Yu Yupeng, owner of the New Great Wall Books & Culture bookstore, works at the bookstore in Los Angeles, the United States, on Oct. 14, 2020. "To be or not to be ..." that's the question that many independent bookstore owners are confronting as they become yet another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent bookstores and bookstore chains have been taking a beating as consumer buying habits shifted to online purchases and away from the relaxed, in-person browsing they'd previously enjoyed. Now, fighting to survive, independent bookstore owners are really showing their mettle as they come up with innovative ways to serve their loyal customers and reach out to new ones. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
