Seen as a vibrant and inviting book heaven, the Beijing Library was named among TIME Magazine‘s World’s Greatest Places.
The Beijing Library in the capital’s Tongzhou district has recently been named one of TIME Magazine‘s 100 World’s Greatest Places to Visit in 2025.
Visitors read books in the library. (Image from China Daily)
World’s Largest Library Reading Space
The futuristic structure has redefined what a 21st-century library can be. Its awe-inspiring design weaves together elements of the native ginkgo tree and the Grand Canal, creating a space that feels both timeless and cutting-edge.
The Library is co-designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta and China’s ECADI. It has the world’s largest library reading space, housing more than 8 million books and costing upward of 1.45 billion yuan to build.
A 500-seat concert hall hosts symphonies and academic forums, and more than 3,000 events are held annually, covering everything from calligraphy to poetry, according to the TIME Magazine.
“Beijing Library stands out as a vibrant and inviting book heaven with so many things to offer,” says Jakob Guillois Lærkes, Jury Chair of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. “The jury were particularly impressed by how people, books, and nature are connected throughout the design and programming. It’s … a great example of a library for the future.”
Various Activities to Lure Visitors
This is not the first time that Beijing Library has won international honors.
The library won the IFLA/Baker & Taylor Public Library of the Year Award 2024 presented by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in Barcelona, Spain last year. This marks the first time that China claims the world’s highest honor for public libraries.
In collaboration with libraries from eight provinces and municipalities along the Grand Canal, the Beijing Library launched activities such as intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, cultural and tourism exhibitions. The most significant one themed “The Grand Canal in Poetry and Prose”, initiative allows participants to explore canal cities and retrace the path of the Grand Canal.
The Beijing Library also officially launched new scenarios for its smart reading service. The naked-eye 3D reading of two classic ancient books, namely Compendium of Materia Medica on herbals and The Exploitation of the Works of Nature on ancient technologies are now online. Readers can directly “touch” virtual images, transforming static pages into dynamic perceptions.
With the help of AI, the smart desktop also provides readers with original reading and assisted reading functions, such as translation, glossary, and excerpts. They help to fully understand the text and acquire information and knowledge in a more efficient and intelligent way.
Since opening its doors, the Beijing Library has become a cultural phenomenon, welcoming 4.28 million visitors.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by China Daily, TIME Magazine, Beijing Foreign Affairs Office’s website.
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