Readers enjoy their time at the Yizhuang Space·Zhang Jian Bookstore. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

A bookstore can be a perfect combination of business, art and culture, as you'll see if you walk into the Yizhuang Space·Zhang Jian Bookstore in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The 1,000-square meter bookstore, which is decorated by various flowers, houses more than 3,000 books and includes zones for reading, drinking, and intangible cultural heritage items.

While reading in the quiet environment, readers can also experience the charm of embroidery and blue calico and try their hands at craft making.

Zhang Lei, owner of the Yizhuang Space·Zhang Jian Bookstore. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

"Nantong culture such as Zhang Jian and Shen embroidery is the bookstore's theme," noted Zhang Lei, owner of the bookstore. "Therefore, most of the books in the store are about Nantong, design, and daily life."

Chinese-style clothes, silk scarves, satchels, cloth bags, creative ornaments, and Shen embroidery works can be found at the intangible cultural heritage item exhibition zone.

"I can spend the whole day in the bookstore," said a local citizen surnamed Xu, a frequent visitor of the bookstore, adding that the venue is quite suitable for both relaxation and paperwork.

Zhang, a provincial-level inheritor of Nantong simulation embroidery, had long wanted to open a store for intangible culture and learnt from the experiences of similar stores around the world.

In 2021, she opened the Yizhuang Space·Zhang Jian Bookstore, which was a hit in Nantong, and is still popular among local residents.