A busy public square in the Chinese city of Nanjing is home to an unusual experiment.

中国南京一处繁华的广场上发生了一件新鲜事。

For almost two months, the country's first "honesty bookshop" has occupied a sidewalk on Hanzhong Road in the city's Gulou district.

近两个月来，中国第一家“诚实书店”在南京市鼓楼区汉中路街头正式营业。

With no cashier or other staff keeping tabs, the store relies on trust for payment.

这家书店没有收银员，没有员工在旁看管，全凭顾客自觉付款。

Amazingly, most customers cough up although Zhu Yu, the marketing¹ director of the company that runs it, says takings are 5% less than they should be.

经营该书店的企业的营销总监朱昱（Zhu Yu，音译）表示，虽然实际进账数目比正常数目少了5%，但令人惊讶的是，绝大多数的消费者都能自觉付款。

But making money isn't the venture's main goal and they go easy on those who take books without paying.

但是，赚钱并不是这次活动的主要目的，对那些拿了书却没付钱的人，他们也并不太在意。

"If they can really finish the books, it doesn't matter if they took the books for free," he says.

“如果他们真地能看完这些书的话，就算不付钱也没什么关系，”朱昱说道。

"In fact, we are really happy to witness so many people taking books from the honesty bookshop."

“实际上，我们非常高兴看到有这么多人来诚实书店选书。”

After browsing² the four wooden bookshelves, customers must drop their money in a lock box.

顾客浏览四个木书架上的书籍，选好书后把钱投到一个有锁的盒子里。

Prices are set at 30% of the cover price.

这些书按定价的三折出售。

Zhu hopes that his sidewalk store, which sells on average 60 books a day, will rekindle³ interest in reading.

这家街头书店平均每天卖60本书。朱昱希望通过这个街头书店能重燃人们对阅读的兴趣。

Like elsewhere,Chinahas seen e-books chip away at the market for traditional books and many independent booksellers are struggling.

与其它国家一样，在中国，电子书正在蚕食传统纸书的市场，很多独立书商都在苦苦挣扎。

Zhu got permission from the city government to use the sidewalk and says he's determined⁴ to make it a long-term project.

朱昱从市政府获得使用这条人行道的许可。他表示决定将其做成一个长期的项目。

It's run by Popular Bookmall, which operates eight bookstores in China.

本次活动由大众书局（Popular Bookmall）举办。该企业在中国有八家书店。

He says the store is open every day, except when it rains, and it's locked up each night.

朱昱表示，除了雨天，这家书店每天白天开放，晚上闭店。

"People stand in front of the bookshop, and ask themselves whether they should pay and how much they should pay. It's a process of cleansing⁵ the thoughts of our hearts," he says.

“人们站在书架前，问自己该不该付钱、该付多少钱。这是一个净化我们内心想法的过程，”他说道。

Lofty goals aside, the streetside venture allows his company to clear old inventory⁶.

先不考虑这些崇高的目标，这次活动还能帮助他的公司清理库存。

It's not the first time Popular Bookmall has employed inventive tactics to try and turn the city's busy residents into bookworms.

大众书局此前也曾为提高每日奔忙的市民的读书热情而采取一些创新策略。

In September last year, the company laid out 1,000 books and reading lamps on the ground and encouraged people "to go on a date" with a book.

2014年9月，大众书局曾在地面上陈列1000本书和看书用台灯，鼓励人们与书籍“来一场约会”。

Nanjing is also home to Librairie Avant-Garde, a cavernous retail⁷ and performance space hidden away in an underground car park that was once voted China's most beautiful bookstore.

南京还有先锋书店（Librairie Avant-Garde），一家隐藏在地下停车场的洞穴状书店，集零售和表演于一体，曾被评选为中国最美的书店。

It's since become a cultural landmark⁸ and tourist attraction in the city.

先锋书店此后成了南京的文化地标和旅游胜地。

"Independent book shops represent the well being of the city," Qian Xiaohua, Libraire Avant-Garde's owner told cnn in 2013.

先锋书店老板钱晓华在2013年接受cnn采访时说：“独立书店代表了一座城市的福祉。”

"When a city is losing its bookshops, it's actually losing something in its soul."

“当一个城市的书店越来越少时，它正在失去一些灵魂深处的东西。”

If the success of the Honesty Bookstore is any guide, Nanjing's is in pretty good shape.

如果诚实书店的成功范例能起到带头作用的话，南京的文化发展大有希望。