With soft music, sofas, lamps and tea, readers find more joy in reading (PHOTO BY LIU JIAN)

Meeting needs

Women are attached to the act of reading more than men, according to Wang Hongqi, a veteran researcher of women studies at Capital Normal University in Beijing. "Compared to men who read books for more practical purposes, women care more about body-mind-and-soul balance. [They] tend to draw more spiritual strength from reading," she says.

Writer Shen Rui corroborates this idea. "The book salon helps to cultivate a female culture with its reading group, catering to women's spiritual needs," she says. "Through reading and sharing, women can draw more strength from books as well as from their peers."

Shen feels that the salon is a new iteration of a longstanding women's literary tradition from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911). During those centuries, well-educated Chinese women held literary or poetry clubs for self-cultivation.

"Reading can help women grow internally to become more independent," says Xu Xiao, the chief culture editor and director of Caixin Book Studio. Xu recently attended a reading event at the salon. "Appearances attract attention, while personality attracts heart," she says. "Inner richness, rather than clothes or makeup, is a woman's best accessory."

Women play a big role in their family's reading habits. As is the case in most Chinese families, mothers choose books for their children. "We have special designated book shelves for moms and kids who read together," says Sun. There is also a play area in the stores for mothers who need to bring their children with them.

Apart from traditional wife, mother and daughter roles, today's women - especially those in cities - are also under pressure to achieve professional success to match their male counterparts.

Yang Bo, a 30-year-old office worker, often spends a few hours daily after work at the store reading. "At my office, women are expected to keep on learning new things and constantly upgrade knowledge on a daily basis," she explains. "One way [for me] to do this is through reading."

But women also need retreats that allow them to escape their busy lives to focus on personal development. "[While] books about management help me do better at work, art books help me unwind," says Yang.

"Every day we are overwhelmed by fragments of information online, and less time is spent on reading printed books," says Zhao. "Holding an [actual] book and reading it in a pleasant and quiet environment is, in itself, a great pleasure in life."