Yan bookstore in Shenzhen, China, "provides a space in which visitors can engage in deep self-reflection and create their own unique stories," designboom reported, noting that the store "is located on the third floor of Shenzhen's MIXC commercial complex, closed off by a long façade of rammed-earth walls to create a very different, 'zen' world within."
"Over the past 30 years, the population of Shenzhen has exploded from 300,000 to 14 million people," said architect Tomoko Ikegai of IKG inc. "It is unique among Chinese cities that 65% of these residents are in their twenties and thirties, giving it a powerful new energy.... Recently, bookstores have been opening all over China which on a surface level are beautifully and strikingly designed. However, we felt that especially in this proactive city, it was important to value China's originality and individuality, exploring mystical images of the East in the context of globalization."