Librairie Avant-Garde
An influential independent bookstore and cultural space located beneath Wutaishan Stadium in Nanjing, China.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Librairie Avant-Garde (Mount Wutai Branch) is an independent bookstore in Nanjing, Jiangsu, identified with the city's literary and cultural life. Opened in 2004 by Qian Xiaohua, the branch occupies a former government parking facility beneath Wutaishan Stadium. The underground site had previously served as a bomb shelter, giving the store an unusual architectural setting and helping distinguish it from conventional commercial bookstores. With an area of approximately 3,780 square metres, it became the flagship expression of Qian's bookstore project and the subject of extensive attention in China and abroad. The store developed in close proximity to Nanjing University and became especially popular with students, writers, academics, and other readers. Its local reputation led to the nickname “the second library of Nanjing University.” Rather than concentrating primarily on reference works, school supplies, or practical manuals, the Mount Wutai branch emphasizes humanities and social-science reading. Its shelves cover literature, history, philosophy, film, music, photography, dance, drama, architecture, art, comics, advertising, business, journalism, and related fields. The selection and atmosphere position the bookstore as both a retailer and a place for reading, reflection, and cultural exchange. The Mount Wutai branch was the outcome of a difficult early business history. Qian Xiaohua began with a very small shop in 1996 and moved several times as the business developed. A predecessor reportedly went bankrupt in 2003, after which Qian rebuilt the enterprise and opened the underground flagship on Guangzhou Road the following year. The name combines the French word “librairie,” meaning bookshop, with “Avant-Garde,” reflecting Qian's literary circle and his interest in French literature. The name also expressed an ambition for the bookstore to act as a source of intellectual direction and humane cultural energy in the city. The Mount Wutai location formed part of a broader network that expanded during the 2000s and 2010s. Related sites included branches and cultural venues in Nanjing, Wuxi, Anhui, and Zhejiang, along with literature-and-history bookstores, presses, academies, libraries, and studio spaces. The network's development broadened the project beyond ordinary bookselling into publishing, heritage interpretation, accommodation, education, and cultural programming, although the Mount Wutai branch remains the canonical subject of this entry. International media attention reinforced the store's status as a cultural landmark. It was included in BBC coverage of notable beautiful independent bookstores in 2014, was described by CNN in 2015 as China's most beautiful bookstore, and appeared in international selections of distinctive bookstores and industrial-chic interiors, including a Guardian list in 2016. These recognitions emphasized the site's architecture and atmosphere as much as its inventory. The bookstore's significance therefore rests on the combination of curated humanities retail, an extraordinary underground setting, proximity to a major university, and its role in Nanjing's public cultural identity.
History
Librairie Avant-Garde developed from a sequence of small bookstores established by Qian Xiaohua in Nanjing. The predecessor opened in 1996 on Taiping South Road, opposite St. Paul's Church, in a space of only about 17 square metres. In 1999, the shop moved to 79 Guangzhou Road and expanded to approximately 97 square metres. A further move in 2001 brought it to 12 Guangzhou Road, where the store occupied about 600 square metres. The business experienced a severe setback in 2003, when Qian's bookstore operation went bankrupt. The same period also saw the opening of a metro bookstore at Xinjiekou Station and a Confucius Temple branch, indicating that the project was already experimenting with different formats and locations. After recovering from the bankruptcy, Qian opened the Mount Wutai branch in 2004 in an underground former government parking area beneath Wutaishan Stadium. The facility had been used as a bomb shelter and provided roughly 3,780 square metres of space. This became the branch identified most strongly with the Librairie Avant-Garde name. Qian named the business with the French term “librairie” and the phrase “Avant-Garde.” The choice reflected his interest in French literature and the influence of avant-garde writers among his friends. He conceived the bookstore as more than a commercial outlet: it was intended to give readers space, perspective, and a humane intellectual environment. The unusual underground location reinforced this idea, creating a retreat-like setting in the middle of Nanjing. The Mount Wutai store's location near Nanjing University helped establish its social identity. Students and university-affiliated readers became regular visitors, and the shop acquired the informal description “the second library of Nanjing University.” Its inventory concentrated on literature, history, philosophy, film, music, photography, dance, drama, architecture, art, comics, advertising, social science, business, and journalism. Reference books and many practical titles were comparatively less central. The result was a bookstore shaped around sustained reading and the humanities rather than high-volume general retail. From 2006 onward, the project expanded into a network of branches and associated cultural institutions. A New City Square branch opened in 2006, followed by the Presidential Palace branch in 2011 and a Wuxi branch in 2012. In 2013, the network added the May-ling branch and Pioneer New Life Press. The 2014 expansion included Lingyuan Road's Pioneer Yongfeng Poetry House, Bishan Book Bureau, and Runze Press. In 2015, Jiangsu Road, Yihe Academy, and Yunxi Library were added. Laoqian Studio and the Laomen East branch followed in 2016. These additions show a widening model that combined bookstores with publishing, historic sites, educational venues, libraries, and creative spaces. The flagship's reputation subsequently extended beyond Nanjing. International media cited its combination of book selection, cultural atmosphere, and industrial underground architecture. BBC recognition in 2014, CNN coverage in 2015, and inclusion in a Guardian industrial-chic selection in 2016 helped make the branch a symbol of China's independent-bookstore revival and a destination for visitors interested in literary and architectural culture. The Mount Wutai branch remains best understood as a place-based cultural institution: its importance comes from the relationship between books, readers, university life, Nanjing's urban memory, and the adaptive reuse of an unusual subterranean site.
- 2016
Laoqian Studio and Laomen East Branch open
[1]The network expanded with Laoqian Studio and a Laomen East branch.
- 2016
The Guardian industrial-chic listing
[1]The bookstore appeared in The Guardian's selection of notable industrial-chic spaces.
- 2015
Further venues open
[1]Jiangsu Road, Yihe Academy, and Yunxi Library joined the wider Librairie Avant-Garde network.
- 2015
CNN recognition
[1]CNN coverage identified the bookstore as China's most beautiful bookstore.
- 2014
Cultural network expands
[1]The network added the Lingyuan Road poetry house, Bishan Book Bureau, and Runze Press.
- 2014
BBC international recognition
[1]The bookstore was included in BBC coverage of notable beautiful independent bookstores.
- 2013
May-ling Branch and Pioneer New Life Press launch
[1]The project added a branch at May-ling Palace and the Pioneer New Life Press at Nanjing Museum.
- 2012
Wuxi Branch opens
[1]The network expanded beyond Nanjing with a branch in Wuxi, Jiangsu.
- 2011
Presidential Palace Branch opens
[1]A literature-and-history-oriented branch opened at the Presidential Palace area in Nanjing.
- 2006
New City Square Branch opens
[1]The bookstore network added a New City Square branch.
Products and positioning
An independent, humanities-focused bookstore that combines curated bookselling with literary atmosphere, architectural distinctiveness, and civic cultural programming.
Books · 2004
Humanities and social-science books
The Mount Wutai Branch is principally known for a broad but curated humanities and social-science inventory. Its selection emphasizes sustained reading and intellectual exploration rather than reference materials or practical manuals, and serves students, writers, academics, and general readers.
Books · 2004
Literature, history, and philosophy
Literature, history, and philosophy form the core of the store's identity. These subjects connect the bookstore to its literary origins, its proximity to Nanjing University, and its reputation as a contemplative cultural destination.
Books · 2004
Arts and media books
The store also carries books related to film, music, photography, dance, drama, architecture, visual art, comics, and advertising. This range supports its positioning as a cross-disciplinary cultural venue rather than a narrowly academic bookstore.
Books · 2004
Business and journalism books
Business, journalism, and adjacent social-science subjects extend the selection into contemporary public affairs and professional reading while retaining the store's humanities-oriented editorial character.
Controversies
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