We asked notable Beijingers: "What's on your bookshelf?" Here's how expat entrepreneur Dominic Johnson-Hill answered:

My favorite book from childhood? My father had a book in his bookshelf, some crap fiction about an MI5 agent. It had a topless woman on the front. I never got bored of that book.

The book that has the most sentimental value for me is an old picture book about the international ping-pong competition held in Beijing in the 1960s. It has a beautiful handpainted dust cover of the Workers’ Gymnasium, a wonderful collection of pictures taken throughout the tournament and other great pictures of people doing sport around Beijing. It’s a retro classic and a big inspiration for me when designing.

I’m very dyslexic so I rarely read books other than to my children, and I usually don’t read the words, rather use the pictures to make up a different story each time. It’s a fun way to show kids how to be creative, and it keeps their attention. Last night I read them Spot the Dog in the style of a “whodunit.”

A book that changed my life was This Game of Ghosts by Joe Simpson. I read it when I was 17 and all I wanted to do was be an explorer and mountain climber. I was so inspired by his impulsiveness and fearlessness that it inspired me to leave home and start my long journey around the world. I ended up in China three years later.

One “must-read” China book is Bamboo Goalposts by Rowan Simons. By recounting his experiences here with the great game of soccer, he tells you a lot about how this country works. Very down-to-earth and often extremely funny.

The book I would hide from visitors is Bravo Two Zero [by Andy McNab].

A character from a book I’d most like to meet? There’s this chap called Jesus Christ who features heavily in the Bible. At one point he turned water into wine – as an entrepreneur and heavy drinker, it’s a skill that I’d love to learn.

The last book I bought is a collectors’ edition of a book titled Beijing. It was published in 1959 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the PRC. It comes in a beautiful box and only features pictures of Beijing at the time. [It shows] how Beijing had come along in terms of development by 1959, with pictures of factories, parks, the railway station and Workers’ Stadium.

A book that I pretend to have read is Perfume by Patrick Süskind. I read the first chapter and really liked it. I then forgot to read the rest, but still want to impress at parties.

I’d like to peek at the bookshelf of award-winning photographer Martin Parr. He has the largest collection of old picture books in the world. I went out with him in Beijing a few months ago and he spent RMB 20,000 on old Chinese picture books. He’s an avid collector of old rubbish like me and I think he’s great.

There’s a book collector at Panjiayuan who I buy a lot of picture books from. He keeps the best ones for himself and never invites me to his home. I’d love to see his bookshelf.

Have I ever judged a book by its cover? I always do. I need to be visually locked in to be able to buy a book. I like big ones with lots of character.

My three all-time favorite books? Touching The Void (by Joe Simpson) is a rare book that I could not put down. Non-fiction and an amazing story of survival. Bravo Two Zero, a non-fiction book I couldn’t put down and a great story for a guy like me who still plays with his action men. Like (fictional TV chat show host) Alan Partridge said, “It gets better with every read.” I borrowed it from The Bookworm five years ago and still haven’t given it back. Finally, Roger’s Profanisaurus, published by British humor magazine Viz. It had a very useful collection of rude words that can be used on a daily basis.

Best bathroom reading? the Beijinger.

Dominic Johnson-Hill is the owner of Plastered T-Shirts.