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【英文稿】A library that never sleeps: the perfect place to while away the wee hours

Lu Feiran and Yang Jiawei

In a "city that never sleeps," Shanghai night owls have a new haunt that's one for the books.

In a city first, the Heping Library in Hongkou District is now open 24/7. In the dead of night, it offers a tranquil refuge amid its collection of fiction, nonfiction, magazines, and reference, research and education materials.

Since late April, the library never closes its doors. Every day from 8pm to 8am, about 600 people come to the library – about 80 of them after midnight, the library said.

One of the wee-hours patrons is a man who identified himself only by his surname Hua. After an accident left him wheelchair-bound, he said he decided to turn time upside down, sleeping during the day and being up and about at night. On a recent night, Shanghai Daily found him at the library, perusing a book on traditional Chinese clothing.

"I dream during the day and read at night," he said."This library is a perfect place for me to immerse myself in books."

The library is yet another addition to Shanghai's nightlife scene, which is burgeoning amid government support. Parks, bookstores and even gyms are staying open around the clock.

Heping Library's foray into the dark of night attracts a variety of visitors. Some are college students preparing for exams. Some are older people suffering from a bit of insomnia. Others are white-collar workers catching up on their laptops.

A high school student who only identified himself only by the surname Gong said he often stays at the library until almost midnight to study.

"The environment helps me focus," he said."If I came in the morning, I might only have an hour or two of study time."

Gong said his parents were initially worried about his late-night library visits but changed their minds after accompanying him a few times.

"They found that the library offers a peaceful and secure atmosphere for study," he said.

A young programmer surnamed Sun said he visits the library to hone his professional skills because he's still pretty new at his workplace.

"I'm here to explore more about programming," he said."The coding I'm learning goes beyond work requirements. It's a personal passion. In addition, the library is a temporary escape from the demands of the job and the distractions of home."

The library also provides a temporary shelter for those who have nowhere else to go.

Su Xin from Hubei Province said she stayed overnight there after she arrived in Shanghai to look for a job. The new media operator said she initially couldn't find a job or an affordable place to stay. Then she found the library online.

The soothing library atmosphere eased the sting of her unemployment situation and improved her spirits, she said, noting the comfortable seating, free Wi-Fi and phone charging stations.

"I've always liked libraries since childhood, but my hometown is small and our local library is never open this late," she said.

Wang Zhaowei, a manager at the library, said that he's glad that the venue has functions beyond traditional reading space.

"There are no bars to entry here," he said."No fees, no ID needed. We know that a lot of people in difficult circumstances come here at night. We also get night-shift workers, like deliverymen, who come in for a break and a cup of hot water. Everyone is welcome."

Wang said the library's 20 staff members take turns working the night shift.

A front desk employee surnamed Zhu told Shanghai Daily that he has worked there since the library first opened.

"Night shifts can be a bit of a burden when there is so much to do – dealing with lost and found items, finding books for readers, and shouldering some security responsibilities," he said.

Small issues can arise at night, Wang said. There was an instance of a patron with strong body odor, whom other readers complained about. A librarian had to remind the olfactory offender of the need for personal hygiene in public places. Then there was the mystery of an unclaimed suitcase left at the library.

"It turned out to belong to a man who went out looking for work during the day and returned to the library at night," Wang said."We eventually had to turn to the police for help."

Wang said the library wants to attract more patrons by hosting events like book fairs and book clubs.

"The library's 27/7 uniqueness has made it a bit of a nighttime 'sightseeing' spot," he said."Some people come to take selfies to post online and then leave. Our challenge is to keep public interest up after the initial fascination fades."

The library joins several city parks and at least one bookstore now open 24/7.

Zhongshan Park in Changning District was the first to open around the clock. Some parks in Xuhui and Huangpu districts have followed suit. The city plans to add 30 more parks to this list this year.

In the Pudong New Area, a 24-hour bookstore called The City Never Sleeps has become a local favorite. The only bookstore of its kind also offers a shelter for those in need.

"Our night shift staff once found a little girl wandering in front of the entrance," said Mu Zi, who oversees the bookstore."The child said she had had a fight with her family and ran away from home. The staff invited her in and gave her food and water while they sorted out things with the parents. I'm glad our little space could help out."

【中文译稿】上海“不打烊”图书馆成为夜归人的心灵栖息地

在上海这座"不夜城"，夜猫子们有了新的深夜栖息地——虹口区和平书院近日成为沪上首家24小时开放的图书馆。

深夜时分，这里仿佛是一个静谧的文化港湾，为求知若渴的读者们准备了丰富的小说、非虚构类书籍、杂志，以及教辅资料，满足大家的阅读需求。

自四月下旬开启全天候服务以来，每晚8点至次日早8点约有600人到访和平书院，其中约80人在午夜后到来。

华先生便是一位深夜常客，经常来和平书院阅读关于汉服的书籍。他最近遭遇了一场事故，不得不坐上轮椅养伤，在此期间，他选择昼伏夜出的生活："我白天睡觉，晚上读书。和平书院简直是沉浸于书籍的完美之地。"

最近在政府支持下，上海的夜生活场景正在蓬勃发展。公园、书店乃至健身房都开始24小时营业。和平书院的深夜开放吸引着各种不同的人群：备考的学生、失眠的银发族和加班的职场人。

高中生龚同学常在此学习至午夜。他表示：“晚上这里的学习氛围能让我专注，白天来的话可能只能学一两个小时。”

他说父母一开始还有些担心安全问题，但陪他来这里几次后，他们改变了主意，认为夜晚非常安全，氛围也非常好。

年轻的程序员孙先生为提升职场竞争力每晚在此看书精进编程业务："我在这里看的学习内容远超工作要求，但这是我的激情所在。图书馆还能让我暂时逃离工作压力和家中的干扰。"

而对于暂时无家可归的人而言，图书馆则成为了他们临时歇脚的去处。

从湖北来沪求职的苏欣便是其中一员。她本来从事新媒体运营，在抵达上海后，暂时还未找到心怡的工作，于是选择暂时在这里歇息以节省旅费："这里提供免费的WiFi和充电口，座椅也很舒适。这里缓解了我的求职焦虑。我从小就喜欢泡图书馆，但在老家一般图书馆都不会开到这么晚。"

图书馆负责人王兆伟表示，这个无门槛空间承载着超乎传统阅读的功能："它无需证件、不设消费，我知道暂时有些困难的人会来我们这里。我们也欢迎代驾司机等夜班工作者来歇脚喝水。"

对于和平书院来说，维持图书馆夜间运行也不是一件易事。一位朱姓前台工作人员告诉上海日报，如今书院有二十名员工轮值夜班。

“我们工作量还是很大的，比如要处理失物招领、图书检索等事务，还要负责书院的安全。”

夜间运营时也会发生一些小摩擦。有一次有客人投诉，某位客人体味非常大影响他人体验，管理员只能让他注意个人卫生。也有顾客将行李箱留在书院，结果发现所有人是白天在外上班，晚上回来过夜的客人，特意将箱子存在在此处，工作人员最后只能报警处理。

目前图书馆正筹划书展、读书会等活动以维持公众热度。王兆伟坦言，图书馆希望能够突破"网红打卡地"的局限："有些人专程来自拍发朋友圈，然后就离开了。"

和平书院并不是上海唯一的夜猫子栖息地。在长宁区中山公园率先试水24小时开放后，徐汇、黄浦多座公园相继跟进，今年全市计划新增30座全天候公园。而在浦东，沪上唯一24小时书店“城市不眠”同样成为夜归人的心灵驿站。

作为上海唯一一家全天候营业的同类型书店，这里也为需要帮助的人们提供庇护。负责人木子回忆道："有次夜班员工发现入口处徘徊着一个小女孩，她说和家人发生争执后离家出走。员工邀请她进店休息，提供食物和饮用水，同时协助她与父母沟通解决问题。我很欣慰这个小小空间能发挥作用。"