The sight of warmth

One of the joys in life that visually impaired and blind people cannot experience conveniently might be reading, but a new bookstore that officially opened on Dec 3 has now made that possible.

Located at 226 Nanchang Road in Shanghai's Huangpu district, the Niguang 226 bookstore is a cozy, 37-square-meter space designed specifically for such individuals.

Besides being the smallest Xinhua Bookstore in Shanghai, it is also the first of its kind in the city.

Operated by the Shanghai Xinhua Media and the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation, the new store offers more than 300 braille books by Chinese and foreign authors, barrier-free movies and even merchandise such as traditional Chinese paintings, aromatherapy products, bamboo carving, straw weaving, and purple clay crafts made by people with disabilities.

Niguang 226 will also host handicraft classes by intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

To help the visually impaired find their way to the store, special paths extending from Nanchang Road to Niguang 226 have been laid, according to store manager Qiu Qiwen. The lamp posts outside the store have also been decorated with Braille street signs, beside which are seats for guide dogs to rest. Even the ramp at the entrance is wheelchair friendly.

"We hope to let the visually impaired and blind feel the love and warmth of society through this bookshop," said Qiu, referring to the decision to open Niguang 226.