Across the country, something strange is happening. Bookstores are opening for business at 7 o'clock this day, two hours earlier than usual.

The reason: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the eagerly awaited seventh and final installment, is due out today.

And like children around the world, Chinese youngsters can't wait to start reading it, which is certain to make the Harry Potter series the best-selling foreign language books in the country's history.

"Never has an English language book attracted such great attention as Harry Potter," said Liang Jianrui, vice-president of the China National Publications Import and Export Corporation, China's largest foreign book trader.

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