Books and Newspapers Digest, Reference News, Weekly Radio and Television, Good Friends … On two small newsstands of more than square meters, dozens of newspapers are lined up in turn, neatly stacked and colorful. Approached, the newspaper’s unique ink fragrance came to my face.
"Uncle, the evening paper hasn’t come yet. Come back later." Before the visitor with gray hair asked questions, Shen Cuifang took the lead in greeting. This old gentleman is an old customer of the newsstand, and his newspaper reading needs are well known to Shen Cuifang. After a while, two girls who looked like college students also stopped at the newsstand. "There is actually a newsstand here." They took out their mobile phones and took two photos.
On weekends, Zhou Pu’s "little shanghai Pedestrian Street" is very lively. Amid the endless stream of tourists and the shouts of shops, this newsstand on the street corner looks very quiet. Shen Cuifang, 55, has been selling newspapers here for 24 years.
In the past ten years, with the rapid development of Internet and mobile devices, new media channels are constantly expanding. In the modern society where mobile phones are gradually replacing books and newspapers, and fragmented reading is rampant, many citizens have noticed that the number of newsstands around them is decreasing, or even hard to find everywhere.Recently, the reporter visited the "rare" newsstands in the streets and alleys of Shanghai, and appreciated the long-lasting affection between people and newspapers in the changing times.
Scarce newsstands in the streets and lanes
Searching for "Shanghai Newsstand" on the Internet, the first thing that pops up is the newspaper and periodical sales department of Shanghai Post Hongkou Branch, No.529 Wusong Road. It is said that,This is one of the only newspaper outlets in Shanghai.
It’s not hard to find a salesroom. Just after turning into Wusong Road from Wujin Road, an uncle with a newspaper came face to face. Seeing that he was reading while walking, he knew that the destination was not far before the newspaper was put into the environmental protection bag he carried with him. At the door of the newspaper shop, a middle-aged man wearing a helmet is holding a copy of Oriental Sports Daily and reading it carefully. The store is not big, but it has a different world. When we entered, the first thing we saw was a counter about three meters long, with thirty or forty newspapers stacked on top of each other, such as Jiefang Daily, Wenhui Daily, titan sports, Longevity Health Daily and Happy Old Annual Report. On both sides and back of the counter, there are nearly 100 kinds of magazines and weekly magazines, and the salesroom with less than 10 square meters is full.
Master Jiang, 63, is a newspaper salesman in the retail department. According to him,There are the most complete kinds of newspapers and magazines in Shanghai, so they are favored by readers.Indeed, in just five minutes, 10 guests have come to buy newspapers. Master Jiang smiled and said, "Now is not the time for the most people."
The favor of newspapers is not only reflected in the passenger flow at home. Since the reporter entered the salesroom, Master Jiang has been leaning on the table and copying something against his mobile phone. It turns out that many old customers live far away, or their legs and feet are inconvenient, so they can’t come every day, so they subscribe to Master Jiang through WeChat. For the newspapers they like, Master Jiang is required to pack and keep them in the first issue. The bookshelf at the back of the counter exists to store readers’ subscriptions. Nearly 50 shelves are almost filled with hundreds of bundles of newspapers. "Some readers come once every ten days and a half months, but they have to take hundreds of newspapers with them every time." Master Jiang said.
As one of the few remaining Oriental newsstands on the market, Shen Cuifang’s newsstand in Zhou Pu always attracts passers-by to surprise. According to her introduction, the newsstand was opened in 1998, originally belonging to the 4050 project of the Shanghai Municipal Government. Although it has experienced wind and rain for more than 20 years, it has finally opened smoothly. Recalling the past of the newsstand, Shen Cuifang had some feelings."In the past, books and newspapers could sell hundreds of copies a day, but now they can only sell dozens of copies, and they are all bought by old readers. Many readers come to buy it every day, rain or shine, and there are always people who have a special liking for newspapers. "
On the streets of Shanghai, there are also many newsstands hidden in small shops. Passing through the intersection of Tian ‘ai Road and Tian ‘ai Branch Road in Hongkou District, it is difficult to notice the "Four Seasons Tobacco Hotel" with a facade of only 2 square meters. You need to look carefully to see the red header of "Weekly Radio and Television" behind the transparent shutter. The shop is very crowded. Next to the aisle less than 50 cm, there is a smoke and wine cabinet. On the counter, there are more than a dozen newspapers with the latest date, and there are magazines such as Readers in the corner. The number is small but the variety is comprehensive, which can be regarded as a miniature newsstand.
Xu Wenming, a 62-year-old owner of this grocery store, used to run an independent newsstand. Later, the newsstand was reduced in size and finally moved to the counter. Xu Wenming told reporters,"I stopped selling books and newspapers for a while before. Many old readers have discussed with me whether they can resume because it is difficult for them to find another newsstand. So I continued to do it. "While speaking, 82-year-old Zhao Jingxian came trembling to the door of the store. Before opening his mouth, Xu Wenming picked up a copy of "New Legend" and sent it to him. After greeting and paying, the white-haired old man walked to Hongkou Park with a newspaper in his hand. "Old people usually come to buy newspapers early in the morning and go to the nearby park to sit and read all morning." Xu Wenming said.
A newspaper reader with a long friendship
On November 5th, 48-year-old Chen Yong pushed open the door of Hongkou newspaper shop, asking for a People’s Daily on October 17th. "I finally got it together!" It turned out that Chen Yong had his own newspaper subscription at home, but he was hospitalized last month. All the newspapers were piled up in the mailbox. When he got home from the hospital, he took them and read them. He found that the issue of October 17 was missing. "I have to read the newspaper every day, and I can’t do without one issue." After looking around for a newsstand without success, he who lives in Minhang can only take the subway for an hour to Hongkou. "Fortunately, I bought it, otherwise I will feel uncomfortable and can’t sleep." Chen Yong said.
Is there any reason why you love paper newspapers so much? "It’s really convenient to read the newspaper on the mobile phone, but the font is too small, it’s not easy to save, and it’s not convenient to search for previous articles. Newspapers can be collected and turned out from time to time for repeated reading and scrutiny. There are many good articles to read. " Thought for a moment, Chen Yong added,"This is just like collecting books. Good things still want to collect physical objects, and things that are not held in your hand are always afraid of being lost."
Even after selling newspapers for more than 20 years, Shen Cuifang will still be shocked by "infatuated" readers. In her WeChat, there is an old gentleman who lives in Chuansha and has never met before. Every weekend, the old gentleman will send the newspaper list he needs to Shen Cuifang through WeChat, and ask his son to place an order for "running errands" to pick up and deliver the newspaper. In the past year, this habit has been shaken. The newspaper that originally only cost more than 10 yuan was added with the running errands fee near 40 yuan.
Since you love newspapers so much, why not subscribe to the post office? In the face of reporters’ questions, Zhao Jingxian gave reasons. First, newspapers are delivered to the mailbox under the house. If they are not taken in time, they are likely to be taken away by others. If it rains, it is even more troublesome to get wet by the rain. It is better to rest assured that the newsstand is watched. Secondly, the types that can be read every day after subscribing to newspapers are limited. It is better to come to the newsstand to browse in person and choose newspapers with their favorite content to buy, which gives you more freedom; Third, it is also a common way of life to visit newsstands and buy books and newspapers every three to five times.
However, there are fewer and fewer newsstands, which makes both newspaper readers and newspaper sellers worry. Master Jiang, who is long past retirement age, has been guarding the newspaper sales department so far."No one will take over, and once I retire, the sales department will be closed."How long will the newsstand last? Shen Cuifang doesn’t know for herself, but "one day at a time."But she is still worried that once her newsstand is closed, so many old readers should go to buy newspapers.
Unshakable value
Shen Cuifang thinks that newspapers still have unique value, otherwise, why is the special issue of Liberation Daily during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China so popular? According to her memory, on the opening day of the 20th National Congress on October 16th, a special edition of Liberation Daily was published, which was sold out soon after it went on the market. In the following days, customers who inquired about the purchase were still in an endless stream, including many new faces."A reader saw the special issue reserved for others on my desk and actually bid 200 yuan to buy it." Shen Cuifang is a little dumbfounding. "The special issue is thick, and it is very weighty in my hand. It is really shocking, and I have left a treasure myself."
Master Jiang also noticed that newspapers will become very popular every national event. "In addition to the Twentieth National Congress, newspapers are often in short supply during the centenary of the founding of the Party, the Winter Olympics and the Expo." Master Jiang is somewhat proud."It is said that news is the manuscript of history, and collecting newspapers is equal to witnessing history."
In addition to the collection value, 50-year-old Zhu Xiaomei pays more attention to the safety of newspapers. In her view, the network environment is flooded with information, and fake news and fake popular science emerge one after another. Most middle-aged and elderly people get information through the network, which is difficult to distinguish between true and false; However, the paper media is quite different. Strict editing and authoritative endorsement ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the content.
This security is also reflected in the continuity of reading. Yang Jun, 63, was deeply touched by this. He had an operation in his early years, and his sequelae were slow movement and difficulty in self-control. When reading news on his mobile phone, he often lost the page because of improper operation, and he often felt helpless."One slip and you’ll never find it again. Watching news on mobile phones is not very friendly to the elderly. "
Is the newspaper exclusive to the elderly? Shen Cuifang was noncommittal, but whenever students from middle schools near the newsstand came to buy a newspaper, she felt that the newsstand was full of vitality. "Some students may finish the homework assigned by the teacher, but some students really love reading newspapers and have to be selective for a long time at a time."
Guo Lin subscribed to the newspaper for her 11-year-old son. In her view, this generation of children has entered the information age since birth, and the concept of paper books and newspapers is scarce.She is somewhat worried that the fragmentation of the Internet and big data algorithms will make children lose the ability to read deeply and obtain information independently."Short videos have the deepest influence, they are endless, and most of them are entertainment," she complained.
No matter how big the change is, there will always be some constant persistence. Under the internet environment, newsstands are becoming increasingly scarce, and may be "online" in other ways in the future; And those newspapers and magazines that bear social responsibility and people’s expectations still have their unique value. They are embedded in history, record the present and build the future.
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