Although there is a proliferation of bookstores throughout Zhaoqing, very few of them sell any books in English other than for learning the language itself. Some of them carry a very small selection of novels but these are likely to be in both Chinese and English (meaning they will be bulky and unwieldy) and will almost certainly be from the canon of classical literature.
For a wider range of literature a trip to Guangzhou (approx. 100km east of Zhaoqing) is necessary. The best option is ‘The Guangzhou Book Center’ in the Tian He district of central Guangzhou, a seven-storey bookstore with English books on a number of the floors. Also available there are maps of regions and cities of China in English as well as a very small collection of English language magazines such as National Geographic. In the Beijing Lu (Beijing Road) shopping area there is a large Xinhua bookstore, one of a chain of nationwide bookstores. They have a small section of English books.
To find a large array of English books it is necessary to go to Hong Kong, which has many bookstores. A particular favourite is the Swindon Bookstore in Kowloon.
Addresses: Guangzhou Book Center. 123 Tian He Lu, Guangzhou. Tel: 020 8334 4762
Xinhua, 276 Beijing Lu, Guangzhou. Tel: 020 8334 4762
Swindon Books - Shop 370, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Kowloon, Hong Kong
