A decade ago, as e-books grew in popularity, experts confidently predicted the end of printed books was near. They saw a future where thousands of books could be stored in a single digital device. However, the opening of Tianjin’s new library in October 2017, now housing a staggering 1.2 million printed books, challenges those predictions and hints at the enduring allure of physical books.

Did You Know?

E-book sales now account for about US$1 billion of spending worldwide every year.

Ten years ago when e-books started to become popular, many experts were saying that printed books would soon be a distant memory. Why would anyone want to buy a printed book when you could store thousands of them on a digital reader that fits into your pocket? Given the opening of a new library in Tianjin at the end of October 2017 which is now home to 1.2 million printed books, it looks as if those predictions of e-book domination were wrong!

Tianjin is a 90-minute drive from Beijing. It’s a large city with a population of nearly 15.5 million. Its new library took just three years to build from the first drawing to its opening day. It was designed by an architectural company from Denmark called MVRDV together with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute. The building is one of five attractions within the Binhai Cultural Centre – the city’s new recreational district.

The library has five levels and the space was designed to look like a three-dimensional eye. There are floor to ceiling bookcases. Many contain books, and others printed metal plates that look like books. Whether you can read them or not, they certainly make the place look unbelievable.

One of the main attractions is called a ‘book mountain’. Visitors are able to sit there and read. The mountain also acts as a staircase to reach books placed higher up on the shelves. The library has advised that young readers should avoid the book mountain – as should people wearing high heels or who are too unfit for hiking!

Tianjin has proved to be a huge success with local visitors. Up to 18,000 visitors are arriving at weekends. It’s certainly a beautiful looking place, an amazing piece of design. But will it encourage people to read more, or is it just a wonderful location for the perfect selfie?

Question:

Climb the book mountain in Tianjin Library!

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