The commerce bureau of Shinan district, Qingdao has recently cooperated with the city's Xinhua Bookstore outlet to offer online book sales and offline delivery services for local residents who study and work at home due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

"I was surprised. It took only a half-hour to receive the book after I placed an order at the online bookstore," said a resident surnamed Zhao. She bought a set of reference books for her child who has been studying at home amid the pandemic.

Other e-commerce platforms have been hit hard by the outbreak and cannot guarantee book delivery times, Zhao added. 

More than 100,000 different sorts of books are available for online purchasing at the Qingdao Xinhua Bookstore. Locals can purchase books by following the outlet's official WeChat account. To prevent needless interaction, the site can also be utilized to pay offline invoices.

"We strictly disinfect every book before delivery to ensure the safety of consumers," said Zhang Lei, deputy general manager of Qingdao Xinhua Bookstore outlet.

To meet the diverse needs of students and adults, the bookstore has set up specified recommended book categories for different ages.

Since students began studying at home on March 13, demand for reference books on mathematic thinking training and classic Chinese poems has increased, according to Zhang.

Classic novels recommended by schools as well as food and bakery books for adults are also popular.

A staff member at the Qingdao Xinhua Bookstore outlet disinfects a book before delivery. [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]