Yangpu Library marks a new chapter

The former Shanghai Library is to open to the public as Yangpu Library on October 1 after three years of major renovations.

The library, at 128 Hengren Road in Yangpu District, was originally part of the Kuomintang government’s plans to bring the city government and major facilities to the area.

The renovated facility will have 692 seats and can house up to 800 readers. 

The library was only partially built when it first opened in 1936 but, after a year, it shut down as the Japanese invaders occupied the site and turned it into a horse range.

After 1949, it was used as the teaching building of Tongji Middle School. After the school moved, the building was left vacant until the district government decided to renovate and expand it.

Following the blueprint of Dong Dayou, who designed the library as well as two other grand buildings nearby, workers restored the whole 15,000-square-meter building complex from the 3900-square-meter library built more than 80 years ago.

Care was taken to preserve the authenticity of the building. All the floor tiles in the main hall of the library on the first floor were the same ones used 80 years ago.

Over a dozen painters spent six months restoring ceiling paintings in the main hall, said Ma Lili, chief designer of the renovation.

“We couldn't find the original paintings at first,” Ma said. “But during the construction we found two tabernacles in the hall used as broom closets which were not on the blueprint and luckily the painting on their ceilings were preserved.”

The iron gate at the hall on the second floor, the “Peacock Gate” which got its name for its beautiful pattern, was preserved and renovated. 

The library has four different functional zones — literature loaning, digital service, exhibition and themed activities.

According to Pan Limin, curator of the library, an AR (augmented reality) interactive guiding system has been introduced by the library to guide readers to where they want to go.

Yangpu Library is the first in the city to introduce book deliveries.,Readers can go to the library's website or WeChat account, or apps such as Alipay to order a book they want to borrow which will then be delivered to their home.