Since its opening in November 2011, the library has received more than 7,000 books from the public. Visitors are invited to donate a minimum of three books and in return, they are allowed to take one book away, making the venue a platform for an exchange of ideas.

Originally intended to help the village, where there was no school or library, Li-yuan Library is now serving a bigger community. People living in the downtown drive for two hours to the library on weekends, and the villagers are benefiting by selling them food and hospitality.

"Before the library was built, we were worried that it might damage the originality of our village," says Wang Fuying, a villager who volunteers at the library. "Now we are relieved. The kids finally have a place to read. More visitors also mean more opportunities for small businesses."

And that's exactly what Li had hoped for, "to let architecture play a broader role in the nourishment of a community".

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