Rural libraries bring fun to culture, tourism in village

If you are an avid bookworm or are yearning for a tranquil idyllic life, the Cenbu Village in Qingpu District offers an ideal summer retreat.

The village nestling alongside the Dianshan Lake is known as the "little Amazon" in Shanghai, for its canoeing adventures and magical, surreal scenery of fireflies flashing through the summer nights. It is now making a new name for itself with its rural libraries.

Three libraries in the village were recently authorized as demonstration sites of rural libraries in the district, where many activities would be organized for tourists and surrounding business employees, expanding the connotations and reach of rural revitalization and enriching cultural life.

On Tuesday, themed activities were held at these venues.

At One Cottage, which also serves as a Chinese-style teahouse and has become a popular check-in spot in the village, visitors wore "mamianqun," or horse-faced, shirts, with a tuanshan (round-shaped fan) in hand, celebrating hanfu (traditional Chinese Han-style attire) culture with the village.

Inside 42 Yi (literally translated as No. 42 Post House), the traditional craft of Chinese mugwort health hammers, an intangible cultural heritage item, was showcased, as if people had traveled back to the ancient gathering of literatis.

The district's culture and tourism bureau said rural libraries are important carriers of rural cultural revitalization. More rural libraries would be developed in the district in the future to help the scent of books linger in the air and turn the libraries into the spiritual homes and cultural palaces of the people.

If you go:

One Cottage (一步草堂) and Cenbu Village Community Service Station (岑卜村社區中心)

Address: 220 Cenbu Road, Cenbu Village 岑卜村岑卜路220號

42 Yi (42號驛)

Address: 254 Cenbu Village 岑卜村254號