Libraries across Shenzhen

Writer: Wu Zhuoyang, Chen Xiaochun  |  Editor: Jane Chen  |  From: EyeShenzhen 

Nanshan District

24-hour self-service lending machines

The 24-hour self-service lending machine program is an important project for the city's development as a “city of libraries” and plays an important role in the city's public cultural service system. Funded by the city's government, residents can borrow and return books conveniently using the machines, which also provide free services such as library card applications, book reservations and renewals and information consultation.

Add: Multiple locations

Tel: (0755) 82841217

Shenzhen Nanshan Library 南山图书馆

Founded in 1994, Shenzhen Nanshan Library is one of the cultural landmarks of Nanshan District, open all 365 days of the year. It has comprehensive reading rooms, children’s reading rooms, parent-child reading rooms and some other dedicated reading rooms for meeting the needs of different readers. Moreover, Nanshan Library holds activities for patrons including public lectures. It has also set up a public consultation room, which provides legal advice and psychological consultation for patrons.

Tel: 26520380

Add: 176 Changxing Road, Nanshan District 南山区常兴路176号

Metro: Line 1 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站),Exit B

Shenzhen Science & Technology Library/University Town Library of Shenzhen 深圳市科技图书馆/深圳大学城图书馆

As the first library with the dual function of being both a public library and an academic library, the Shenzhen Library of Science and Technology is shared by the graduate schools of four universities: Peking University, Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology and Nankai University, and is open for use by local residents as well. Its mission, “All for the people, for all the people,” aims to serve the local students and faculty members, corporate researchers and knowledge-seeking residents.

Located at the heart of the campus, the Shenzhen Library of Science and Technology (also called the University Town Library), possesses the beauty of the crouching tiger and hidden dragon.

As the first library to combine the academia with the public, the University Town Library was designed to have a holding capacity of 1.5 million volumes, 3,000 seats, 1,700 data ports, and 8,000 visitors expected daily.

The library's interior design along with its architecture gives the building a feel of elegance. Grey and white mixed with orange create a vibrant theme. Spaciousness is applied on all floors, each of which has the same height and support beam distance and payload, making each level an advantageous site for patrons and the library's future expansion. It is a library where people enjoy reading and studying quietly and in peace.

Tel: 88866634

Add: 2239 Lishui Road, Nanshan District南山区丽水路2239号

Metro: Line 7 to Xili Station (西丽站),Exit D



Futian District

Shenzhen Library 深圳市图书馆

Shenzhen Library was originally known as the former Bao'an County Library. Located in Shenzhen administrative and cultural center and close to the beautiful Lianhua Hill, Shenzhen Library is a large modern cultural facility sponsored and financed by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, occupying a surface area of 29,612 square meters and containing a total floor space of 49,589 square meters. The library provides a book collection capacity of 4,000,000 items, holds 2,500 reading seats and 3,000 net nodes, and can accommodate 8,000 readers per day.

Shenzhen Library styles itself in a remarkable way with intricate designs and a modern feel. The style of its architecture shifted from traditional to open-concept during recent renovations, freeing the interior of partitions and endowing it with ample and flexible-use space. The space has ever since reinforced Shenzhen's personality as a young and vital city.

Enjoying a collection of 2,450,000 volumes of books and periodicals and nearly 1,000,000 electronic and network documents of various kinds, Shenzhen Library has served almost 2,500,000 readers annually since its re-opening after renovations.

In response to the current economic, social and cultural situation in Shenzhen, the library has collected special resources regarding high technology, business, fashion, and law. It also contains local documents from Shenzhen and materials published in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Tel: 82841211 / 82841212

Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)

Add: 2001 Fuzhong Road 1, Futian District福田区福中一路2001号Metro: Line 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D

Futian Library 福田图书馆

Established in July 1999, Futian Library opened to the public in December 2001 and relocated to the Library Building, close to Lianhua Hill, in April 2008. It has 260,000 books, more than 20,000 audio files, 210 types of newspapers and 2,100 types of magazines. There are reading rooms for books, magazines, multimedia files, consultations, special files, local files, children's books and Braille. There are 1,000 seats in the library, which can serve 3,000 to 4,000 readers a day.

The library also offers a remote digital library for readers with about 20,000 digital books, 1,400 digital magazines and large search services. There are 11 branch libraries across the district.

Tel: 83055114 

Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Closed on Tuesdays)

Add: 70 Jingtian Road, Futian District福田区景田路70号

Metro: Line 2 to Jingtian Station (景田站),Exit C

Futian library's 24-hour self-service

Futian District Library in Jingtian has a 24-hour self-service area for readers to borrow, return and renew books.

Located at the west side of the library building, the self-service area has a few shelves of Chinese-language books on social sciences, natural sciences and literature, as well as children’s books.

To enter the area, readers must show their “City of Library” Shenzhen Library Network reader’s card at the entrance. The “City of Library” Shenzhen Library Network covers more than 200 public libraries in Shenzhen. There’s also an emergency button on premise.

Futian District Library’s Photo and Video Library 影像主题馆

Futian District Library opened a photo- and video-themed library outlet in Huaqiangbei on Dec. 27.

Located on the third floor of Huaqiang Electronics World’s podium building, the library has a collection of more than 4,000 books on photography, videography, TV and movie production. In the future, the library will host movie-showing and video-making salons, as well as photography lectures.

Venue: Futian District Library’s Photo and Video Library, 3/F, Huaqiang Electronics World’s podium building, Huaqiangbei, Futian District 福田区华强北华强电子世界裙楼三楼福田区图书馆影像主题馆

Metro: Line 2 to Huaqiang North Station (华强北站), Exit A

Shenzhen Children’s Library 深圳少年儿童图书馆

Established on Nov. 5, 1997, Shenzhen Children's Library is a public library providing information services for children, educators and parents. The library has a collection of more than 200,000 books, 1,000 types of magazines, about 10,000 digital files and nearly 100 pieces of related equipment. Various cultural activities are held at the library on a regular basis.

Tel: 82093377, 82093477

Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Closed on Mondays)

Add: 1011 Hongli Road, Futian District 福田区红荔路1011号

Metro: Line 3 to Tongxinling Station (通新岭站),Exit C

Line 3/9, Hongling Station (红岭), Exit B



Luohu District

Shenzhen Luohu Library罗湖图书馆

Founded in 1985, Luohu Library provides literature lending, information consulting and other services for readers of different fields in Luohu District. By the end of 2011, Luohu Library had a collection of 730,000 books, 15 databases and 1,031 newspaper and periodicals.

Tel: 25403654

Add: 1014 Yijing Road, Luohu District 罗湖区怡景路1014号

Metro: Line 5 to Yijing Station (怡景站),Exit C



Longgang District

Shenzhen Longgang Library 龙岗图书馆

Longgang Library, located in the east side of Longcheng Square in Longgang District, enjoys convenient transportation. Over 30 bus routes have set up a stop nearby. It’s a convenient 20 minutes' drive away from Shuiguan Expressway and Qingping Expressway.

Longgang Library touts a fully open and naturally divided layout, which makes it a flexible venue. It is also designed to optimize the use of natural lighting and ventilation, keeping a top-notch reading environment and saving energy.

Tel: 89558918

Add: Building D, Cultural Center, Longgang Central City, Longgang District 龙岗区龙岗中心城文化中心D座图书馆

Metro: Line 3 to Longcheng Square (龙城广场),Exit D



Bao’an District

Shenzhen Bao’an Library宝安图书馆

Covering an area of 31,854 square meters, Bao'an Library has 2000 seats and the ability to accommodate 10,000 readers per day. By the end of 2015, it had stored 947,000 books, 178,000 electronic books, 11 TB of digital resources and 20 databases. The entire premise of Bao’an Library offers full-coverage Wi-Fi, mobile reading, self-help printing and scanning, underground car parking, casual dining, and other related services.

Tel: 27387075

Add: 1 Baoxing Road, Bao’an District (opposite of Coastal Square) 宝安区宝兴路1号(宝安区委区政府大楼、海滨广场对面)

Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (宝华站), Exit D



Longhua District

Longhua Subdistrict Library 龙华街道办图书馆

Tel: 29571532

Add: Longhua Subdistrict Office, Longhua Cultural and Art Center on the intersection of Meilong Road and Donghuan 2 Road 龙华街道办事处梅龙路与东环二路交汇处龙华文化艺术中心



Yantian District

Yantian Library 盐田图书馆

By December in 2016, Yantian Library housed 719,000 books, 14 document databases (including three still on trial) and 1,203 journals. With the service aim of “Readers come first, service is supreme,” Yantian Library opens every day for readers all year round.

The service areas that the library provides include a children’s books lending area, children’s multimedia reading area, toy library, castle of books, newspapers and periodicals reading area, multifunctional lecture hall, E-reading area, maker space, audio-visual service area, local document room, 4D cinema, DIY activity center, and other functional areas.

Tel: 25227003

Add: 2128 Shenyan Road, Yantian District 盐田区深盐路2128号

Transport: Take buses No. 85, 103B, 103, 205, 239, 308, 358, 387, E26, J1, M314, M437, Sightseeing Line 1, Airport Express 6, and alight at Yantian Government (盐田区政府)

Shatoujiao Library 沙头角图书馆

Founded in 1984 and covering an area of 1,000 square meters, Shatoujiao Library has a collection of 50,000 books, over 400 newspapers and periodicals, and 60 seats for reading. It contains a newsroom, E-reading rooms, self-study rooms, reader activity rooms and office areas, offering readers a comfortable place for learning. Shatoujiao Library also hosts various activities on social education and cultural communication, making the library a good place for citizens to take part in cultural education events.

Tel: 25352906

Add: 3rd to 4th floor of Hanhaidongan Building, 63 Guanxia Road, Shatoujiao, Yantian District 盐田区沙头角官下路63号瀚海东岸裙楼3~4楼

Transport: Take buses No. 85, 103, 103, 103, 205, 239, 308, 358, 387, B625, B701, B785, J1, or M207, and alight at Guanxia Road (官下路)



Pingshan District

Pingshan Children's Library 坪山少儿图书馆

Pingshan Children's Library, the city’s first district-level library for children, opened on April 24,2022. The 3,323-square-meter library is located at the Huahan Science and Technology Building in Longping Road, Pingshan District. The three-story library is designed to house 100,000 books and now has a collection of 50,000 books for children. It also has function rooms for role plays, training, playing with toys and an audiovisual room. 

Tel: 89667095

Add: 1st, 3rd floor of Huahankeji Building, Longping Road, Pingshan District 坪山区龙坪路华瀚科技大厦1楼、3楼

Pingshan Library 坪山图书馆

Pingshan Library officially opened to the public in Pingshan District on March 23, 2019.

The 10-story Pingshan Library covers a floor area of 13,200 square meters, providing more than 800 seats with a designed collection of at least 1.2 million books. It has also joined the citywide borrowing-and-returning service platform, meaning readers can return books they have borrowed from Pingshan Library to any of its counterparts in Shenzhen.

Contemporary Chinese philosopher, writer and scholar Zhou Guoping, who was appointed the library’s first director Nov. 19, 2018. Zhou’s writings cover a wide range of styles, from prose to poetry, documentary writing and translation of foreign works.

Zhou also has rich experience in managing books. He was a consultant of the National Library of China in 2007 and the honorary director of Hubei Provincial Library in 2013.

The Pingshan Library is also unique for its special collection on the sixth floor, where the works of eight scholars — including Han Shaogong, a famous Chinese novelist, Ding Xueliang, an academic instructor at Shenzhen University, Zhu Yongxin, a member of the standing committee of the CPPCC national committee and an educator, and Zhou — are housed. They will share their ideas and opinions with readers by recommending books and communicating with the public during literary salons.

In August 2021, the library won second prize at the Green Library Award presented by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Visitors can follow the library's official WeChat account "szpslib" for more information.

Tel: 8938-9955

Add: Huide Road, Pingshan Subdistrict, Pingshan District, Shenzhen(深圳市坪山区坪山街道汇德路)

Transport: Take buses No.915, b760 and alight at Zhaoshanghuayuan  Community Health Care Center (招商花园社康中心)

Pingshan Culture Hall 坪山文化馆

On August, 2021, Pingshan Culture Hall opened to the public. Located at Chuangjing Road, the three-floor structure covers an area of more than 5,000 square meters and has a floor area of 4,000 square meters. It hosts an art book library, a children’s reading hall, an exhibition hall, a sound recording studio, an art creation studio, a dance studio and rooms for art training. It provides various cultural services for Pingshan citizens.

Tel: 28829672

Add: 23 Chuangjing Road, Pingshan District

Transport: B591, M195, M296, M327, M422, M440 and alight at Pingshan Foreign Languages School Wenyuan Campus (同心外国语文源校区)

Guangming District Library 光明区图书馆

Opened on August 15, 2012, Guangming District Library is a district-level public library in Shenzhen and a landmark cultural building. With a floor area of 10,000 square meters, the four-storied library has a collection of 250,000 books and more than 1,000 genres of magazines and newspapers.

With 600 seats, 89 computers and various electronic resources, the library consists of the Book Reading Area, Special Reading Room for the Visually Impaired, Newspaper Reading Room, E-reading Room, Reading Room for Children, Multimedia Exhibition Room, Self-study Room for Readers, Multifunctional Lecture Hall, and more dedicated facilities.

Citizens can walk in the library and read books, and no ID or membership is needed. However valid credentials are needed for borrowing books. The library adopts the FRID library management system, which enables readers to self check-in and check-out and to borrow and return books at any member library or city-level public library. The library is open to the public throughout the year.

Add: 9 Zhenming Road, Guangming District (深圳市光明区公明街道振明路9号)

Tel: (86-755) 21385370; (86-755) 21385371

Open hours: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. (Tuesdays to Sundays, closed on Mondays)

Service Time: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.