The charm of old, yellowed pages

Meet the people who find joy in collecting old tomes and publications filled with tattered pages and scribblings by previous owners.

To many Shanghai residents, the bookstore that has the most comprehensive selection of books in the city is not a sprawling, multistory complex, nor is it an on-trend, achingly hip establishment that comes with a cafe and lifestyle area.

Located on Lancun Road in Pudong New Area, Xiaozhu's Bookstore looks to be the very antithesis of such establishments. Measuring just 115 square meters, the store features a decor that is austere at best. The only form of decoration here is the framed Chinese calligraphy works found on the shelves.

Moreover, the store sells only secondhand books.

"I don't run this place to make money," quips the owner Zhu Fengtao, who opened the store after retiring a decade ago.

"Running a secondhand bookstore, especially a physical one, isn't a profitable business these days as people can simply buy books online. I do this because I don't like traveling or playing mahjong like most elderly people. Rather, I just love reading. I also hope that my store can help others relax, especially those who earn a lot of money but face much pressure."

But the diminutive nature of the shop is hardly a reflection of the fact that it is an impressive repository of books. In addition to the 60,000 used titles, ranging from novels to comics to magazines and journals, found in the shop, the 63-year-old retiree also owns another 240,000 that are stashed in six warehouses.

Zhu's fascination with used books appears to run in the family. His father, who left his hometown in Jiangsu province to find work in Shanghai in the 1940s, used to run a stall selling comics before working at a secondhand bookshop.

Like his father, Zhu traveled to Shanghai to find job opportunities when he was 21. He has lived in the city since.

"It was a popular job at that time," says Zhu, referring to his father's profession.