Forced to shut down their operations in Shanghai six years ago, the Jifeng Bookstore begun a second innings in Washington DC over the Labor Day Weekend. Now called “JF Books,” the bookstore has a rich collection of books in Chinese apart from books on China and Asia in English.
Once a popular forum to discuss politics and philosophy, the Jifeng Bookstore in Shanghai was forced to shut down in 2018 due to increasing censorship in the People’s Republic of China. Six years later and on the other side of the globe, the bookstore, which is now called “JF Books,” began its second innings in Washington DC over the Labor Day weekend.
For Yu Miao, the owner of the bookstore, reconnecting with the Chinese community in Washington, DC and recreating a space for the Chinese community and international readers to learn about Chinese culture and history, was a primary motivation behind reviving the store. According to the US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, as of 2019, there were over 200,000 Chinese Americans in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area.
“I want to make connections between the Chinese community and even beyond that through knowledge sharing and [through] thoughtful resources that readers can find in the bookstore,” Yu said during an interview with East-West Center Young Professional Shinjini Ghosh.
While there are some Asian language bookstores in places like New York City, JF Books is the only one in DC boasting of a rich collection of books in Chinese apart from books written by Asian American authors in English. According to Yu, 70% of the collection is in Chinese while the rest are in English focusing mainly on Chinese and Asian studies.
Established in 1997, the independent bookstore was forced to close after a 20-year streak in Shanghai. According to Yu, censorship coupled with lease extension issues in 2017, made his family move to the United States soon thereafter.
“We used to host a lot of seminars and discussions on philosophy and politics as we encouraged critical thinking. Hence, it wasn’t easy to exist in China. However, in DC such pressures from government authorities will not be there,” Yu said in the interview to Ghosh.
By giving the bookstore a new home in DC, Yu said that he aimed to welcome young Chinese readers and provide a public forum for knowledge exchange.
“The connection between people is very important and it’s best if we can meet and talk in a physical space. This is the reason why we plan to host regular public lectures, documentary screenings and reading club activities,” Yu said in the same interview.
A personal touch to the DuPont Circle store was immediately visible with Yu’s daughter contributing to its aesthetics and even designing canvas tote bags for shoppers.
While browsing through the vast range of books, Caitlyn Wu, a customer at the store told Ghosh in an interview, “It is indeed incredible to have such a bookstore which focuses on Chinese literature. It’s a great way for someone like me to connect back to my roots and read books that may not be readily available in China.”
As one exits the store, a mirror reflecting scores of farewell messages written in Mandarin bore testimony to the popularity that the bookstore once had back in Shanghai.
Shinjini Ghosh is a Fall 2024 Young Professional at the East West Center in Washington. Shinjini is currently pursuing a graduate program in journalism at Georgetown University. Previously she was a reporter in India.
Prash Bajracharya is a Young Professional at the East West Center in Washington. She is currently pursuing her master's degree at McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University. She specializes in International Development, technology and sustainability in Asia and the Middle East.