Team building

"So, I felt we should record the stories that represent the authenticity of our work. We can share our experience and lessons and show how a seemingly unlikely project happened, and encourage more people to go back to their hometowns and make small changes."

The library is gaining recognition, with a new branch under construction in Jiaxing in Zhejiang.

Zhang says the plan is to open more branches in towns on the Yangtze River Delta in the next 10 years.

"We've seen people experimenting with different kinds of libraries across the country. They might be facing similar difficulties as we did in the early stages of Youwei Library. So we hope that the roads we've traveled can help to provide references for them," she adds.

Lu Ying, a former volunteer and now full-time employee at the library, helped to collect the stories included in the book.

She first went to Sanmen in 2014 as a university student, working on the library's winter-camp program. Lu went back to work full-time at the library for over a year after her graduation.

She was primarily responsible for interviewing individuals who participated in running Youwei Library, including board members, other full-time employees, and volunteers from the county and outside. She collected many heartwarming stories from volunteers for the book.

"More than one local teacher told me that at Youwei Library, they found the ideal classroom and a way of education. A local official who had worked as a Chinese teacher also told me that setting up a library was good for enriching the local cultural atmosphere."

For most volunteers and staff, the reason seems simple-they missed having such a library when they were students.

The book also elaborates on Zhang's thoughts on the library's administration and future vision.

"This book, just like our library, is a team effort," Zhang says. "It wouldn't have been possible without my colleagues and volunteers donating money, time and energy."

According to the library's statistics, about 5 percent of the more than 70,000 residents in downtown Sanmen are regular visitors to Youwei Library, and 1,757 volunteers now support its daily operations.

"The saying goes that paradise looks like a library. In our case, this paradise is built by every one of us together, one brick at a time," Zhang says.