Profile Of Tjio Wie Tay, Owner Of The Long Journey Of The Gunung Agung Bookstore

Tjio Wie Tay/Haji Masagung (special documents)

YOGYAKARTA - Gunung Agung's book store had to fall due to financial problems. This legendary bookstore officially closed all branches or outlets in 2023. The public is curious about the profile of Tjio Wie Tay, the owner of Mount Agung and the journey of the bookstore, which is spread across various cities.

After coloring the world of books since 1953, the heyday of the Gunung Agung bookstore must end. The closure of the Gunung Agung bookstore is certainly sad news for book lovers. Especially for the bookovers of gene Y and gen Z, which have memories of buying books on Mount Agung.

The news of Gunung Agung's book store plans to stop operating has actually been heard since the union reported mass layoffs. So what is the profile of Tjio Wie Tay as the owner of the Gunung Agung bookstore and how are the twists and turns of the existence of a bookstore that was once popular at this time?

Tjio Wie Tay, who is often called Haji Masagung, was born in Jakarta on September 8, 1927. This man of Chinese descent died on September 24, 1990 at the age of 63 years.

Tjio Wie Tay is the fourth child of the couple Tjio Koan An and Tjoa Poppi Nio. Tjio's childhood was passed by his family living in Bogor. Tjio's life journey was not easy because he had to lose his father when he was 4 years old.

Masagung kecil merupakan sosok yang sedikit nakal. Ia kerap mencuri buku sekolah milik abangnya untuk dijual. Akibat sikapnya yang nakal, ia bahkan tidak dapat menyelesaikan sekolahnya. Masagung childhoodal yang dijalankan dengan hidup yang keras. Saat masih anak-anak, ia pernah menjadi man rubber hingga pedagang olah sekelang untuk bertahan hidup.

However, these tough experiences actually shaped his character into a tough and brave man as an adult. Masagung thought of establishing Tay San Kongsie, the forerunner of the Gunung Agung bookstore. He founded Tay San Kongsie with several of his colleagues, namely The Kie Hoat and cigarette merchant Lie Tay San.

Initially, Tay San Kongsie only sold cigarettes. But then they tried to switch to the sale of former Dutch books. Because the profit of book sales was greater, they decided to focus on selling books.

In 1951, Tjio Wie Tay married Hian Nio. After being married, he continued to develop his business to be bigger. Then he thought of changing the name of his book store to Mount Agung. The name Mount Agung is taken from the translation of his own name Wie Tay which means a big mountain.

The Gunung Agung book store has been established since 1953. Initially, this bookstore started at a small kiosk in the Kwitang area, Central Jakarta. Over the years, the bookstore founded by Tjio Wie Tay has also grown and is recognized by many people.

Tjio Wie Tay routinely holds book exhibitions to take him to meet the figure of Bung Karno. The big name of the 1st President of the Republic of Indonesia has a good influence on the development of the Gunung Agung bookstore. In 1963, Tjio invited Bung Karno to inaugurate his new shop building.

Since then, Gunung Agung's bookstore has expanded by opening store branches in various cities in Indonesia. This bookstore is usually located in shopping centers in big cities. In addition, Gunung Agung's bookstore has also expanded its business by opening outlets abroad, such as Japan and Malaysia.

That's the profile of Tjio Wie Tay and the journey of Gunung Agung's bookstore until it finally had to go out of business due to financial problems. In addition to operating a bookstore, Tjio Wie Tay also has other businesses in the fields of retail, hospitality, and tourism.

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