Yanchi Tower 24-hour Bookstore Opens in Di'anmen

In keeping up with our 24-hour Beijing theme this month, there is some exciting news for avid readers (of Chinese) in Xicheng District: a 24-hour bookstore has opened in the 600-year-old Yanchi Tower, which you may or may not have heard of.

Built in 1420, the Yanchi Tower was the north gate to the imperial city during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It's location, in today's Di'anmen, lies in the center of the city and still holds the status of one of the most important historical sites in Beijing, reopening in 2014 after extensive restoration.

The bookstore, a branch of state-owned Cathay Bookshop, aims to provide refuge from the busy city and expects to organize readings and exhibitions for the neighborhoods' bookworms too, CCTV reports. As long as the Nanluogu Xiang crowds stay away, and they rig up that air-conditioning, we can see Yanchi Tower becoming a hot-spot for readers this summer.

Yanchi Tower
15 Di'anmen Neidajie, Xicheng District
西城区地安门内大街15号

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