China Books

China Books Founded in 1960, China Books is North America's largest distributor of books & magazines about China. between Florida and Alabama streets.

Click the link below for more information about our books and our !!!GIVEAWAYS!!! :

https://linktr.ee/chinabooks






About China Books

The story of China Books begins with Henry H. Noyes (1910-2004), who founded China Books & Periodicals Inc. as the sole importer of books and magazines from mainland China to the United States. Born in Guangzhou, China to missionary parents, Noyes left China fo

r San Francisco and then Toronto in 1919. He later earned his MFA in English Literature at the University of Toronto in 1933, and earned his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of London in 1938. He taught Creative Writing at the University of Toronto and University of Manitoba in 1939, and taught as the head of the Creative Writing Department at the University of Missouri. His books include “Hand Over Fist” (1980), “China Born: Adventures of a Maverick Bookman” (1989) and “Valley of the Sun” (1993). Noyes first established China Books & Periodicals on the Near North side of Chicago in 1960. The Cold War trade embargo made it difficult to obtain permission to receive shipments from China, but Noyes was able to register with the U.S. Government and received a license to import materials from the People’s Republic of China, and China Books became the sole distributor of books, magazines and newspapers from mainland China in North America. Three years later, he expanded the business to San Francisco, where it flourished as a retail store at 2929 24th Street in San Francisco’s vibrant Mission District. The San Francisco storefront became the focal point for much Bay Area political activism in the late 1960s’ counterculture movement, where China Books gained an unexpected windfall as the sole supplier of “Quotations From Chairman Mao” (also known as the “Little Red Book”), and by the late 1970s, China Books found an ever-growing and increasingly diverse audience comprised of scholars, students, travelers, and other individuals interested in all things China. As an importer of political documents, newspapers, magazines, and books, China Books was instrumental in the creation of numerous collections of post-1949 reference materials on contemporary China at major American university libraries and research institutions. The old San Francisco storefront remains a Mission District landmark where the “Bountiful Harvest” mural by the Precita Eyes Muralists can still be seen outside the old storefront at 2929 24th St. Today China Books remains the oldest and largest publisher, importer and distributor of books from and about China to North America. Now headquartered in South San Francisco, CA, and a part of Sinomedia International Group, China Books has expanded its wholesale, retail, and publishing operations with strategic partnerships in China and abroad, resulting in a worldwide distribution network, multimedia and library services, and an ever-increasing list of books and products specializing in promoting Chinese history, society, language and culture.

06/19/2026

What shapes a life? What defines a destiny?

From Mao Dun Literature Prize-winning author Liang Xiaosheng comes My Destiny—a moving novel of resilience, family, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Translated by Howard Goldblatt and published by Long River Press.
“A time-tempered, compassionate reflection on how an ordinary life—shaped by hardship, hope, and conscience—reveals the quiet power of human goodness amid the vast currents of fate.”

XINRAN

Author of 𝘚𝘬𝘺 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦: 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢, and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢: 𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴
“Fang Wanzhi serves as a moral model, dealing in good faith with the cards life deals her and the needs of friends and family.”

ANGUS STEWART

𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴

Will you be joining us at the largest library conference of the year this summer in Chicago, June 25–29? 📚✨We’re exhibit...
06/10/2026

Will you be joining us at the largest library conference of the year this summer in Chicago, June 25–29? 📚✨

We’re exhibiting at the Library Marketplace, Booth 4242 and can’t wait to see you!🤝

What would make you stop by our booth?📖

“A time-tempered, compassionate reflection on how an ordinary life—shaped by hardship, hope, and conscience—reveals the ...
05/13/2026

“A time-tempered, compassionate reflection on how an ordinary life—shaped by hardship, hope, and conscience—reveals the quiet power of human goodness amid the vast currents of fate.”

— Xinran, author of 𝙎𝙠𝙮 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚: 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖, and 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖: 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨

Happy   from the China Books team!
05/02/2026

Happy from the China Books team!

Address

360 Swift Avenue, Suite 48
South San Francisco, CA
94080

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16508727076

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