Meixi Academy, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty, is one of the most famous academies in the history of Zhejiang, and now, the book sales website Dangdang and BBK have borrowed this name to open the cultural complex Meixi Academy in Changsha. At a time when the traditional bookstore industry is seeking change, Dangdang, an old book website, is also swimming against the tide to build offline physical stores. As soon as the store opened, it was particularly popular, selling more than 10,000 books on the opening day, and was favored by Changsha citizens.
Due to the backing of Dangdang.com and BBK, Meixi Academy has been generous at the beginning of its establishment, and is at the top of the city in terms of design and scale. Designed by well-known Asian designers Luo Lingjie and Long Huiqi, the building looks like a piano from the outside, with a large area of jujube red decorative walls and bookshelves. There are few partitions between different areas, and the space is transparent, which is very different from the impression of traditional bookstores. The store's high bookshelves run through the beamed roof, and readers pass under the corridors made up of bookshelves, creating an immersive feeling of being surrounded by books. Several large staircases also provide ample space for readers to sit in. The first and second floors are for the book area, the third floor is for cultural and creative supplies, and the fourth floor is for the exhibition hall.
The control of Dangdang.com makes Meixi Academy not inferior to its peers in the book category, and the books in the store are selected by the professional team based on the Changsha reading data of the website, which can be described as adapting measures to local conditions. The bookstore with a business area of more than 5,000 square meters has more than 40,000 kinds of books, with a total of 120,000 volumes, covering various fields. In addition, bookstores operate at the same price online and offline, which is quite cost-effective for physical book readers.
The relatively quiet reading atmosphere is also the reason why Meixi Academy can be at the forefront of the industry, even if a large number of readers are gathered, the store is not noisy. In addition to the steps for seating, the bookstore also offers free tables and chairs, so you can sit without spending money. The only thing worth criticizing is the not-so-bright light in the reading area.
As a cultural complex, Meixi Academy is naturally not only a bookstore, but also a beverage area and activity area. It doesn't have a small coffee corner, but it offers a good drink. The frequency of activities in the store is quite high, and there is a special event almost every 2-3 days, and writers, entrepreneurs, photographers, and musicians are all frequent visitors to Meixi Academy.
