Our reporter Chen Xuening
The third year of the epidemic is also the fourth year of the Codeziren Bookstore.
On the evening of June 18, the sky was getting dark.
Turn off the lighting on the ceiling, leaving only a few small candle-like lights, changing in the light and shadow of the entire book wall.
In the atmospheric bookstore, everyone took their seats at will, and their eyes turned to the record player not far away-with the theme of opera tenor, a vinyl record sharing meeting was going on.
From Domingo, Carreras to Pavarotti, everyone lives in a corner, but their hearts drift away with the music.
Seeing the intoxicated look on the audience's mind, Li Suwan, the owner of the bookstore, couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
In her heart, the "highlight moment" of the codewriter is back.
Code Word Bookstore was founded in the autumn of 2018 in the old factory of Far East Instrument Company on Hepingli North Street.
The former precision instrument workshop has been carefully transformed into a complex cultural space and a special art bookstore with the themes of drama, film and poetry. It has been awarded the "Beijing Characteristic Bookstore" for two consecutive years.
"Every bookstore has its own spiritual background, and the character of the coders is that they have a very rich cultural scene." Li Suwan said that in addition to new book sales, the store will also hold script readings, drama salons, and even There are also dances and poetry parties.
For more than 3 years, nearly 500 cultural and artistic activities have been staged here.
The epidemic has forced coders to experience the throes of the shutdown of offline activities, passenger traffic has plummeted, and book inventories have soared.
"After the opening of the new year, the bookstore has 20,000 books on the books, so many are stacked on the shelves." How to make books flow?
Starting in April this year, under the opportunity of World Book Day, Codewriter decided to further lower the threshold for purchasing books.
New customers who enter the store and buy a book at the original price can get a "Bookworm Card" membership worth more than 40 yuan, and enjoy discounts ranging from 40% to 10% on subsequent book purchases.
Even out-of-town readers or citizens who are locked up at home can visit the WeChat store and enjoy discounts.
Coders have their own set of orientations for the version and binding of books.
There are not only new books but also second-hand books, old books, signed books, traditional and foreign books.
The original price of many books in the store is around 30 yuan or even lower, which is rare in many bookstores.
"These paperback books are easy to carry, easy to read, inexpensive, and the editions are very good. They are the stock we have accumulated over the years before we opened the store." In Li Suwan's opinion, thinning the heavy hardcover books makes the bulky books thinner. Books appear to be more approachable, which invisibly lowers the threshold of reading.
"Many readers bought four or five books in one go, which may cost more than 100 yuan." The bookstore made it easier for readers and accelerated the flow of books in stock.
Today, the number of paid members of Codewriter has exceeded 1,000.
In addition to in-store customers, more new "fans" come from online.
On the video account of the code word person and the fruit bureau store, two live broadcasts a week attract book fans.
For example, the recent theme of "Enjoy the central axis of reading" not only includes a variety of book lists and discounts, but also some out-of-print books will be preferentially sold in the live broadcast room.
There is no noisy selling in the live broadcast room here, only the store manager speaks in front of the camera.
At present, the number of viewers in the live broadcast room has risen from 30 to 50 to hundreds, and the sales have gradually stabilized, which can be equal to the offline flow level on working days.
More readers who are not in Beijing also enter the art space of the bookstore through online live broadcast.
On May 20th, the "About Love" theme poetry reading party met with readers in front of the screen. Li Suwan invited many poets Lian Mai to share love stories and let nearly a thousand book fans share the spiritual power of poetry art to soothe the soul. .
As the epidemic eased, more surrounding residents began to frequent this "treasure place" at the door of their homes.
High school students who are reading books after school, white-collar workers who order a drink and sit quietly in the afternoon, parents who take their children to read books... Everyone enjoys the happiness and satisfaction of rubbing the pages of the book with their fingertips in the scent of coffee.
As night fell, the Codeziren Bookstore closed its doors.
Li Suwan unpacked the newly arrived books one by one and placed them on the bookshelf, then packed the online store orders and put them in handwritten notes.
"The next reader activity is already being planned. The epidemic is difficult, but the spiritual needs will not disappear." Li Suwan said that no matter how the outside world changes, as long as the conditions permit, the coders will always open the door and let the lights of the bookstore guard." city temperature".
Journalist's Notes
Culture lights up the ordinary, accumulates the strength to move forward
People's expectations for a better spiritual life will not be interrupted by the epidemic.
On June 7, Beijing People's Art Theater announced that the classic play "Tea House" would resume offline performances. The next morning, tickets for five performances were sold out in just two minutes; on June 24, the most popular show in mainland China this year. The first large-scale offline contemporary art event "Gallery Week Beijing" was launched, and the 798 Art Park was revived. "Xintianyou" aroused the audience's lasting cheers...
Judging from the rapid increase in cultural consumption after the epidemic has eased, the drastic external changes have caused people to think more, and the thirst for spiritual sustenance seems to be greater than ever.
"Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles." In the days when many people were forced to stay at home, reading replaced part of travel, and the rich and colorful online cultural experience made the "snail" life no longer monotonous.
The suppressed cultural consumption demand seeks compensation online, and after offline activities resume, it releases more vigorous vitality.
People experience the taste of life in the theater, feel the charm of art in the exhibition, and increase the thickness of life in the book.
Facing the negative emotions that emerge from time to time under the pressure of the epidemic, the attitude of Li Suwan, the manager of the codeword bookstore, is very emotional.
She said that the road ahead is long, and there will always be unknown problems.
The shadow of the epidemic is still there, but life continues, the culture lights up the ordinary, and hope exists forever!