C.C. Journal 1 - Zheng-da Bookstore

(apologize for late assignment : ( )


I have been a loyal customer of Zheng-da bookstore (政大書城) in Shi-da night market for almost eleven years. I remember deeply that when I was an elementary student, I bought (to be honest, it was my mom’s money) the first volume of Harry Potter from there. And that was the first time that I demanded so eagerly to buy a certain book. From then on, I began visiting Zheng-da bookstore frequently. This was not only because I was big enough to hanging around the streets alone near my house and the bookstore is just on the next block, but also because I started more intensely with my reading habit. I became conscious of which genre I am interested and what books are worth consuming.
So, I picked up a habit that whenever I am available, I will at least take some time to the bookstore. When I did not have enough cash, I would just walk around the bookshelves with empty hands, looking for the books or magazines and write their title down as book lists. Though usually the book lists would remain unrealized, I still enjoy the satisfaction and expectation of doing so.
However, this summer, heartbreaking news was released in July. Zheng-da bookstore is going to transform into virtual bookstore, like Book.com.tw (博客來), and left only the NTU branch bookstore as the real store.
When I first saw the poster of the news outside the bookstore, I was in total shock. For years, Zheng-da bookstore has been sort of my home, where I can always find a sense of belonging; a place where full of my dream, my fantasy, and part of my soul. Besides, in the area of Shi-da market, there is no other bookstore whose collections are big enough. A branch store of Eslite (誠品) bookstore though is just next to NTU, it is still a bit faraway from here. What a life it would be, if without such a bookstore?
After reading an interview last month, I knew that it is because the high cost and low income makes the boss decides to close the real stores and sell the estate. However, the most important reason is that people are getting much lazier to go to the bookstore themselves; they tend to purchase books from the virtual bookstore instead. This changing habit of the public makes Zheng-da bookstore cannot afford the cost anymore. Realizing the main reasons, I started thinking that, what if the real bookstores are all closed in the future? What if they all transform into virtual bookstore? Isn’t it boring that you cannot touch the book and leaf through the pages when you buy it? At least there are still small bookstores exist around this area, so the worry is not emergent yet.
Even though three months had passed, and the Shi-da branch store is not close yet (but soon after four days it will close), I have already felt extreme sad. The reason why Zheng-da bookstore is so special is not because it offers a reasonable lower price than other bookstore, but the memory and experience we readers have about it. Under the financial and social depression, Zheng-da bookstore has to change their operating mode for survival. However, no matter what form it changes, the status of Zheng-da bookstore will never change in my heart.