A NEW bookhouse built over Lihu Lake has quietly opened at Lychee Park in Futian District, adding a fresh attraction to one of the city’s oldest and most beloved green spaces. Named Lihu Bookhouse, the roughly 1,000-square-meter facility combines reading, book sales, light dining, cultural exhibitions and other events in a serene lakeside setting.

Designed in the Lingnan style, Lihu Bookhouse sits above the water and is positioned as a tranquil, garden-like study. Almost every seat offers a view of the lake, giving visitors the feeling that the entire shoreline has become their private reading room. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the shimmering surface of Lihu Lake into the interior, while the Lian’an (Lotus Shore) waterside platform provides a closer-to-nature option with 270-degree views of the park.

Many window seats frame the urban skyline as well. Landmark towers KK100 (Kingkey 100) and Shun Hing Square sit to the left of the bookhouse, allowing guests to take in lake, garden and cityscape from a single point.

The bookhouse also features a bistro serving a small but imaginative menu. Highlights include a spicy tomato squid-ink pasta — a Mediterranean-influenced dish pairing glossy black ink noodles and tender squid with a rich, spicy tomato sauce; a fig and chicken salad featuring pan-seared chicken and sweet fig to balance savory flavors; and a creamy mushroom truffle soup.

Lihu-exclusive beverages lean on the park’s namesake fruit, with offerings such as a lychee sparkling and a coffee-lychee fusion drink. The bistro’s signature latte is also recommended.

Birdwatchers will find Lychee Park an urban haven for species including pond herons, egrets, various cuckoos and red-whiskered bulbuls. At dusk, flocks often return to the islet at the lake’s center to roost, and the bookhouse’s window seats and waterside platform that face the islet are excellent vantage points for this daily spectacle.

Two independent Lingnan-style tea rooms double as multifunctional event spaces available for reservation. A dedicated “Shenzhen column” bookshelf is stocked with titles on the city’s history, popular hiking routes such as the Kunpeng Trail, and other Shenzhen-related themes. The venue works with Shenzhen Publishing Group to host new-book launches, curated reading lists and city-culture publications.

Near the entrance, a cultural and creative retail area showcases locally made souvenirs and designer items — from bird-themed fridge magnets and enamel badges to a “culture-food station” collaboration and a new range of AI-inspired toys — offering visitors tactile mementos of Shenzhen.

Metro: Line 3 or 9 to Hongling Station (红岭站), Exit F (Claudia Wei)