Eslite Bookstore Explained

Eslite Bookstore 誠品書店
Genre:	Various
Foundation:	1989
Founder:	Robert Wu (吳清友)
Location:	Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan
Area Served:	Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia
Industry:	Retailing and real estate

Eslite Bookstore is one of the largest retail bookstore chains in Taiwan. It also offers one of the largest selections of English-language publications and translation materials in Taiwan.

Headquartered in Xinyi District, Taipei, the chain has 38 branches in Taiwan—mostly in urban areas, such as Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Yilan, Zhongli, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung—and several overseas branches.

History

Eslite was established in 1989 by Robert Wu Ching-yu.^[1] The first shop opened on 12 March 1989 on Dunhua South Road, Daan District, Taipei, with a focus and emphasis on art and humanities-related books. Since then, the company has expanded and set up more shops and increased its range of titles on offer.

On the store's tenth anniversary, the flagship Dunhua South Road store began operating 24 hours a day—Taiwan's first all-night bookstore.

In 2006, Eslite opened a store in Taipei's Xinyi District. It became the chain's flagship and only 24-hour store after the Dunhua location closed on 31 May 2020.^[2] It closed on 24 December 2023 after site landlord Uni-President Group did not renew the lease.

On 20 January 2024, the Eslite branch at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, known as Eslite Spectrum Songyan, became the chain's 24-hour location.^[3]

The first Eslite Bookstore outside Taiwan opened in Hysan Place in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, in 2012. It sold 706,000 books in 2014. The company opened a second Hong Kong location at Star House (Star Annex of Harbour City), Tsim Sha Tsui, in 2015.^[4]

In July 2014, Eslite Hong Kong pulled Tibet-related books off its shelves out of political concerns. Taiwanese media reported that Eslite Taiwan issued an in-company document prohibiting its workers from making comments about the company on social media without approval.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

On 29 November 2015, Eslite Bookstore opened its first branch in mainland China in the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu.^[9]

On 17 December 2022, Eslite opened its first bookstore in Southeast Asia: Eslite Spectrum in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Related businesses

Eslite also expanded into retail, and opened Eslite Mall. Other related businesses include:

• Eslite Musicstore
• Eslite Coffeehouse
• Eslite Winery
• Eslite Teahouse
• Eslite Gallery, founded in 1989. It is one of Taiwan's most prestigious contemporary art galleries.^[10]

Chronology of related businesses

• 1974: established Chen-Jian Corp, importing whole set kitchenware.
• 1989: established Eslite Corp, first Eslite bookstore built at Taipei Dunhua South Road.
• 1996: established Eslite Retail Group.
• 2000: established Eslite Transportation Group, expanded to food and drinks, appliances, and online sales, established Eslite Global Network Corp.
• 2001: established Eslite Logistics Corp at Nankan, Taoyuan.
• 2002: Eslite Retail group and Transportation group combined into Life group, introduced Eslite's operation motto as humanity, art, creativity, and life.
• At midnight on 1 January 2006, Eslite's new flagship bookstore, located in Taipei's Xinyi District, opened for business. With about 8,000 m² of floor space, it became the largest bookstore in Taiwan.

See also

• List of companies of Taiwan
• Page One
• Taiwanese art

Notes and References

1. News: https://web.archive.org/web/20170720151443/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2103339/taiwanese-founder-eslite-book-chain-dies-66?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d34d47c815-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07_19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-d34d47c815-29723437&mc_cid=d34d47c815&mc_eid=1f9d28130a . 20 July 2017 . . Taiwanese founder of Eslite book chain dies at 66 . Robert Wu Ching-yu, whose well-known chain Eslite brought the novelty of a 24-hour bookshop to the Taiwanese capital, has died from a heart condition at 66. . 19 July 2017 . Lawrence . Chung . live . 23 July 2017.
2. News: Cheung . Han . 31 May 2020 . Taiwan in Time: Becoming Taiwan’s ‘sleepless’ bookstore . 28 January 2024 . The Taipei Times . 8.
3. Web site: 25 December 2023 . Eslite Xinyi officially closes after 18 years – Radio Taiwan International . 28 January 2024 . en.rti.org.tw . en.
4. News: Cheng . Kris . 20 September 2015 . Taiwanese bookstore opening second branch as English-language stores disappear across city . Hong Kong Free Press.
5. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/07/03/2003594221 Eslite under fire in HK censorship row
6. http://www.ettoday.net/news/20140703/374559.htm 誠品訂員工封嘴條款？網友批：文創界之恥
7. http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/paper/792809 誠品被爆料 訂員工封嘴條款
8. Web site: 誠品限制員工言論 學者嘆讓人失望 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140705200025/http://www.stormmediagroup.com/opencms/news/detail/042f8150-019e-11e4-8645-ef2804cba5a1/?uuid=042f8150-019e-11e4-8645-ef2804cba5a1 . 5 July 2014 . 3 July 2014.
9. Web site: 29 November 2015 . Eslite opens first bookstore in mainland China – Focus Taiwan . 30 June 2020 . focustaiwan.tw . zh-Hant-TW.
10. Web site: Liu . Lyla . Taiwanese Eslite Gallery relocates after decades in Taipei . www.taiwannews.com.tw . 26 May 2020 . Taiwan News . 26 May 2020.