Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Eslite Bookstore founder Robert C.Y. Wu died of heart disease at Taipei Medical University Hospital Tuesday, the bookstore announced. He was 66.
The Tainan native founded Eslite Bookstore in January 1989 in Taipei, and developed it into an arts and cultural brand name that has now expanded to Hong Kong and China.
Under Wu's leadership, the Eslite Group now operates 42 stores in Taiwan, three in Hong Kong and one in China, some of which are open 24 hours a day. The brand also covers art galleries, seminar halls, performance halls and movie theaters.
The Eslite stores are set up based on the belief that human civilization must grow with three major forces -- cultural, political and economic -- counterbalancing and complementing each other, according to the business group's website.
The group's public relations officer Tseng Hsi-sung said a board of directors meeting will be held soon to elect a new chairman.
