A dreamlike bookstore in China is being compared to iconic fictional worlds, and the photos are mesmerizing

Melissa WileyNov 19, 2020, 02:55 IST

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore in China is being compared to iconic fictional worlds like Harry Potter.Shao Feng; © Warner Bros.

Instagram users are comparing a new bookstore in Sichuan, China, to scenes from a Harry Potter film or an M.C. Escher illustration.
Architecture studio X+Living designed the space based on the local landscape, lead architect Li Xiang told Insider.
Reflective surfaces make the space feel much larger and more open than it actually is.
Called Dujiangyan Zhongshuge, the bookstore is the one of several outposts designed by X+Living for Chinese bookseller Zhongshuge.
Take a look inside the mesmerizing, mirrored space.

A dreamlike bookstore that just opened in Sichuan, China, is being compared to scenes from iconic fictional worlds.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The two-story space designed by Shanghai-based studio X+Living is lined with row after row of glowing shelves that appear to extend indefinitely thanks to mirrored ceilings and a shiny black tiled floor.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The two-story space designed by Shanghai-based studio X+Living is lined with row after row of glowing shelves that appear to extend indefinitely thanks to mirrored ceilings and a shiny black tiled floor.

Commenting on an Instagram post by studio founder Li Xiang, several people likened the space to something out of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

One user called the space "a combination of the Great Hall and Room of Hidden Things" from Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and friends sit in Hogwarts' Great Hall in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009). © Warner Bros.

Another called it one of graphic artist M.C. Escher's dreamscapes "come to life." M.C. Escher is most famous for sketching "impossible constructions" like never-ending staircases, according to the M.C. Escher Foundation.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

Another called it one of graphic artist M.C. Escher's dreamscapes "come to life." M.C. Escher is most famous for sketching "impossible constructions" like never-ending staircases, according to the M.C. Escher Foundation.

Xiang herself calls the bookstore "magical."

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The feeling of magic, she wrote on Instagram, is created in part from the structure of the shelves. While the store houses a staggering 80,000 books ...

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

... there appear to be many more.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

To extend the height of the shelves, X+Living placed film resembling shelves filled with books in the highest parts of the store, Xiang told Insider.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

"The books on the top of the bookshelf are actually decoration," Xiang explained on Instagram, "but all the books within the reach of readers are readable."

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The bookstore is one of more than a dozen surreal spaces that X+Living has designed for Chinese bookseller Zhongshuge. Most are inspired by local landscapes and also feature mirrored ceilings, Xiang told Insider.

Exterior view of Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore. Courtesy Shao Feng

The bookstore is one of more than a dozen surreal spaces that X+Living has designed for Chinese bookseller Zhongshuge. Most are inspired by local landscapes and also feature mirrored ceilings, Xiang told Insider.

Called Dujiangyan Zhongshuge, this outpost is located in the city of Dujiangyan.

An arrow shows the locations of Dujiangyan City in Sichuan, China. Google Maps

For the design, Xiang drew inspiration from the city's 2,000-year-old, UNESCO World Heritage river irrigation system and the surrounding mountains.

View of a Dujiangyan Irrigation System dam. beibaoke/Shutterstock

Xiang wanted visitors to feel the same sense of awe in the library that they do in nature, using reflections and optical tricks to make visitors feel "the big size difference" between themselves and the space.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

Xiang wanted visitors to feel the same sense of awe in the library that they do in nature, using reflections and optical tricks to make visitors feel "the big size difference" between themselves and the space.

In a nod to Dujiangyan's river dams, X-Living incorporated arched walnut bookcases ...

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

... and placed oval-shaped book tables placed on a black tiled floor to emulate boats moored on the water.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The mirrored ceiling creates an "open and high feeling," and traveling underneath the large arches feels like "stepping into a rolling mountain," X-Living writes on its website.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

The mirrored ceiling creates an "open and high feeling," and traveling underneath the large arches feels like "stepping into a rolling mountain," X-Living writes on its website.

At the same time, the arches section off the space, creating intimate reading and study alcoves.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

While the pandemic has kept more people at home across the globe, Xiang believes that in-person experiences like visiting a bookstore will always be in demand, she recently told Fast Company.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior. Courtesy Shao Feng

While the pandemic has kept more people at home across the globe, Xiang believes that in-person experiences like visiting a bookstore will always be in demand, she recently told Fast Company.

"I see from people's reaction during the quarantine that real experience ... is an eternal pursuit of human beings," she said.

Dujiangyan Zhongshuge bookstore interior (looking up at the ceiling). Courtesy Shao Feng

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A dreamlike bookstore in China is being compared to iconic fictional worlds, and the photos are mesmerizing

A dreamlike bookstore that just opened in Sichuan, China, is being compared to scenes from iconic fictional worlds.

The two-story space designed by Shanghai-based studio X+Living is lined with row after row of glowing shelves that appear to extend indefinitely thanks to mirrored ceilings and a shiny black tiled floor.

Commenting on an Instagram post by studio founder Li Xiang, several people likened the space to something out of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

One user called the space "a combination of the Great Hall and Room of Hidden Things" from Hogwarts.

Another called it one of graphic artist M.C. Escher's dreamscapes "come to life." M.C. Escher is most famous for sketching "impossible constructions" like never-ending staircases, according to the M.C. Escher Foundation.

Xiang herself calls the bookstore "magical."

The feeling of magic, she wrote on Instagram, is created in part from the structure of the shelves. While the store houses a staggering 80,000 books ...

... there appear to be many more.

To extend the height of the shelves, X+Living placed film resembling shelves filled with books in the highest parts of the store, Xiang told Insider.

"The books on the top of the bookshelf are actually decoration," Xiang explained on Instagram, "but all the books within the reach of readers are readable."

The bookstore is one of more than a dozen surreal spaces that X+Living has designed for Chinese bookseller Zhongshuge. Most are inspired by local landscapes and also feature mirrored ceilings, Xiang told Insider.

Called Dujiangyan Zhongshuge, this outpost is located in the city of Dujiangyan.

For the design, Xiang drew inspiration from the city's 2,000-year-old, UNESCO World Heritage river irrigation system and the surrounding mountains.

Xiang wanted visitors to feel the same sense of awe in the library that they do in nature, using reflections and optical tricks to make visitors feel "the big size difference" between themselves and the space.

In a nod to Dujiangyan's river dams, X-Living incorporated arched walnut bookcases ...

... and placed oval-shaped book tables placed on a black tiled floor to emulate boats moored on the water.

The mirrored ceiling creates an "open and high feeling," and traveling underneath the large arches feels like "stepping into a rolling mountain," X-Living writes on its website.

At the same time, the arches section off the space, creating intimate reading and study alcoves.

While the pandemic has kept more people at home across the globe, Xiang believes that in-person experiences like visiting a bookstore will always be in demand, she recently told Fast Company.

"I see from people's reaction during the quarantine that real experience ... is an eternal pursuit of human beings," she said.