Jiangtou Bookstore, with a killer view of the Bund and Lujiazui’s skyline

A bookstore with a killer view of the Bund and Lujiazui’s skyline. Built in 2016 by China Jianyin Investment, a big state-owned construction and investment firm, JIC Books won the Most Popular Bookstore Award at the China Bookstore Week that year. Its main hall is magnificent, like a train station from the 1800s. They specialize in biographies and autobiographies, which is rare to see. But all in Chinese. Go to chill at the café, which serves decent coffee.

Along the Huangpu River, the bustling west bank is usually the biggest draw. But since JIC Bookstore opened in 2014, many have been making the trip to the formerly nondescript North Bund. After renovation in 2016, the bookstore now features four floors. Alongside books in various categories such as biography, literature and art, the store also offers a retro café and a creative space. Multi-layered lighting makes readers feel immersed in a magic sea of books.

The most popular spot in the bookstore is the reading room on the top floor. The arched roof and floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books are identical to the Hogwarts Library in the

Harry Porter movies. Through French windows as tall as eight meters, one can look over all of Lujiazui. The sight is fantastic from every angle, making this one of the best places to read in the world.