THE reason for the flourishing state of private bookstores can be traced to changes in government policy relating to the publishing industry.

The regulations of the Publication Market Administration, which came into effect last September 1, gave "qualified" private enterprises the same rights as State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the domestic wholesale and retail book market. This created a relatively fair competitive environment for private book enterprises and SOEs.

But according to the law, private companies are not entitled to engage in publication. Only State-owned publishing houses can deliver ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers). But individuals and private companies have sought ways to publish by buying ISBNs from SOEs. The practice is technically illegal at the moment but thousands of private publishing houses are operating nationwide. The private bookstores appear and then disappear in large numbers.

(Star News)