National library sees numbers increase as temperature rises

National Library of China ( NLC) in Beijing has turned into a "meditation" Holy Land as readers flock to it to escape the summer heat. Although Beijing entered Start of Autumn, the solar term reflecting the end of summer and the beginning of autumn on Aug 9, the baking heat shows no sign of autumn.[Photo/IC]

As the third-largest national library in the world, with the largest collection of Chinese books, it is spread out over 250,000 square meters. Books in 115 foreign languages constitute half of the whole collection, making it the largest collector of foreign publications in China, according to NLC's website.