拍照必须买书是霸王条款吗？Buy a book, take a selfie: bookshop owner

A bookstore(书店 shūdiàn) in the city of Chongqing has sparked discussion(讨论 tǎolùn) on social media after its owner introduced a new rule(规矩 guījǔ) that "visitors who take photos at the store must buy at least one book."

Mr. Wang's bookstore in Chongqing Municipality. [Screenshot: China Plus]

People started flocking to the 17-year-old bookstore in the city center after it starred in a report by People's Daily. Lots of people came to take photographs of themselves among the store's many thousands of books(书 shū). But few people left having bought a book.

The store's owner, Mr. Wang, said that people used to spend time in his store reading(读 dú) and purchasing(买 mǎi) books, but now they're just there to take photos. This has put off his regular paying customers(顾客 gùkè), so he decided to introduce the rule that if visitors want to take photos inside his store, they're expected to buy a book.

Many people online expressed their support(支持 zhīchí) for the rule, saying that a bookstore is not just a tourist attraction and that it's rude for people to disturb paying customers just so they can take photos. Other people, however, have said that the Mr. Wang might not be able to legally enforce the rule.

File Photo: A bookstore in the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. [Photo: China Plus]

With the rise of online shopping, brick-and-mortar bookstores face many challenges and have tried different approaches(方法 fāngfǎ) to attract customers. The cozy atmosphere and fancy decorations of some bookstores has made them a hit among young people, but as Mr. Wang has unfortunately discovered, getting more people through the door doesn't always mean more paying customers.

重点词汇 Key Word:

规矩

• <名词 n.> rule
  E.g. Chī hǎo zǎocān shì wǒjiā de guījǔ.
  吃好早餐是我家的规矩。
  Having a good breakfast is a law in my family.

• <名词 n.> (good) manners
  E.g. Guījǔ diǎn!
  规矩点!
  Behave yourself!

• <形容词 adj.> well-behaved; well-disciplined
  E.g. Nǐ de zì xiě dé hěn guījǔ.
  你的字写得很规矩。
  Your handwriting shows disciplined practice.