Photo taken on May 26, 2015 shows books in the Chinese book zone of Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

As part of the "special section" promotion, the streetside windows of the Barnes & Noble outlet also showcase six Chinese titles including Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, a compilation of the Chinese president's major works over the past two years. A poster sign erected at the doorway also reminds customers of a Wednesday night reading/signing event featuring Mai Jia, a popular spy and conspiracy author in China today.

"I think bringing everything together is a very cohesive way of introducing the whole concept (of China) to the neighborhood ... This is a nice way to do it," said Mattoon, who visits the bookstore at least once a week, adding that many of the nearby residents are university professors or college students who take great interest in learning about different cultures.

Flipping through a book on Chinese acupuncture, Mattoon told Xinhua that she was most interested in books on traditional Chinese medicine as they could help fix her own health issues.

Starting from May 10, some 2,000 copies of 85 titles by Chinese authors or on China, many of them translated and released by major foreign publishers, are on display and being sold in the Barnes & Noble outlet, which is the second largest in New York with about 2, 000 square meters of floor space, according to China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC), the Chinese coordinator for the event.

"It is our first attempt to promote China-themed books through pure commercial channel in a major developed nation," said Lin Liying, a senior manager with CNPIEC.

These books, carefully selected by Barnes & Noble and CNPIEC cover a wide range of areas, such as politics, economy, culture, traditions, and contemporary literature, Lin said.