Junhui, part of the Librairie Avant-Garde chain, features traditional Chinese interior designs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"So we, as bookstore proprietors, should have the awareness and bear the social responsibility to create good bookstores and sell the best books."

Qian now has 13 bookstores in Nanjing and other cities. While the Nanjing store bears the name Librairie Avant-Garde, the other 12 have their own names, and Qian says a 14th store will open in Nanjing this year.

Creativity is one important factor in Qian's success. He never replicates what he is doing, all the other 12 shops having their own distinct styles, not just architecturally, but also in book categories, he says.

"A good bookstore is the fruit of all book lovers' imagination."

Some of the bookstores are devoted to poetry, which Qian says is his favorite literary genre.

In fact in Librairie Avant-Garde in Nanjing, which opened 21 years ago, the best spot in the shop is reserved for poetry. Qian has strict dictates on what he will sell, reserved to humanities such as arts and literature, and in the shop you will find no bestsellers, children's books or textbooks.