Readers immerse themselves in books at a bookstore in Beijing on October 9, 2025, Beijing. Photo: VCG

In an era of digital overload, Chinese bookstores are reviving the art of personal connection through customized book blind boxes—and readers are embracing the curated surprises, China Youth Daily reported.

The movement combines commercial creativity with emotional resonance. As physical bookstores struggle against digital competition, these boxes have become lifelines. Tang Pu, owner of Ordinary Bookstore in Guigang, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, launched blind boxes to clear inventory and save books from humid decay. His "literary pills"—capsules containing poetic prescriptions—symbolize the emotional healing customers seek, according to the report.

At Renjian Shiliang Bookstore in Handan, North China's Hebei Province, owner Gao Guibing handwrites letters to customers, pairing books with their personal struggles and reading preferences based on detailed questionnaires, China Youth Daily reported.

These aren't typical mystery boxes. Dubbed "non-blind book boxes," they represent a growing trend where stores like Guiyang Jiusanduo and Paradise Bookstore offer personalized literary selections. Readers nationwide are responding enthusiastically—one customer described feeling "truly understood" when receiving her customized package.

By October 2025, the "non-blind book box" from Renjian Shiliang had sold over 3,000 units and maintained a high rating of 4.8 out of 5, China Youth Daily reported.

For young readers facing life transitions, these boxes offer guidance. "The books showed me possibilities beyond my immediate worries," said 21-year-old Zhang Doudou, who discovered direction during post-graduation uncertainty.

Under the dual pressures of the digital reading trend and operational challenges, the winter for physical bookstores continues to deepen, leaving them in need of a breakthrough. Blind boxes have become both a means of survival for the bookstores and a process of seeking solutions for their owners.

While profitability remains challenging, the model sustains both books and community. Yang Buzheng of Jiusanduo Bookstore often adds extra books for international customers. "Only passion can't run a bookstore," he noted, "but without it, you can't run a good one." Jiusanduo Bookstore has sold over 8,000 blind boxes online. 

As Gao noted, "Reading helps us see the vast middle ground between either-or choices." In handwritten notes and carefully chosen books, these bookstore owners are delivering not just stories, but perspectives.

China Youth Daily