There are already 300 internet-famous places in Beijing that gain popularity among visitors. The Mid-Autum Festival and National Day holiday is around the corner, and we will recommend some of the places.
Today, we will walk you through reading spaces in Beijing. You can visit them with your families and friends during the holiday.
National Library of China
National Library of China, also known as National Center for the Protection of Ancient Books and National Museum for Ancient Books, includes the south and north main halls located in No.33, Zhongguancun South Street and the ancient book hall in No.7, Wenjin Street.
On September 9, 1909, the Qing government approved the foundation of Capital Library. On December 12, 1998, the library was renamed National Library, or National Library of China in the international background. In 2007, approved by the State Council, National Center for the Protection of Ancient Books was established in National Library of China. In 2012, approved by State Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform, National Museum for Ancient Books was officially founded in National Library of China, and in 2014, the museum opened to the public. Covering an area of 280 thousand square meters, the National Library of China represents the third largest national library in the world.
National Library is the legal depository for official publications in China, the depository for dissertations designated by the State Council, and the depository for the United Nations materials. At the same time, the library boasts the largest collection of Chinese literature and the most foreign literature in China. By the end of 2021, the total number of literatures had exceeded 42.30 million volumes, and digital resources had totaled nearly 2,500TB.
Address: No. 33, Zhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing
Chunmingyi Reading Space in Capital Library of China
The Chunmingyi reading space of the Capital Library of China integrates book borrowing, book sales, cultural activities, cultural and creative exhibitions and sales, food, parent-child study and other functions. The reading space covers an area of nearly 1,000 square meters and has more than 200 seats, opening from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM all year round.
"Chunming" is an elegant name of Beijing by the ancients, and "yi" is often used in names of study rooms. Therefore, Chunmingyi means the study room of the capital city.
Nearly half of the books in Chunmingyi are on the theme of Beijing. There are not only new books about the central axis of Beijing, Beijing ancient towns and the culture belt of the Grand Canal, the Great Wall and the Yongding River of Xishan Mountain, but also a rich collection of literatures, old editions of books and digital resources like databases of memory of Beijing. It represents a study room belonging to the citizens of Beijing. Besides, cultural and creative products with Beijing characteristics will catch your eyes, and you can enjoy the light meals and drinks in the bookstore.
Address: No. 88, South Road, East Third Ring, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Turret Library
As a landmark building in the southeast of the outer city of Beijing, the turret has witnessed the history of Beijing. Today, it has been renovated and transformed into a branch of the second library of Dongcheng District, representing a library with old Beijing characteristics.
In this library, you can learn about Beijing's history from nearly 10,000 collected books and experience Beijing's modern life in a variety of activities.
On the second floor, the persimmon and pomegranate flowers are carefully arranged, and the futons and traditional wooden armchairs remind you of the fun of life in a quadrangle courtyard.
There are living room of Turret Library, 52 days of intangible cultural heritage, magical night at Turret Library, starry night cinema and so on. Over 200 activities including reading parties and culture salons are held here.
Address: No. 9, Longtan East Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing
Beijing Honglou Pulic Library
The Honglou Public Library, located at No. 24, Xisi South Street, Xicheng District, was built in 1945 and was transformed from Beijing Honglou Cinema.
With the idea of "collecting, reading and sharing" and the purpose of "collecting cultural heritage books and share them with the public", the Honglou Public Library collects, exhibits, lends books, studies masters' manuscripts, and holds diverse theme reading parties.
Honglou Public Library is a small library with rich collections, consisting of a cafe, circulation and reading area, cultural and creative products area and so on.
This 2,000-square-meter library is loaded with nearly 60 thousand books, with bookstores, television studios, and meeting rooms.
The reading space integrates a private library, a public library, and a physical bookstore. It is a complex cultural space that uses books as a medium to boost the exchange of humanistic ideas and promote cultural spread.
Address: No. 26, Xisi South Street, Xicheng District, Beijing.
Zhongshuge Bookstore (Xidan Galeries Lafayette)
Zhongshuge Bookstore at Xidan Lafayette covers an area of 1,100 square meters and is home to more than 50,000 books. The bookstore is divided into five areas: concept area, cultural and creative area, reading area, coffee area and children's book area.
Standing at the entrance, you can see that the appearance of the bookstore is designed in Chinese style, combined with Beijing's traditional architectural features.
Entering the store, you will see the concept area, where multiple stairs make for a dynamic scene.
After walking through several gates shaped like a moon, you will see the cultural and creative area. This area is mainly furnished with white and decorated with simple bamboos. You can browse cultural and creative products here in this area.
Next to the "bamboo forest" is the reading area. The coffee area is on the right, which is for social interaction. You can share books or chat with your friends.
The last area is children's book area. There are three cabins set for children, where they can read and play. Most of the books in this area are books for children aged 0-3. Readings for primary school students are mostly placed in the reading area. Such design makes it easier for primary school students to stay focused.
Address: No.11-12, B1 Floor of Galeries Lafayette, No. 110 Xidan North Street, Xicheng district, Beijing
Pet-Themed Xinhua Bookstore
The pet-themed Xinhua bookstore has three themed areas: books, cat petting, and public welfare. There are a variety of pet-themed books, picture books, and products.
Besides various pet-themed books and cultural and creative products, the bookstore also has a cat petting area, pet photography studio and other services, allowing you to hold a kitten in your arms while reading in a cozy environmemt.
The bookstore's immersive interactive experience breaks the traditional bookstore service model, improving readers' cultural consumption experience, and bringing new life to Xinhua bookstore's service.
Address: Building 7, District 10, Heping Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Map Store
To popularize knowledge of national territory and map culture, China Cartographic Publishing House established the first map-themed bookstore in China.
Opening the door with nautical map patterns, you will see all kinds of maps decorated on the ceilings, floors, coffee desks, and decorative paintings, whether Chinese or international, modern or ancient. Even the globe is equipped with AR videos for introduction.
You can find a corner with sunshine and sit to read a book, drinking a cup of coffee with the map theme. If your mind still lingers on here, you can browse the cultural and creative products such as maps made of national flags, phone cases, mouse pads, and even silk maps for wearing.
Address: No. 50, Sanlihe Road, Xicheng District, Beijing
Love Reading Art Bookstore (Shougang Park)
Among many bookstores of Love Reading, the art bookstore in Shougang Park is the flagship store.
Using books as media, the bookstore focuses on global cool culture, art, fashion, and life, injecting the soul of culture and art into industrial heritage buildings to create a space of history travel, future perception, multi-culture exploration and boundless integration.
The Love Reading Art Bookstore features a wide range of culture, art, and design books, including Chinese and foreign traditional art and classical culture and art, as well as Eastern and Western modern art and contemporary culture and art.
There are a variety of book categories and Chinese and international artists of traditional and contemporary arts. It also has restaurants, art galleries, Xiaomi experience stores, Savage Mill ice cream shops and so on, integrating multiple businesses.
Address: 1st Floor, No.3 Blast Furnace Museum, Shougang Park, Shijingshan Road, Shijingshan District
Lishi bookstore
The Suzhou-style red brick building where Lishi bookstore is located was built in the 1950s. Many famous architects once lived here. It was transformed into a reading space in 2020.
The bookstore integrates comprehensive services including book sales, cultural and creative promotion, reading space, conference services, exhibitions, event planning, light meals and refreshments. Through multi-dimensional cultural exchanges, the services are beyond book itself. Instead, the connection between people and cultures can boost the connection between different people.
The collection of books in the bookstore is mainly about architecture, such as architectural art, design, urban planning, domestic and foreign architectural journals, current building codes, atlases, etc. The library has more than 6,000 books and more than 30 kinds of newspapers and magazines, which are displayed to the public. Achievements in Beijing's urban construction.
The study room improves the quality of residents' cultural life and meets the people's needs for reading services by carrying out special cultural activities such as art salons, social welfare activities, and lectures by architects.
Address: No. 62 Nanlishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing
Huiai Building Public Reading Space
This is the model center of service of the disabled which features barrier-free construction and provides safe, convenient, comfortable and barrier-free experiences and services for all the disabled.
This project was among the top ten cases of barrier-free facility design of China in 2020. The space also holds diverse high-quality public cultural activities to assist the disabled, and provides free internship training for the disabled about bookstore culture-related positions.
In the reading space, there is a rich collection of large-font and Braille books and films for visually impaired people. The impaired people can listen to the content of these books to enjoy digital entertainment or experience the cinema designed for disable people.
The public reading space brings pleasure of reading to the disabled, arouses their interest in reading, improves their confidence, and facilitates the construction of sharing spaces for the disabled.
Address: Huaiai Building, No. 23, South Lianhuachi, Fengtai District, Beijing
