Bailizhou opens second Island Bookstore ahead of World Book Day

By Chen Zai.

Bailizhou Island celebrated the opening of its second "Island Bookstore" on April 22, 2025, the eve of the 30th World Book Day.

Located in Zhijiang, Yichang, Bailizhou is the largest river island in the middle and upper Yangtze River and the hometown of Chen Mulan, the bookstore’s founder.

In 2019, Chen Mulan opened the island's first free bookstore with the goal of creating a cozy and welcoming reading environment that would be open daily. "Children can read fairy tales, which greatly influences them. This experience is truly wonderful, like a fairy tale itself," she said.

At first, the bookstore attracted little attention. Many villagers couldn’t understand why Chen left city life behind. But Chen Mulan remained determined. "If people won’t come to us, we’ll go to them,” she said.

She promoted the bookstore door-to-door, even driving children from distant villages to attend. Committed to weekly reading clubs, the Island Bookstore became a beloved spot for Bailizhou residents. More children and parents visited regularly, and volunteers began to step forward. Over time, the bookstore gained recognition and received donations from across the country.

Chen Mulan also collaborated with various organizations to launch the "One Square Meter Reading Space" initiative, which provides children in need with desks, chairs, books, lamps, and reading guidance.

In 2024, the local government helped transform a 1,000-square-meter grain warehouse into a second, larger Island Bookstore, which officially opened on April 22.

A 1,000-square-meter unused grain warehouse has been transformed into the second, larger Island Bookstore on Bailizhou Island.