A bookshop in a paddy field

Photo: Zhuo Yuxing

Xiadi Village has a history of more than 800 years. It retains the layout and building style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, featuring a combination of rammed earth wall and wooden structures.

The bookshop is one of a chain of the brand Librairie Avant-Garde. The project in this popular tourist village is part of a national strategy to restore some balance between urban and rural economies. The government is promoting tourism in rural areas so that people can rediscover traditional farming culture as part of China’s unique cultural identity.

The village has maintained its greenery, river and mountain roads as well as its oldest buildings, preserving its urban fabric and landscape. The ruins serve as a freestanding container, inside which stands a new concrete and steel structure, blending tradition with modernity. The bookstore space is defined by two broken concrete walls supporting two ceiling slabs with spot connections to the original outer walls.

The bookshop specialises in books about folk art and crafts, development and preservation of rural culture, and local history. It hosts live performances and concerts, and is very popular with adults and children alike.

Sources: Mara Corradi, Floornature/ Kurze Werbepause, Detail