Designer Li Xiang, president and creative director of X+Living, designed temple of books, endlessly and theatrically arranged in the city of Hangzhou, China. Li Xiang creates the most beautiful bookstore for readers, and constantly strives to work on the most culturally artistic bookstore, from learning how to walk, to live, to brave and to persevere. Zhongshuge Hangzhou is a new artistic- but probably the most triggering reading and working space of Hangzhou, which is shaped through the cultural domains of China. 

Zhongshuge-Hangzhou store is located within the bustling commercial center of Star Avenue, Binjiang District, adjacent to Qiantang River. Walking from Star Avenue Phase I to the forest gallery of Phase II, the visitor can see the wholly transparent glass curtain wall fully covered with texts. While looking through the glass curtain, a pure white space consisting of circular bookshelf pillars escape the shackles of the surrounding environment. 

These white pillars carrying books rise up straight to the sky. Under the reflection of ceiling mirror, they seem to have a conversation beyond time. Additionally, the wall mirror doubles the transverse dimension to enable the whole book spaces to seem unbounded as the real nature. Upon exposure to the forest of books, we intend to acknowledge readers the awareness of knowledge as indispensable as oxygen from trees in our lives. 

These tree-like pillars stand tall, and emit the light of knowledge to indulge every soul comes here. The ceiling is decorated with small lights that are dancing joyfully as the elves guarding the forest. The ground-stationed desks are mingled with the forest, flexibly as creek to allow people to read by sitting on or standing beside. Tirelessly, they help us to acquire the strength granted by the texts. 

Walking on the central axis of the forest zone and walking through a doorway as guided by the lights to the border of light and shade, we transit from the lightness to the profound main hall of Zhongshuge – an oncoming quiet reading corridor. Here, the entire bookshelf extends endlessly to the side. 

The darker and lighter-colored shelves are orderly advanced or retreated, as changing mountains or unattainable ladders or fortitude upright spines to silently convey the power of knowledge to us. The chandeliers floating in the ceiling mirror softens the entire space like a firefly. People under the lights, recollect the aromatic coffee or mediate in the world of books.

Cross the corridor is the stair reading area. The circular skylight pours down from the ceiling mirror, and the encircling bookshelves look like the swirling lamp belt. Here is a theater to unfold an outstanding drama, and the characters are book lovers sitting on the soft couch or standing beside the bookshelves. In the stair study, people can read or hold the reading party for book lovers to sit around.

In the Hangzhou Zhongshuge, there is a children pavilion, which is a book playground. The designer arts bookshelves as playground facilities including merry-go-round, roller coaster, hot air balloons and pirate ships to give children a happy reading experience as if playing in the playground, while the floor of galaxy maps not only inspires the imagination of children and also interestingly educate them the knowledge of galaxy.

The famous British novelist Somerset Maugham once said, to acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. Hangzhou store of Zhongshuge blends the definitions of books into every space by upholding the usual respect for books and knowledge, and infuses the minds of readers with the sacred books by way of design. In today’s distracting and harassing context, you still can find a place to rest your soul.

Children pavilion

Plan of Zhongshuge Hangzhou

Project Facts

Design Director: Li Xiang

Design Team: Liu Huan, Fan Chen, Zhang Xiao, Tong Ni-Na

Design Company: X+Living 

Project Type: Bookstore

Area: 1000 m²

Location: Hangzhou, China

Completion time: April, 2016

All images © Shao Feng

> via X+Living