Historic bookstore chain turns 80

Xinhua Bookstore, the country's largest book-circulation and - distribution network, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

Born in the wartime revolutionary base of Yan'an in Shaanxi province, Xinhua Bookstore has been playing an important role from then until now and is hailed as a "golden brand".

"It was established by the Communist Party of China and is under its direct leadership. It carries revolutionary genes," says Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told a symposium celebrating the bookstore's anniversary in Beijing on May 18.