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Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
The Liyuan Library is located in Jiaojiehe Villages Wisdom Valley located within the Huairou District of Beijing. The village has over 300 residents in 60 to 70 households and is neighbor to tourist attractions like the Mutianyu and Jankousections of the Great Wall and the Shentangyu Natural Scenic Spot. Li Xiaodong firstly started his connection with the village at a cozy courtyard gathering there with classmates in 2010. He was impressed by this quiet village on the outskirts of Beijing and touched by the fact that the local residents of the area, especially the kids, were short of educational resources.
Courtesy of Li Xiaodong Atelier
With money from the Lu Qianshou Trust Fund, which had donated one million RMB for rural projects, he decided to build a non-profit library in the village to provide free books and reading space for both tourists and local residents, a building that could be a place for communication between the two groups. Courtesy of Li Xiaodong Atelier
Concept :

The Liyuan Library is the only man-made structure in Wisdom Valley, and is only accessible via a winding mountain road. It is a quiet site with water and mountains nearby. The idea of the project was to collaborate with the nature, to form a spiritual qichang(a flow of energy) that would concentrate the natural landscape. The building designed for the site would work with nature to build harmony at the location.
Courtesy of Li Xiaodong A...