told reporters that parents of children have been calling for consultation in the past two days, "Can children read books for free? I replied, yes! "This bookstore plans to cooperate with "Writing China" to introduce online and offline calligraphy teaching classes, and consider charging a certain fee when conducting public welfare lectures.
"One Bookstore" also launched the Universal Reading Card, which is one yuan per day, 365 yuan a year, three books can be borrowed each time, unlimited times during the membership period, and recurring for unlimited time. The more you see, the more cost-effective it is.
Jiantou Bookstore also made a positive response.
Jiantou Bookstore Guomao Store started the planning of a new series of activities for the first time, "mainly in the direction of general education, aesthetics and quality lectures, plus we are a biographical theme bookstore, so we will also combine biographical reading to design." The person in charge Yan Tingting said.
【an expert】
Bookstore may open up learning space
From the perspective of industry insiders, physical bookstores face the new trend of "double reduction", whether in terms of concept, space, or activities, they are all facing the opportunity to promote the transformation of bookstores.
Zeng Feng, deputy general manager of Phoenix Media Commercial Management Company, believes that there is almost no possibility of organizing discipline training except for quality education training on weekends and holidays.
Therefore, the vast majority of parents will inevitably consider children's learning problems on weekends and holidays. In addition to studying at home, a place with a learning atmosphere such as a bookstore or library will become the first choice.
"Now, it is common for children in junior high school to go to coffee shops to do homework and study in first- and second-tier cities." But he believes that in the space planning of many bookstores today, children's book areas are arranged as reading spaces, hand-made areas, etc. , This is actually an inefficient use of space.
"The so-called reading area is mostly sitting on the floor. The so-called hand-made area, it is difficult to find suitable hand-made resources. These do not increase the experience of the bookstore."
Zeng Feng suggested that bookstores can try to make some new changes according to their own conditions. Don’t always think that bookstores can only be bundled with coffee and catering. It can also be transformed into a learning space and growth space for children to create a common learning experience. Atmosphere.
"For example, for children and students, you can plan a certain space for reading, provide necessary desk and chair facilities, and arrange for volunteers to provide relevant guidance. In short, it is a low-end version of the adult self-study room." Zeng Feng believes that bookstores can find the corresponding For example, it can be associated with book consumption, it can be associated with membership services, or it can be directly charged.
Zeng Feng also believes that from the perspective of readers' needs, the use of external training institution resources to carry out quality service courses in a targeted manner and enrich weekend and holiday activities is also welcome by parents.
In the view of Baidao.com CEO Cheng Sanguo, physical bookstores should implement value-added services in reading and strengthen their ability to guide and read. In this regard, physical bookstores are facing opportunities and challenges.
In addition, he believes that many bookstores make drinks, but there are few drinks for children. He suggests that new drinks for children can be developed in the future.
[Promoter]
Hope to share content resources
After the "double reduction" policy, reading promotion people have expressed their hope to share their knowledge, experience and content reserves and pass it on to more children.
Reading promoter Tang Zhaoxia founded the ASUS Reading Center in 2014. She said that the team she currently leads has developed more than ten themed courses on habit formation, traditional festivals, red culture, and traditional culture.
The courses she developed included not only the theme of patriotism, but also the theme of Grand Canal culture. She took Tongzhou children to get close to and love their hometown in the context of the "Cang Culture" and "Water Culture" of the Grand Canal.
In the second half of last year, Tang Zhaoxia also developed a "garbage sorting" theme course, allowing children to protect the environment and love their homes from elementary school.
"We hope to promote the content resources we have accumulated for many years to children in bookstores and reading spaces."
Many more people are willing to face children through the bookstore platform. Li Ning is a freelance painter who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University. He gave a live broadcast of natural watercolor sketching online and offline for public welfare in "A Bookstore". During the offline experience course last weekend, he found that more children came to the scene to learn to paint than usual. Li Ning said that after the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, more children can enter the aesthetic education class. "Watercolor painting is a kind of popular painting. Back then, Bethune came to China not far away, so he brought watercolor tools and painted self-portraits." Li Ning once took his children and their parents to sketch in a country park in Beijing for on-site guidance. He has a philosophy that he hopes that through the practice of aesthetic education, children's appreciation and aesthetic judgment can be improved, which is more important than drawing a picture. "I hope to cooperate with bookstores and share my accumulated years of experience with children and parents."