SINCE its recent inauguration, Zimo Books, a new book bar in Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District, has always been teaming with visitors.

Similar scenes often unfold at a handful of book bars in parks across the city, such as Bailupo Book Bar, or literally Egret Slope Book Bar, in Shenzhen Bay Park in Nanshan, and Meilin Book Bar inside Meilin Park in Futian.

Nowadays, Shenzhen’s public reading spaces are not limited to the library itself, but have been integrated into public venues like parks.

Book bars located in parks provide an amazing place for residents wandering through the parks to rest, read books, and experience cultural activities. Reading in a book bar in public parks has also become a new trend among citizens during their spare time.

Mental and physical

benefits

“Traditionally speaking, when talking about reading, we mention more about its role in benefiting mental and spiritual health. However, with book bars available in local parks, it goes beyond that. For instance, when I am tired from reading, I can now step out to take a walk on a beach to feel the gentle sea breeze, which, to some degree, is also good for my physical health,” a frequent visitor to Bailupo Book Bar, surnamed Wang, said.

Like Wang, many readers find book bars in parks are attractive because they combine humanity and nature.

“I really appreciate the efforts in building more book bars in parks because I like reading and visiting parks. So, these two together do make me feel good. I only need to go to one place to enjoy two things I like,” another citizen surnamed Huang said.

Unique experience

According to the city’s park management center, Shenzhen has built 62 book bars in parks so far. Each book bar has its unique characteristics based on the park’s natural environment to create diverse leisure spaces for visitors.

Zimo Books, accessible from Lianhua Hill Park’s south gate, covers an area of 124 sqm and offers a total of 70 reading seats. In the book bar there is a flower room, where green plants and flower gardening books are displayed.

For book lovers who are big fans of lotus, Hemeikongjian Library, or Island Library, in Honghu Park in Luohu District is a fabulous choice as it is surrounded by a lotus pond measuring 20,000 sqm. The book bar offers a unique reading experience for readers to admire lotus plants and birds while enjoying reading. The library was built and renovated from the park’s original lotus exhibition hall.

The Lighthouse Library in Yantian District’s Haijing Park has made full use of its location to allow readers to look at the sea in the daytime through telescopes. The library resembles a lighthouse and has become a popular venue, attracting people to visit and post about it on social media platforms.

The children-themed Kaleidoscope Book Bar in Shenzhen Children’s Amusement Park in Futian District features a book collection for children aged 2 to 12.

Fengyuxuan Book Bar in Shenzhen Central Park in Futian District features nature education. Visitors not only can observe insects and plants under microscopes and read quietly in front of a large meadow, but also make plant paintings.

To provide convenience to readers, some of the park book bars such as Hemeikongjian and Meilin Book Bar have connected their services with the city’s public library network so that citizens can borrow books from book bars and return them at other designated libraries or library branches.

Additionally, most book bars and reading space in parks are set to host regular activities to enrich visitors’ experience.

Staff from the city’s urban management authority said that a series of measures have been issued to promote the building of book bars in parks in a bid to make reading closer to people’s lives in a more relaxed way, so that citizens can truly feel that reading is around them and gives them joy.