The Yangpu Library, located at No. 128 Hengren Road, was reopened on October 1 after renovation efforts for three years.

The library, as old as an octogenarian, looks radiant again.

Formerly known as the “Old Shanghai Library”, the Yangpu Library was designed by the famous architect Dong Dayou and opened in 1936. Nevertheless, as the funds were insufficient then, Dong Dazhao’s design blueprint was not fully realized with half of his plan shelved. Today, more than 80 years later, Yangpu Government has repaired and expanded the historic building and put into practice the layout of the “well” type originally designed by the architect. After completion, the total floor space of the library has exceeded 14,000 square meters.

On the second floor lobby, there is the Peacock Gate, which has been preserved for more than 80 years. The gate is decorated with a pair of peacocks, of which the upper one is displaying its tail. The whole decoration is exquisite with all the cast iron pieces connected by rivets. It was found that there was also a Peacock Gate at the same position on the first floor lobby, but now it is lost. After restoration, a new Peacock Gate is built with the pattern and material totally the same with the original one.

The restoration of gatehouse is another highlight. The gatehouse is shaped like the Beijing Bell Tower, and forms the traditional Chinese architectural pattern of “left drums and right bells” with the “Old Shanghai Museum” which is now located in Changhai Hospital. The front of the gatehouse is a three-hole vault door, surrounded by stone-like columns and railings. When repairing the roof, it was found that one-quarter of the glazed tiles were relatively intact and could be reused while the remaining tiles would be restored according to the original size and shapes at the original manufacturing shop in Yixing, Jiangsu. The restored yellow glazed tile roof and the paintings under the eaves has rendered the gatehouse the visual highlight of the building.

During the restoration, with the core concept of “supporting learning center”, the Yangpu Library has set such four basic functional areas as document borrowing, digital services, exhibition displays and theme activities. There are also distinctive sectors to meet the actual services needs.

The geographical heritage of Yangpu District is of great significance to the preservation and research of the cultural values of the city. The second floor of the library has specially set up a "Shanghai Modern Municipal Literature Theme Pavilion", which displays the "Great Shanghai Plan" in a three-dimensional way with historical documents, architectural models, holographic projections, etc., systematically demonstrating the historical trajectory of the city’s development. The literature collection on modern municipalities is sure to be major feature of the new building.

The library boasts an interactive exchange area called the "Innovative YUE Space" which symbolizes modernization and innovation. Here, the citizens can undergo different innovative experiences by sharing books with others, listening to music, and harvesting gladness. The "Innovative YUE Space" mainly provides four themed reading services in terms of tea culture, art design, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as English original books. At the same time, based upon innovative brand projects, the Space has combined reading promotion with cultural heritage, entrepreneurial sharing with craftsmanship, and innovative experience with spiritual preaching. To promote exchanges with the readers, there are also distinctive projects such as the reading promotion project of "Literary Afternoon Tea", the innovative technology project of "tester nest”, the Aesthetics Project of Creative Life and the culture promotion project of “Seeking Roots”.