You'd hardly know it was there, but an abandoned residence in a paddy field on the outskirts of a rural village in China has been transformed into a beautiful, contemporary bookstore and café.
![The Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Bookshop.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
Paddy Field Bookstore is located on the north side of Xiadi, a village in the Fujian province. It's a branch of the popular Librairie Avant-Garde, an independent book shop that first launched in 1996 and has since expanded across China.
![An aerial view of the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Aerial%20view.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
The architects designed the building to look like one of the village’s historic structures, in order to blend in with the overall natural landscape of the village.
![A reading area at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/First%20floor%20reading%20area%20.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
The transformation of the building was conducted by Trace Architecture Office (Tao), which is based in Beijing. The project was led by its founder, Hua Li.
![The entrance courtyard at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Entrance%20courtyard.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
When work on the bookshop began, there were only three rammed earth walls that remained intact from the existing building, as well as a few dilapidated courtyard walls.
![The Paddy Field Bookstore in China set among rice fields](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/The%20bookstore%20in%20the%20paddy%20fields.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
The architects transformed it into a stunning three-storey building, complete with reading rooms and spaces for visitors to unwind with a book. It's made of concrete and steel, blending the contemporary with the traditional.
![The second floor reading area at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Second%20floor%20reading%20area.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
There are floor-to-ceiling windows in the café, so that visitors can enjoy great views of the entire village and the paddy fields, where rice is grown, along with their refreshments.
![The café at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Caf%C3%A9%20.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
There is even a small theatre space that has stepped wooden seating areas. The seating usefully doubles up as shelving space when not in use for performances.
![The theatre space at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Gathering%20space.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
The building has a rooftop viewing terrace with an umbrella-shaped canopy. This provides visitors with a sheltered space and a high point to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.
![The roof mezzanine at the Paddy Field Bookstore in China](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Roof%20mezzanine%20platform.jpg?w=1920&auto=format&q=75)
For further information on Tao, please see its website here.