Beijing was crowned the Chinese city with the most bookstores last year, as the number of bookstores in the city reached 6,719, nearly double the 3,463 of second-place winner Chengdu, according to a list of cities with the most bookstores in China.

Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai with 2,473; 2,441 and 2,379 bookstores respectively took third to fifth place on the list.

Northeast coastal city Dalian led second-tier cities by taking seventh position with 1,509 stores, showcasing strong momentum for cultural consumption.

From a regional market perspective, the Yangtze River Delta has the highest concentration of brick-and-mortar bookstores in China with a total of more than 8,000, covering Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nantong, Ningbo and Nanjing.