"The experience is something similar to a shopping spree," he says. "But it is great fun even if you end up not buying any books."
He can still recall his first trip to a bookstore as a primary school boy in the 1960s. Every school day, Huang would pass by a tiny Xinhua Bookstore outlet somewhere near the Fragrant Hills in western Beijing. He was often tormented by the fact that he could not afford to buy the books.
"The auntie at the bookstore was so kind to invite me to sit down and read the picture-story books free of charge! From that time, I have cherished a tender feeling for bookstores," says Huang, who admits he has spent less and less time in the bookstores in recent years.
Like many other bookworms, Huang has opted to buy new books and rare and secondhand books at online bookstores, such as www.dangdang.com, www.joyo.com and www.booyee.com.cn.
"The obvious excuse is that I am tied up with my day-to-day work. But the truth is, buying books online is not only time saving, but also much more convenient," Huang explains.
For Huang, traditional bookstores just couldn't come close to offering the multitude of user-friendly services offered by online stores.
For example, buying through websites would introduce readers to lists of themed hyperlinks to books they might not be aware of otherwise.
"With a few clicks, you can browse thousands of titles to find your favorites," Huang says. "And you make the transactions in your office or at home. Delivery people will send the books, CDs or DVDs to your doorstep."
An additional advantage is that online buyers usually get discounts. Huang recently bought a book about traditional Chinese medicine. The book was originally priced at 29 yuan (3.8 U.S. dollars), but he only paid 17.01 yuan (2.2 U.S. dollars) as a VIP customer of the online bookstore. Online buyers who are not VIPs could get the same book for 17.5 yuan - a 60 percent discount from traditional bookstore prices.
