Atmosphere of Huangpu Library branch in Hengsha praised

A resident reads at the Dasha Street branch of Huangpu Library. [Photo by He Ruiqi]

The Dasha Street branch of Huangpu Library has been recognized as one of the most special one among the library's branches in Huangpu district, local media outlets reported on March 31.

The branch is located on Hengsha Shuxiang Street, which stretches over 260 meters, with 53 historic private schools and ancestral halls that boast hundreds years of history, bringing a strong studying atmosphere to the library.

Shuxiang Street was listed among Guangzhou's fifth batch of key cultural relics protection units in July 1999 and was included in Guangzhou's first batch of historical cultural protection areas in 2000.

Xingtang Luo's Ancestral Hall was first built in the the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with typical Lingnan architectural styles and it was renovated in 2005 to become a library with three functional areas. The original styles and layout of the hall have remained, while only necessary facilities like bookshelves, desks, chairs, as well as network equipment were added.

The area opposite to the hall is a dedicated reading area. It has 22 rows of bookshelves, containing more than 15,000 books. Corridors on the two sides of the hall are each for book borrowing and electronic book reading.

The number of visitors to the library every year reaches around 28,000 and the annual number of books borrowed stands at 3,500.

Rixin Private School and Dexing Luo's Ancestral Hall near the library were also renovated in 2005 to become community cultural stations.

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