ON Saturday, Shenzhen set a new record by opening China’s largest bookstore. But don’t let the word “bookstore” fool you.

The brand‑new Eyes of the GBA in Bao’an District is less about hushed aisles and more about cultural adventures waiting to be explored.

Sprawling across a staggering 131,000 square meters, the landmark is a complex housing a bookstore, a museum, an urban park, theaters and exhibition spaces.

From themed reading zones to a rooftop “city living room,” it’s a place where culture and creativity spill into every corner. Built by the Shenzhen Publishing Group and already the recipient of international design awards, the structure itself is a spectacle.

Imagine twin jade discs rising along the city’s coastal green axis, which are directly linked to Baohua Station on Metro Line 5. Families, students and curious urban explorers can step off the train and walk straight into a cultural playground.

The North Wing greets visitors with a 270° panoramic reading garden, while the South Wing transforms into a fairy‑tale planet for children, complete with rainbow‑lit bridges and whimsical story corners.

For those chasing something futuristic, there’s a VR zone inspired by Liu Cixin’s “The Three‑Body Problem,” an AI voice lab that lets books speak back, and a book‑edge printing station that turns your purchase into a one‑of‑a‑kind keepsake.

Over 100,000 curated titles sit alongside pop‑up cafés, theaters and exhibition halls, with nearly 1,000 cultural events scheduled for the year.

Shenzhen Daily photographer Liu Xudong gives readers a virtual tour of the new landmark.(SD-Agencies)