Literary Allusions

Located in Yangzhou, China, a recently opened Zhongshuge bookstore was partly inspired by the main character’s river-centric hometown in the novel, “A Dream of Red Mansions.” Designers from X+Living (Shanghai) created arch bridges as a nod to the book, as well as to the ancient city of Yangzhou. Conceptual “rivers” on the floor and ceiling complement the curved bookshelves, and additional “bridges” connect the other sections of the store. The kid’s reading area features a wall that can be removed to create a book display table on the fly.