Who doesn’t remember the joys of reading as a kid?

Some of our best childhood memories are sitting on the floor of the library or bookstore, buried in the colorful magic of fantasy and science fiction, from the deep oceans to distant galaxies.

Pictured: A child reading a picture book.

Some of us carried our joy of reading all the way to high school and college, enjoying long days and late nights devouring the latest bestseller or poring over textbooks in the library.

As we get older, full-time jobs and fast-paced responsibilities diminish our reading time availability. With these challenges in mind, bookstores are increasingly offering immersive experiences that provide a respite from the constant grind of work and give us a chance to experience that sense of childhood wonderment yet again.

For one bookstore in Shanghai, part of improving the customer experience includes providing their readers with the best air quality possible.

Determined to be the best bookstore on Shanghai

One such place for literature and art lovers is Sanlian Bookstore Readway in Shanghai, China, which opened to the public in March 2019.

The bookstore rebranded and renamed itself after a trial opening in December 2018.¹

Pictured: A view of the Sanlian Bookstore Readway in Shanghai.

Located on the fourth and fifth floors of the busy Shanghai Xin Tian Di square on Huaihai Road, the bookstore occupies nearly 1,000 square meters and sells more than 20,000 kinds of books.

Popular books include children’s literature, including pop-up books. Adults can browse from hundreds of design and art books. The fourth floor features an imported books section.

The shop integrates the cultural and creative. A boutique shop and coffee shop, ELLE Café, provides busy urban workers with time to stop for lunch and enjoy a quiet space for reading. The fifth floor is home to a music gallery, a space for live performances.

The bookstore opened around the same time that the affiliated Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore welcomed its first customers in Chaoyang Joy City, Beijing.² The sister stores are supplied by the Shanghai Sanlian Press, a state-owned book publisher specializing in social science and humanities publications.

Partnering with IQAir to create a clean air bookstore

IQAir, one of the world’s leading advocates of living a quality life through clean air, contributed to creating a clean air Shanghai bookstore with several Atem personal air purifiers. The air purifiers were arranged on a brightly lit reading table near an enormous window. As clean air breezes through, IQAir helps create a quiet, clean air environment for readers.

A portable personal air purifier, the Atem concentrates pure air delivery directly to a reader’s breathing zone.

Pictured: An IQAir HealthPro 250 near a spiral staircase.

Next to the 14-meter spiral staircase, an IQAir HealthPro 250 air purifier provides the public space with clean air. The air purifier helps keep customers safe from particulates, harmful chemicals, odors, bacteria, viruses, pollen, and other allergens.

The air purifiers are capable of capturing up to 99.5 percent of all airborne particulate matter, including ultrafine particles, measuring down to .003 microns.

Clean air is an important store benefit for readers of all ages. Having access to clean air technology doesn’t simply feel better – it contributes to maintaining healthy cognitive functioning.

A 2016 review in Environmental Research found that poor air quality can impact a child’s brain development and increase cognitive decline in the elderly.³ The review found that people of all ages are impacted by air pollution; it can affect children in utero, increase the risk of neurodevelopmental delay, and accelerate cognitive decline.

The takeaway

Readers who love their time spent with books want to enjoy spaces that cater to their favorite activity. It helps to create a space that fosters relaxation and comfort.

With IQAir filtration, visitors to the Sanlian Book Store Readway can enjoy a quiet and clean space and guard their limited reading time with clean air and a clear mind.