2018年CRI North China hosts 'world's loneliest library'

 

A library built in the city of Qinhuangdao in northern China has been dubbed¹ "the world's loneliest library." While isolated², the library is said to offer a unique connection to the sea.

Sitting on the beach in the resort city of Qinhuangdao in the northeastern part of Hebei, the library has a simple silhouette³ and bare concrete facade⁴.

Inside, the structure takes on a bit more life, with elevated bench seating, allowing unobstructed views of the sea.

Wood has been used for the internal decor of the library, creating a somewhat natural feel that readers in Qinhuangdao appreciate.

"I think the library is very beautiful. I read about this place on the internet and think it's very romantic, so I brought my girlfriend here," said one visitor.

"It's been called the loneliest library in the world. Reading is meant to be a connection between people and books. So, in a sense, it is a lonesome activity. I think it is great to have a place to settle down and read," said another.

500 square meters in size, the library has more than 10,000 books, covering a wide variety of genres⁵.

Two-fifths of the books have been provided to the library through donations.

To help promote the "loneliest library in the world," a series of events are organized throughout the year.

Wang Tianye is one of the staff members at the library.

"There are various of community activities held here throughout the year, such as book and poetry readings, chamber⁶ music concerts, choruses, modern dances and plays. Both the people living here and tourists are welcomed to join the activities. We have been holding them once or even twice a week throughout the year."

Because of its location in Qinhuangdao, which is traditionally a summer resort city, there are seasonal⁷ variations in the number of visitors.

Staff member Wang Xin admits the numbers tend to swing wildly.

"The building is near the sea, so there are many visitors during summer, around 600 to 700 per day. Sometimes it can reach over 1,000 people. But in winter, there are only 70 to 80 people during the week days, and around 300 during the weekends."

Opened in 2015, "the world's loneliest library" has seen some 160,000 people through its doors so far.

1 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

4 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

5 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。