Zhongshu Bookstore — Xi’an, China

Inside the glossy white Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an
(Image credit: press)

Doomsayers have long predicted the death of the bricks and mortar bookstore, but the smart money is on smaller niche boutique boltholes like the Zhongshu Bookstore of Xi’an. Tucked away on the fourth floor of the city’s Xuhong Plaza, the two-level all-white cocoon is a veritable stage-set that’s straight of central casting for a utopic sci-fi flick.

Shanghai-based Wutopia Lab sets the scene with a cuboid, mirror-lined entrance that looks and feels like a cross between a retro dancefloor and Star Trek’s teleporter room. Ribbed archways open out in different directions, spilling visitors into a glossy white space that’s anchored by a glass floor and capped with swirling ceilings that are meant to evoke the dreamscaped Baiyun Villa, or White Cloud Village, from an ancient Chinese tale.

Elliptical bookshelves follow the contours of the ceiling, as do mini-standalone display pods. There are no sharp angles, just curvilineal surfaces that swoop around the store, all the lines leading eventually to a floating staircase – its half-turned form splitting into ribboned steel that spiral upwards towards a skylight.

With so much visual drama at work, almost passing unnoticed is the bookstore’s comprehensive collection of political biographies, bestsellers and vividly coloured volumes for children.§

The counter at Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an

(Image credit: press)

Elliptical bookshelves at Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an

(Image credit: press)

Mini-standalone display pods

(Image credit: press)

The glass floor at Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an,

(Image credit: press)

Ribbed archway at Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an

(Image credit: press)

The floating staircase at Zhongshu Bookstore, by Wutopia Lab, Xi'an,

(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION
Website

ADDRESS
No. 67 Mingguang Road
Weiyang District
Xi'an

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Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.