Tourism is the engine that drives the revival of rural areas. In addition to bringing in a time-share accommodation business, cultural tourism can enrich the rural diversity and characters. Undoubtedly, a new bookstore will provide both economic and cultural opportunities for rural areas.
© Yilong Zhao
The newly completed bookstore is located in Taoyuan Village, Qimen County, Anhui Province. Away from the cultural core in Huizhou City about 100 kilometers, Taoyuan Village is an ordinary ancient settlement in southern Anhui without much advantage in terms of transportation and economy. But this is precisely the place we have been cultivating for six years. After several vernacular practices, our intensive work has gradually made Taoyuan Village a popular destination for cultural tourism in the Huizhou area. © Yilong Zhao
The new bookstore was rebuilt on a derelict mansion. The architecture covers an area of 70? and is two storeys high. In the specific context of narrow lanes and high walls, the bookstore in the old village should be interpreted as a new gesture.
The spatial prototype of the Bridge Gallery is derived from the Huizhou-covered bridge (Langqiao) where people walk across the bridge on the upper level while the stream flows slowly underneath. Significantly, the covered bridge is not only a pathway, but also a place to wander, rest and communicate, and even a spiritual space for ritual and worship.
© Yilong Zhao
Like the water flowing under the bridge, the groun...