BACK FROM THE BRINK

They have fought valiantly to survive the onslaught of progress, and now bookshops and rural villages have formed an alliance that has both parties smiling

As the bus climbs Zhaitouling Mountain in Songyang county, Zhejiang province, the vistas are punctuated with thick bamboo groves, lush green mountains and distant valleys. In short, the kind of scenic beauty with which much of the southwestern part of the province is graced.

Half an hour later the bus reaches the summit, and an ancient village looms. Houses built with earthy yellow soil, wooden boards, gray bricks and rocks sit high and low along the summit. From here, 850 meters above sea level, Chenjiapu village, 640 years old, extends 200 meters down.