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Discovering Commercial Kids Libraries in Beijing
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I miss public libraries. Like so many things in life, I didn’t realize how much of a privilege it was to have one until I didn’t anymore. Having free, open access to books is one of the things I miss most since moving to Beijing. It’s not that I read a whole lot, but I miss being able to pick up a book that interested me, even if it was just the cover, and bringing it home if only to return it 21 days later and getting no further than the first chapter. Plus, the library was a refuge for me to bring my kid when he was younger! Somehow the quiet imposing nature of the library just shut him up, and the wooden floors with cushioned reading nooks were like a little playground. Not to mention we could read all sorts of kids’ books there that I would have spent a fortune purchasing.
So when I passed by what looked to be a library here in Beijing, you can imagine my excitement. There were those wooden floors, reading nooks with bean bags, and shelves filled with endless possibilities tucked between colorful covers. I stepped inside and went up to the counter where a young attendant greeted me with smiling eyes, and I asked if it was a library. It was, but a commercial one. I wasn’t quite sure of the concept so it took a while for the nice lady behind the counter to explain it to me.
小宝图书馆 iRead Library
3rd Floor, Zhuyuan Cultural Education Industrial Park, Beiyuan Road, Chaoyang District
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Images: Courtesy of the vendor on Dianping
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