As Qian Xiaohua, the founder of Pioneer Bookstore, said, "Yunxi Library is the practice of Pioneer Bookstore to explore rural utopia". "The most beautiful bookstore" is very common, but there are not many tangible and qualitative ones like Pioneer Yunxi Library. The bookstore is located at the foot of Daijia Mountain in Gushan Township, Tonglu County, and although it is remote, it is still worth visiting.
Pioneer Yunxi Library is one of the famous architect Zhang Lei's "Gushan Practice" projects, and it is also the first public welfare project of Pioneer Bookstore to "go out of Jiangsu", and has been selected as "China's Most Beautiful Bookstore" by CNN. The library is renovated from two adjoining She houses, one for a café and the other for a library and activity space. In terms of design, the bookstore fully retains the local characteristics: yellow adobe walls, wood-framed windows and blue-tiled roofs, the decoration is made of local materials, and the store is often filled with wooden pillars, wooden chairs and other elements. The bookstore covers an area of about 150 square meters, with two floors, with ample seating, and the reading area is divided into multiple areas by bookshelves, which is very private.
The bookstore has a collection of nearly 20,000 books, covering folk culture, geography, local literature, biographies, poetry, photographic art, academy culture, etc., collected by pioneers from all over the world. In order to let readers understand the culture and history of the She people, some of the books in the bookstore are related to the She people, and the customs of the She people are introduced in detail in the books. It is worth mentioning that all the profits from the bookstore's book sales will also be used for charity and donated to local poor She students.
In addition to providing book reading services, Pioneer Yunxi Library will also hold a series of lectures on She language from time to time. Students from the village also come here to participate in activities such as the She Poetry Contest and the She Singer Contest. Occasionally, readers come to the library and meet locals telling stories about She culture and history.
The bookstore is rich in cultural and creative products, the first floor has set up a special souvenir display area, displaying all kinds of local items, other cultural and creative products include wallets, aromatherapy, perfume bookmarks, postcards, etc., the bookstore also provides postcard mailing services. The bookstore has an indoor corridor that connects to the café for easy rest.
