I used to ask one same question when interviewing the creative persons. Where do you usually go for seeking a good idea? Bookstore was many designers’ immediate answer. Indeed, nothing compares to a bookstore in pooling various thoughts and wisdom worldwide. Visiting a bookstore is a quite different experience from buying books online. You may eventually find that you have ticked some wrong books when you buy online. However, when you are in a bookstore, you will not only have an opportunity to meet a good book by chance, but also be able to have a nice chat with the storekeeper. Storekeeper with a distinct personality tends to recommend some good books according to your interests. Hence, visiting bookstores is a valuable course for young people who want to be outstanding in the creative industries. 

Nowadays, many young people in Taipei are bold to pursue their dreams as I have found a number of interesting independent bookstores in Taipei. Thus the independent bookstores with uniqueness come up like mushrooms after a spring rain. 

I went to a bookstore named Wild Flower under my friend’s recommendation. I liked the store very much. The books sold there were housed by a distinctive theme in which appears to reflect the storekeeper’s individual taste. An exceptional beauty can be sensed by its name, as Wild Flower means deserted and flower. This artistic conception will readily remind people of the decadent and superb poems of Li Shangyin. Besides, there was a tiny café in the bookstore. When a cup of coffee is served, a dry flower is decorated on the plate that truly matches the disposition of such a bookstore. There was also a small display wall with the artworks of Hong Kong cartoonists on it. Is it a café or a bookstore? It seems that a popular store always generates a blurred identity which is difficult for positioning, but this is a vital condition that makes an unforgettable position being realised. The light and the atmosphere there was dim and decadent, and both are naturally symbiotic, entirely different from the popular cafés of Japanese simplistic style in Taipei loved by young artists. As taking photos was not allowed, I could only enjoy the times with coffee and books. 

By going Huashan Creative Park where has become increasingly popular, you must visit the Bleu & Books. It appears that the storekeeper is fond of travelling, so that there are a lot of books about travel and tourism. The café in the store is usually full of young people drinking, talking and laughing, surrounded by books. Sometimes they have a clear topic, but sometimes not. This must be the most comfortable and gratifying moment for them in Taipei. 

I purposefully went to the main store of the Mollie Used Books, a second-hand bookstore located near the National Taiwan University, although there have been many branch stores around Taipei. The main store holds the books of the best conditions and the broadest categories, the decoration design of the shop is elegant so that the second-hand books there are treated well and live a life respectably, quietly waiting for their new bosom friends. As a smart consumer, besides buying books at www.books.com.tw, I often order some good books online a few days in advance, and receive them at one convenience store that is in the vicinity of the hotel where I stay. The process is very smooth, and the books normally will be 20% discounted or more. But this time, I was too time-limited to view online, and can just go to ShuijHun Bookstore where there were many discounted books on sale. This well-known small bookstore did not change much over time, and the books piled up inside and outside the store. The storekeeper will always give you some advice of various books that may influence your life and have a little talk with you after you have selected what you need. He is happy with doing the book business in this way. 

Of course, Eslite Bookstore shall not be missed, but I always deliberately go to the book sea, Eslite Dunnan Branch at midnight. At that time, the store is not so crowded as many tourists from Mainland China have gone to somewhere else. It is better to read, skim and buy books this moment. During my stay in Taipei, the Eslite Bookstore R79 was opened on the underground street of Zhong Shan MRT Station. The bookstore is about 300 meters long, divided into several different spaces. It is selling books as well as living style. There are also a lecture room and other facilities, especially its attractive stationery division. The bookstore has cooperated with Ri Xing Type Foundry, which is the only survival in Taipei today, in developing many interesting products, including portable business card printer. The designer makes the movable type printing technique more fashionable and approachable by a simple design. Though popular computer-based printing has outperformed moveable type printing since long time ago, the typeface of the later can present some warm beauty. It is beautiful because of its flaw and imperfection.