Outside of Beijing, away from the busy capital, a wooden library stands as a beacon of knowledge for the tired people of the capital. It is found in a valley, made picturesque by its architecture as well as its appearance. It is made of wood and houses hundreds and hundreds of books.
The Liyuan Library in Jiaojiehe village has become something of a "sanctuary" for bookworms in Beijing. Known to be located "in the middle of nowhere" simply because of the location-walnut, peach, and chestnut trees were used in the construction of the building, Star 2 noted. That's what makes it blend into the surroundings; a clearing with rocky hills surrounding it, situated near a creek.
Architect Li Xiaodong surveyed the area and saw the lush environment a benefit to the design of the building. The library is designed to have steel and glass in its base, but the façade is purely wood-twigs, branches, and different wooden materials decorate the walls of the building, arranged in vertical rows to create natural-looking pillars.
Weekends are a busy affair at the library, which opened in 2012. It is a design that many of today's generation will appreciate, especially since going green is a big thing for most people today. The building draws hundreds of visitors each weekend. Some of them actually read in the library. Most of them, however, are attracted mainly because of the design, a rarity in the concrete jungle of Beijing.
The library has become something of a tourist attraction for the Chinese city. BBC stated that only 40 people at a time are allowed inside because of the size of the structure. With this, there are long queues outside of the structure, with some people waiting an entire week, only to fail to go inside the library.
Bookshelves line the area and are easily accessible to readers, with the highest being at eye height only. There are other shelves on the steps, which make it easy for visitors to read from them. It is easily tempting to take pictures of the masterfully created library, but it's restricted, according to its owner, Pan Xi.
People from all walks of life come in droves to the place-there are serious book readers, and then, there are those only there for the fanfare. People in costumes even show up at the library.
