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Bless the people who still read books (and magazines). They have saved the
publishing industry from a quicker death, and in China at least, given optimism
to writers and retailers both. This astonishingly ambitious temple to the
printed word, in what is considered the birthplace of one of the world’s oldest
civilisations, is the latest in an impressive series of bookstores and emporia
that prove categorically that reading isn’t quite on its deathbed... yet. Situated
in a high-tech zone of the ancient city, called the Xi’an Hi-tech Industries
Development Zone, the 4,500 sqm complex occupies two floors, and centres
on an open atrium featuring a dramatic, glamorous, curved staircase.It may not hurt the commercial aspect of the store, that upstairs rests a Grand
Hyatt hotel. Or that tourists flock to Xi’an to experience the amazing, renowned
Terracotta Army, a World Heritage treasure. But then tourists don’t usually
spend a lot of time or money on books... Residents do. So we need to assume
that Maike Centre is targeted at locals who read.The conceptual framework was ‘Library and Gallery’, because the former
sponsors learning and leisure devoted to thought, while the latter serves to
express culture. As you move through the many areas of the store, even withoutXian, China
Tomoko Ikegai
YJY Maike Centre Flagship
<QSPKFDUGJMF°DIJOB>Photography by Nacasa & Partners