In an effort to clean up my site and make it more useful, this is a mega-compilation of all the online Chinese bookstores I wrote about over the years. It is woefully out of date so YMMV. I would edit and make it prettier and more cohesive, but honestly, I don’t want to.
You’ll find that I’m always like this. Sorrynotsorry.
But first, a quick tip.
On transferring Chinese ebooks to Kindle
Special thanks to Oliver Tu for this tip!
1) Get free Chinese ebooks from sites such as www.haodoo.net (traditional characters).
2) Pick a book and download the text with epub extension.
3) Convert the text with calibre-ebook.com to MOBI file (readable by Kindle).
4) Download the converted file to the computer.
5) Connect the Kindle to computer and then copy file to the “Document” folder.
Whoo! It should show up in Kindle and the font is perfectly scalable!
My favorite online bookstore:
Mr. and Mrs. Books – Run by my now-friends (because I bought so many books from them), I highly recommend Mr. and Mrs. Books. They are the nicest people with excellent customer service and good pricing. Most of all, they are people of the utmost integrity.
Join Mr. and Mrs. Books’s Facebook Group if you want their latest deals and promotions. (Note: If you cannot read Chinese or at the very least aren’t fluent, the group will be difficult to navigate.)
Here are a few online Chinese bookstores for children:
SageBooks (思展) – Provides proprietary literacy materials for young readers. Explores the philosophy, history, art, geographic nature and many other interesting facets of China.
Site Language: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Physical Locations: Hong Kong
Products: Proprietary learning materials, children’s books (learning Chinese and stories), multimedia, ebooks, free learning resources
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English, pinyin
China Sprout – Site promotes learning of Chinese language and culture by providing Chinese and English books relating to Chinese language, Chinese test, Chinese food, Chinese zodiac, Chinese symbols, Chinese music, Chinese tea, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Chinese Arts. We also sell Chinese crafts, Chinese clothes and silk clothing.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Textbooks (elementary – university), supplementary materials, Adult learners, HSK materials, Business Chinese, teacher sourcebooks, flash cards, posters, dictionaries, picturenaries, picture books, adoption books, culture books
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, bilingual, English
Little Monkey and Mouse – A bookstore that features fun, attractive, and high-quality Chinese reading & educational materials, interactive media, toys, art and cultural products from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Includes books with zhuyin and pinyin.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: N/A
Products: Books, educational materials, interactive media, toys, art and cultural products
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, English, Spanish
Greenfield Education Center (青田教育中心) – This center publishes and sells high quality children books in Chinese and English geared for ages 0-14, as well as books for parents. They also hold courses for parents, teachers, and children.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English
Physical Locations: Hong Kong
Products: Proprietary learning materials, children’s books (learning Chinese and stories), multimedia, English books, parenting books
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English
Asian Parent – I have ordered from them many times and have always been satisfied. Although I find the website itself rather clunky, the materials offered are of good quality. Some of the materials seem expensive to me, but I have usually waited for sales (most major US holidays and special occasions) and those have been worthwhile to me. Note: Free shipping on orders over $75 in the US.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Books (children), DVDs, CDs, workbooks, board books, flash cards, chapter books, Chinese classics, Western classics, books with audio CDs, nursery rhymes, learn Chinese textbooks
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, English, bilingual
Kingstone (金石堂網路書店) – Bookstore, stationery, magazines, toys, and other goods and services. (Looks almost like a Taiwanese version of Amazon)
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Multiple Taiwan locations
Products: Books (all subjects), magazines, children’s section, CDs, DVDs, stationery, housewares, appliances, toys, apparel
Product Languages: Traditional, English
Books.com – Traditional online bookstore for all types of books (eg: fiction, non-fiction, etc).
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: No
Products: Books (all subjects), magazines, children’s section, CDs, DVDs, and lots of other stuff (eg: housewares, etc.)
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English
Eslite (誠品書店) – The most awesome bookstore in Taiwan and its online home.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Multiple Taiwan locations
Products: Books (all subjects), magazines, children’s section, CDs, DVDs, stationery, housewares
Product Languages: Traditional, English
Ya Book (雅博客) – Used books.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Taipei
Products: Books (all subjects)
Product Languages: Traditional
Mollie (Jasmine) Used Books (茉莉二手書店) – Used book site.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Multiple Taiwan locations
Products: Books (all subjects)
Product Languages: Traditional
Chinese Books For Children – I know this site was up at least until 4/16/2015, but for the last two days, I haven’t been able to pull anything up. From the cached search results, it seems a good site for some of the most popular curriculum systems for learning Chinese. That is, if you can pull up anything from the site. Still, I will include them because if they come back up, it will be a great thing!
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Readers, pre-school word books, storybooks, novels for middle school and high school kids, DVDs, CDs
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin
Childbook.com – Mom and pop Chinese bookstore, originally started because they were having trouble finding materials to teach their daughter Chinese. Also has a section for free resources (eg: coloring pages, worksheets, etc.). Their blog section also posts some interesting articles. They even have an affiliate program. (The link I included is not an affiliate link.)
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Books, music, songs, stories, Chinese Language Learning videos and software, cultural and educational products
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, English, bilingual
Ni Hao Books (你好書屋) – Online children’s Chinese bookstore based in the US.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Books (story, picture, reader, workbooks, textbooks), VCD and DVD videos, flashcards, posters, and other educational materials
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual
Sino-American Books & Arts Co. (中美書店) – This is a physical bookstore in San Francisco and doesn’t have a website. SM, a fellow parent in a FB group, mentioned that she get books and CDs for her daughter here and that they have reasonable prices.
Site Language: No site available. Not to be confused with the Sino American Books, which is a publisher of English language books devoted to Chinese stories and topics.
Physical Locations: 751 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Contact Information: T: 414-421-3345; F: 415-651-8515; email: [email protected]
Products: Readers, pre-school word books, storybooks, novels for middle school and high school kids, DVDs, CDs
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin
Senseio Bookstore – Recommended by another fellow parent, SKC, this one is online and also does tables at their school in Los Angeles during book fairs. There are a lot of products and if you are in LA, you can even go by the owner’s house and browse also.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: Yes, but by appointment only. Los Angeles, CA
Products: Chinese or Chinese/English bilingual books, magazines, Cultural Arts & Crafts, Gift Items, reference materials, and other multimedia, DVDs, CDs, Books for all ages (including adults)
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, bilingual
Whose Books (胡思二手書) – I would link to their actual site, but it is coming up broken. This is a physical used bookstore in Taipei.
Site Language: N/A
Physical Locations: Taipei, Taiwan
Products: Secondhand books,
Product Languages: Traditional, English
DotDotBuy – Online Chinese shopping portal. Looks like you can buy everything, including books. This is not an English-friendly site as it is a Chinese site for Chinese people.
Site Language: Simplified
Physical Locations: No, based in China.
Products: all product types
Product Languages: Simplified
Times Book – Online Taiwanese book store and retailer. Looks like you can buy everything, including books. This is not an English-friendly site as it is a Chinese site for Chinese people. Also includes a community and has a tab all on summer camps.
Site Language: Traditional
Physical Locations: No, based in China.
Products: Books, movies, DVDs, CDs, etc.
Product Languages: Simplified
TAAZE – Online Taiwanese bookseller that sells all types of books. Also has books in specialized fields. Useful to look up a book you have seen elsewhere since there are often videos of someone showing the condition of the book and then flipping through so you can see if it has zhuyin or not. (h/t: RM)
Site Language: Traditional
Physical Locations: No, based in Taiwan
Products: books, textbooks, secondhand books, art supplies, ebooks, children’s books
Product Languages: Traditional, Japanese, English, zhuyin
Right to Learn – According to their site, they provide educational toys, learning resources, Montessori materials, advice, enrichment classes, and workshops to parents, preschools and learning facilities in Singapore and around the world. From my preliminary searches, they don’t seem to have a ton of Chinese resources or books. However, one thing I did like was their Montessori sandpaper cards for Simplified Chinese character strokes.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No, based in Singapore
Products: Educational Toys, Learning Resources, Montessori Materials, Advice, Enrichment Classes, Workshops
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, Arabic
Great Wall Books – Opened since 1995 in the heart of Las Vegas, it seems to be a great Mom and Pop shop of handpicked Chinese books, dvds, cultural items, etc.
Site Language: English/Traditional
Physical Locations: Las Vegas, NV
Products: Music CDs, DVDs, Books, collecting stamps, children section, medicine, martial arts, and Chinese cultural items
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual, Traditional (although it seems only for adult fiction)
Buyoyo.com – One of the largest online retailers of Chinese books and entertainment products
Chinese books, dvds, cultural items, etc.
Site Language: English, Traditional, Simplified
Physical Locations: No, based in Hong Kong
Products: Music CDs, DVDs, Books, etc.
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual, Traditional
The Chinese Bookshop – Online shop for Chinese books, they often partner with schools in the UK for book fairs. They have a very helpful FAQ section. In general, I loved the easy navigation of this site and how easy it is to find the books or type of books you want.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No, based in London
Products: Music CDs, DVDs, Books, games, etc.
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual, Cantonese, Traditional, zhuyin
GuangHwa – The online English site (as of 2/13/16) is under a revamp and you will be redirected to their sister site, Cypress Books (featured next). Chinese site still seems to be fine.
Site Language: English, Simplified
Physical Locations: London, UK
Products: Music CDs, DVDs, Books, games, etc.
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual
Cypress Books – UK based publisher and distributor. Top resource for Chinese language, literature, history, art and traditional medicine. Sister company to GuangHwa bookstore. Develop books and curriculum in conjunction with Sinolingua. They also support a lot of cultural exhibitions and events in the UK.
Site Language: English/Simplified
Physical Locations: London, UK
Products: Music CDs, DVDs, Books, games, etc.
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, English, bilingual
YesAsia.com – Internet source for Asian entertainment products.
Site Language: English, Traditional, Simplified, Japanese
Physical Locations: No
Products: Books, Movies, Videos, Music, Games, Electronics, TV, Concerts, Music videos, Collectibles, Anime, Comics, Magazines, etc.
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English, Japanese, Korean, Cantonese
Books Kinokuniya – I’ve been to the San Francisco store in Japantown and it is awesome, huge, and fantastic. Can’t say I saw many Chinese books, but I don’t know that I was looking that carefully. (Also have country specific websites listed at the bottom of their website.)
Site Language: English, Traditional, Japanese
Physical Locations: Multiple US and worldwide locations
Products: Books (all subjects)
Product Languages: Traditional, English, Japanese
Singapore Math Inc. – Official US Distributor of Singapore Math materials. There are no English instructions or translations in the Chinese language instructional books. This series requires a teacher with proficiency in the Chinese Language. This series is NOT suitable for adult beginners trying to learn the Chinese Language. There are no teacher resources. They also provide some sample pages on site. Singapore Math also provides Math and Science materials in English.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Latest Chinese books used in Singapore primary schools (grades 1-6) – Chinese Language for Primary Schools. Chinese Language for Primary Schools (New Edition) is now available for Primary 1A through 6B. Also
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin
Pandabook – A one-stop Chinese learning resource shop. They specialize in providing materials for Chinese Immersion schools and Chinese Schools.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: San Jose, CA (Bay Area) – Not open to public. Appointment only.
Products: Textbooks, Board Books, CDs, DVDs, Books, Picture Books, Graded Readers, Western story books, fairy tales, dictionaries, Math, Chinese classic stories, Math, Games, and crafts
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin, bilingual, English
Chinese Montessori Society – Note: I was cautioned to be wary of the quality, but there may be some good resources for preschoolers.
Site Language: Simplified Chinese
Physical Locations: No
Products: Teaching books, parenting books, children’s books, Montessori teaching materials
Product Languages: Simplified
Formosa Yes – A US-based online bookstore for Taiwanese books.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical Locations: No
Products: Chinese literature, maps, natural sciences, magnet books, pop-up books
Product Languages: Traditional, zhuyin
Yahoo Online Auction Store – While technically not a bookstore, you can get books this way. This is the Taiwan-based site and you can occasionally find books or other educational materials here. It is an online auction and in a foreign currency, though!
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical Locations: No
Products: anything – but you can search for books, etc.
Product Languages: Traditional
Jiang Sheng Educational Co., Ltd (劍聲幼教事業機構) – Mostly an Educational company, they provide a lot of classroom materials and some Chinese Montessori items
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical Locations: No
Products: classroom materials, Chinese Montessori learning materials
Product Languages: Traditional
Wink to Learn – Provide early learning flash cards, DVDs, and streaming videos in multiple languages
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No
Products: Flash cards, DVDs, streaming videos
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English, Arabic, other Asian and European languages
XinYi (信誼) – Children’s bookstore, toys, and learning materials. I’ve personally visited this store and it’s a nice, cozy shop with helpful staff. There are a ton of learning materials, books, toys, DVDs, and even electronic readers that teach zhuyin and sight words. There are several areas where kids can play, including a tiny, adjacent playground.
Site Language: Traditional
Physical Locations: Taipei
Products: Children’s books, toys, learning materials, CDs, DVDs
Product Languages: Traditional, English, zhuyin
World Journal Bookstore (世界書局) – Bookstore affiliated with The World Journal newspaper (世界日報). Also has a children’s, magazine and Simplified books section.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical Locations: Multiple US locations
Products: Books (all subjects), magazines, children’s section
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified,
NanHai – Store provides pinyin or character only Simplified textbooks (K-college), test prep, and books. They also provide seminars, workshops, art, and cultural experiences. (ETA 4/23/15) According to CL, a fellow parent in one of my FB groups, she feels that Nanhai is not particularly catering towards the younger population; many of their books are for adult learners. Children books are limited. She bought from them once before and the service was fine.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: Santa Clara, CA (Bay Area)
Products: K- college multiple subject textbooks, test prep, teacher aids, readers, reference materials, seminars, workshops, cultural experiences
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin, bilingual, English
Mei Zhou Hua Yu (美洲語華) – Publisher of textbooks (K-10) in pinyin Traditional, zhuyin Traditional, pinyin Simplified. Also provide homework samples. Note: They do not have online ordering capabilities. You have to download an order form, fill it out, and then send the form and check to a Southern Californian address.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English
Physical Locations: No
Products: K-10 textbooks, homework samples
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, zhuyin, pinyin
k9Books (康軒書屋) – Textbooks
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: New Taipei City
Products: K-12 Taiwanese textbooks (multiple subjects), teacher editions
Product Languages: Traditional, English
PC Home Online – Online shopping mall/portal site. Also has US shop.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Multiple Taiwan locations
Products: Books (all subjects), magazines, children’s section, CDs, DVDs, stationery, housewares, appliances, toys, apparel, etc.
Product Languages: Traditional, English
San Min (三民網路書店) – Great physical store with lots of study guide and textbooks. Also has a sections that sell stationery, movies, comics, and Simplified books.
Site Language: Traditional Chinese
Physical locations: Multiple Taipei locations
Products: Study guides, textbooks (university), government publications, CDs, DVDs, stationery
Product Languages: Traditional, Simplified, English
Small World Children’s Museum (小天下-線上童書館) – A Taiwanese publisher and bookstore that specializes in children and young adult books. Part of Bookzone (天下文化書坊), a big publisher and bookstore. The nice thing is that for each entry, they describe the products very well (including what age range, whether or not there is zhuyin/English, content summary, bios of authors/translators/illustrators, and comments/reviews from readers).
Site Language: Traditional
Physical Locations: No
Products: Readers, Books (multiple subjects, story books, fiction/non-fiction), DVDs, Chinese translations of foreign books and movies/programs,
Product Languages: Traditional, zhuyin, bilingual
Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese Bookstores
Although my audience is primarily in the US, I do interact online with folks from other countries that are also trying to teach their kids to be bilingual in Chinese and English. One of the main groups has mostly Singaporean moms and they have been super helpful in providing other bookstores. Of course, since these are Singaporean and Malaysian bookstores, they may not ship to the US. I try to note that in the comments per bookstore.
Another note: Many Singapore moms order directly from China on DangDang (当当网/噹噹網) and TaoBao (淘宝网/淘寶網). They are like the “Amazon” of China and huge e-commerce sites with no middleman to charge a markup. If the moms buy in Singapore, they pay extra because there’s a middleman charge but much more convenient because they have vPOST and other concierge shipping services. They wouldn’t recommend folks from the US order from DangDang or TaoBao since she is not sure if they are reliable.
And now, for some online Chinese bookstores that are not from the Big Three (US, HK, Taiwan). Special thanks to LC and JS, a member of my Mums Learn Mandarin Chinese FB Group:
Happy Cottage – Singapore based online bookstore. Delivers locally to Singapore for free. For orders outside Singapore, please email directly with your selection and they will be in touch. Accepts EUR, SGD, USD.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No, Singapore based
Products: Children’s story books, teacher resources, educational materials, toys
Product Languages: Simplified, pinyin
Flip For Joy (乐翻天) – Singapore based online bookstore. Focuses mainly on books that are highly interactive, have rich elements of story-telling, or include important values about life. With each book, they will share why it was chosen, the benefits it will bring and how as a parent, you can use it to enrich the learning experience of your child. Delivers locally to Singapore for free. Delivers internationally for a fee.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: No, Singapore based
Products: Children’s books (0-9 years old), teacher resources, educational materials, toys
Product Languages: Simplified
Popular – According to LC, Popular is like the Eslite of Singapore but for workbooks also known as assessment books.
Site Language: English
Physical Locations: Multiple Singapore locations
Products: Books (all types and subjects)
Product Languages: English, Simplified
Odonata Publishing Sdn Bhd (红蜻蜓出版有限司公) – Malaysian publishing house that specializes in children’s books encouraging local children to read. You can order their products directly from their site. They have published over 300 titles that run the gamut from preschool primers to Young Adult novels. From what I’ve seen on the site, the series are very reasonably priced and on the less expensive side. Not sure about shipping, though! Accepts RM (Malaysian Ringgit), SGD, USD.
Site Language: English, Simplified
Physical Locations: No
Products: Children’s books and readers, young adult books, government textbooks
Product Languages: Simplified
Pelangi Books – Malaysian publishing house where you can order their products directly from their site. Will ship overseas to some Asian countries (not US or EUR). They do have simplified ebooks though, so perhaps you can use those even in the US.
Site Language: English, Simplified
Physical Locations: No
Products: Books (all subjects and age ranges), ebooks, magazines, comics, CDs, DVDs
Product Languages: English, Simplified, Bahasa Malaysia