Ferrying Compound Bookstore

Entering this interior retail space designed by Xixi Quan, Kau Chan and Junming Chen, the listener encounters a bookstore environment measuring approximately twelve meters in depth as visible in this view, organized around the striking presence of two traditional wooden boats positioned as central display features. Scanning from left to right across the composition: the left third presents white-painted walls with a large pointed arch opening, perhaps three meters tall and two meters wide, its curved top creating an elegant frame that reveals illuminated bookshelves in an adjacent room beyond. The ceiling throughout features an industrial diamond-pattern mesh in gunmetal gray, suspended below exposed structural beams and track lighting, creating a textured overhead plane approximately four meters above the floor. In the foreground left corner stands a boat approximately four meters long, crafted from dark wood the color of strong coffee or chocolate, its hull curved like a gentle crescent moon, resting on crossed wooden supports at knee height. The boat's interior serves as a display surface holding small objects including containers in cream and amber tones, papers, and a decorative hand fan. A second, larger boat of similar dark timber occupies the right middle ground, extending perhaps five meters in length. Behind this vessel rises a dramatic wall painted in warm vermillion red, the temperature of autumn maple leaves or rich paprika. This wall bears a large pixelated figure rendered in gradients from deep burgundy through coral to cream and gold, suggesting a mythological creature with flowing elements. To its left, white calligraphic characters appear within a dark rounded rectangle. The floor transitions from warm terracotta brick arranged in herringbone pattern, feeling earthy and grounded, to lighter ceramic tile near the featured wall. The atmosphere suggests quiet contemplation, the stillness of a museum combined with the warmth of a welcoming cultural space.

The contrast between tradition and modernity makes this bookstore attractive. The first floor uses the traditional water town block as the logic of spatial organization: the river connects the space of books, commodities, and salon, including small bridges, houses, miniature squares, Chinese octagonal pavilions, ferry crossings, and mythical beasts Qilin. But, the second floor is composed of contemporary technological elements such as parametric subway trains, AR experience, and modern tea drinks.