Mima, cafe no, bookstore yes

After reading this interesting piece, I went hunting for Mima Cafe by the east gate of the Old Summer Palace 圆明园东门. Unfortunately when I got there, the cafe gate was closed and hung with a sign "Renovation".

Fortunately, all was not lost, I found this peaceful bookshop the One Way Stree Library next door, opened by the same people.


Here's the entrance, I like the bamboo fences, very green / back-to-nature. This place is an oasis in the middle of the hustle & noise of Beijing. An out-of-the-way but great place to relax!


The bookstore is a long rectangular shape with shelves filled with books reaching the ceiling.


Inside, the books were mostly Chinese (of course) and with a design / academic focus. The customers were mostly students, sitting on the 5 couches studying. There were also guys sitting outside on these lawn chairs just chilling in the outside yard. Too bad this place doesn't serve coffee.


I asked the bookshop keeper if she knew when Cafe Mima would re-open, but she didn't know. Apparantly it's been under rennovation since the fall.