The landlord has changed hands! Could the 24-hour "Eslite Dunhua" be facing relocation?

▲ Eslite Dunhua is almost a must-visit destination for foreign tourists coming to Taipei. (Photo / from Taiwan Tourism Year Calendar website)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Taiwan’s most distinctive, 24-hour bookstore — a must-visit for many international travelers coming to Taiwan — the “Eslite Dunhua” may be facing relocation in the future? According to a report by the Economic Daily News, Cathay Life Insurance announced the sale of floors 3–11 and basement levels 4–5 of the Eslite Dunhua building to Baofenglong Industrial Co., Ltd. The head of that company is Cai Zhenyu, the third son of the Cai family, making the entire Eslite Dunhua building now wholly owned by Cai Zhenyu.

The report mentioned that Cathay Life Insurance believes the Eslite Dunhua building will undergo urban redevelopment in the future. However, due to differing views with Cai Zhenyu on the post-redevelopment plans, they decided to sell their held floors to Cai Zhenyu.

The 24-hour Eslite Dunhua is no longer just a bookstore; it has become a pilgrimage site for tourists from Hong Kong and Japan visiting Taipei. CNN even listed it as one of the world’s coolest bookstores. But now with the landlord changed and potential urban redevelopment on the horizon, Eslite may have to look for a new location to continue its 24-hour bookstore operation. Yet the “Eslite Dunhua,” which has accompanied the youth of so many people, may soon become a thing of the past.