Beijing’s new surrealist bookstore inspired by classical Chinese gardens

Designed by architectural firm X+Living, this breath-taking bookstore brings book buying in Beijing to a whole different level.

Bursting with creative ideas, like unmanned 24-hour intelligent bookstore, China is a bit like Silicon Valley for book lovers, taking bookshops and libraries to a completely different level in their innovation and architectural design.

And this year, the country raised the bar yet again with X+Living’s new Zhongshuge Bookstore. Occupying 12,000-square feet and located in the Lafayette department store in Beijing, the bookstore was created by chief designer Li Xiang and project directors Rea Lijiao and Wu Feng – and it’s unlike you’ve ever seen before.

Architectural firm X+Living is known for creating out-of-the-box, perplexing designs for Zhongshuge bookstores – and their newest creation is inspired by traditional Chinese gardens. The design is characterized by intriguing circular structures and flowing arched forms that invite readers to wander around the bookstore – just like they would in a classical garden.

The Beijing Zhongshuge Lafayette store is divided into five areas – a conceptual area, a cultural and creative area, a study area, an area dedicated to children’s books, and a café – all inspired by different elements of the Chinese tradition.

The conceptual area, for example, is characterized by arched openings reminiscent of classic circular openings in the walls of traditional Chinese gardens called the Moon Gates; then, there’s the creative area – a minimalistic, elegant spin on the symbol of Chinese nature – the bamboo grove. Later on, the study hall, built around a symmetrical layout, is divided by luminous walls, while the brightly colored and playful children’s area is a paradise for the little ones. Finally, the café is decorated with irregular and flowing-shaped tables – and once all the seats are occupied, it resembles the famous Chinese painting, “Qu Shui Liu Shang”.

Scroll on to take a peek inside the breathtakingly hypnotic design of the new Zhongshuge Bookstore.

Beijing bookstore like traditional Chinese gardens

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Images via Design Wanted.

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