A bustling hive of literary activity, The Bookworm is forever expanding its book offering – at the last count, we were able to boast 16,112 titles on our library shelves.

Our bookshop offers a wide range of sometimes surprising tomes, and our talks continue to beguile our audiences. Our restaurant is well loved for its tasty-yet-value-for-money menu, and spontaneous musical evenings are apt to bubble up from nowhere.

It’s easy to see why The Bookworm is such a hit among Beijingers; where else can you while away the hours savouring fabulous fare, browsing thousands of books, sipping good espresso, being regaled by eminent authors, catching up with friends over your favourite tipple, or simply just checking your emails? The spacious, interconnecting rooms with floor-to-ceiling books on every wall are light and airy in summer, yet cosy and snug in winter. And the roof terrace is perfect for yard-arm cocktails.

Booklovers, old China hands, newcomers, students and business travellers alike unite at The Bookworm. Our coffee’s always freshly ground, our chocolate cake voluptuous and our staff delightful.

So, why not drop in sometime and join us?

Biography of The Bookworm

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The Bookworm was born some five years ago into humble surroundings. Its founder, Alexandra Pearson, was running a one-woman outfit in a modest courtyard where she not only managed a small library and put on low-key events, but also handled the restaurant side of things herself. The library had a meagre collection of 2,000 books – mainly biographies and non-fiction – that Alexandra had actually collated for another venture back in 1998…but that’s another story. One day in 2003, a curious journalist walked in to have a look round and almost immediately became member number 2. He soon fell under The Bookworm’s enchanting spell and found himself lending a hand around the place; planting daisies in the courtyard, reshelving the books as they grew in number. Three years later, that journalist was to become The Bookworm’s Business Partner and Co-owner, and open The Chengdu Bookworm, and then The Suzhou Bookworm the following year. He is none other than Peter Goff, and today you’re as likely to find him writing the quirky questions for Chengdu’s quiz night as moderating a talk by a celebrated scribe in Suzhou. Since 2006 Jenny Niven has headed up The Bookworm’s Events and Marketing department, finding speakers, organising lively events and developing creative programming across The Bookworm’s three venues. Jenny is responible for all things literary at the worm, including the behemoth task of managing The Bookworm International Literary Festivals, and our burgeoning Writers’ Residency Programmes. The Beijing Bookworm still retains its original charm even though it has grown and now dwells in a much bigger habitat. It now has over 2500 members, with Chengdu at 800 and Suzhou at a rapidly growing 300. The Bookworm on The Bridge (Suzhou) and The Bookworm at The Yin Yang Centre (Beijing) have also recently opened their doors, so keep an eye on the site for details of all our new locations.Click on the links below to go the websites of the Chengdu and Suzhou Bookworms. Chengdu www.chengdubookworm.com Suzhou www.suzhoubookworm.com