If you are worried about the safety of using Chinese debit cards online, a well-established alternative is Alipay. Launched in 2004 by the Alibaba Group, Alipay functions in much the same way that escrow does in the United States.

It is the payment method of choice for taobao.com, amazon.cn and many other Chinese retailers. The only drawback is it has no English-language service.

Major chains

Chaterhouse

There are three Chaterhouse branches in Shanghai with the most well-stocked at Times Square on Huaihai Road M. (6391-8239). The others are at the Shanghai Center on Nanjing Road W. and Super Brand Mall in Pudong's Lujiazui area.

Shanghai Book Traders

As well as the Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore on Fuzhou Road, SBT also has branches at both airports, Shanghai Railway station, Nanjing Road W., Hongqiao area, two stores in Gubei and two stores in Pudong.

Garden Books

The original Garden Book Store is on Changle Road. Recently another opened on Dongping Road near Hengshan Road.

China National Publications Import & Export Corporation (CNPIEC)

It has stores in Xujiahui's Grand Gateway, Hongqiao International Pearl City, Citic Square on Nanjing Road W., the Hilton Shanghai Hotel and Jinqiao in Pudong.

Second-hand books

Shanghai Library

Address: 1555 Huaihai Rd M.

Tel: 6445-5555

Confucian Temple

Address: 215 Wenmiao Rd, near Zhonghua Rd

Tel: 6377-9101

Figaro

Address: 160 Xingye Rd

Tel: 6384-7242

SBT Second Hand shop

Address: 36 Shanxi Rd S.

Tel: 6360-7713

Second-hand bargains

1. Shanghai Library. With a 50-yuan fee and a 1,000-yuan returnable deposit, you can get a Shanghai Library card with one year's lending rights to its foreign-language collection.

2. SBT Second Hand Shop. Tucked away off Fuzhou Road, this second-hand bookshop is packed with romance and sci-fi novels, magazines, non-fiction and dictionaries in several European languages.

3. Figaro. This cafe is designed like an old English library with floor-to-ceiling oak bookshelves full of books. Have coffee here and peruse the titles for free, or join their many literary activities.

4. Wenmiao Book Market. Okay, this isn't foreign language, but it is the biggest market for second-hand books in Shanghai. Every Sunday afternoon the Confucian Temple in the Old Town is flooded with book buyers and sellers.

(Shanghai Daily July 25,2008)