Once upon a time, we might have considered a bookstore incredible if it included, say, tasty café food and giant beanbags for kids. Now, an incredible bookstore is defined by reflective "tunnels" of books and truly awesome design.

In a land far away from the birthplace of Barnes & Noble lies a brand new bookstore reminiscent of a futuristic spaceship. Zhongshuge Yangzhou — as it's called — is a book lover's fairytale.

The building was designed by Shanghai firm XL-Muse, which is also behind a recent extraterrestrial-looking bookstore in Hangzhou. Although the new bookstore also looks like it could neighbor Jupiter, its inspiration stems from the web of rivers and bridges that allowed its city to become a crucial commercial hub centuries ago, Curbed reports.

The entrance hall features walls of books that soar to the arched ceiling (evocative of the city's arched bridges), reflected in black glass floors that create the appearance of an endless tunnel of books. Bibliophiles, we can see you drooling.

Courtesy of XL-Muse

Fluid is perhaps the best way to describe the design of the store, and it's by no accident. "Water, the cradle of everything, is the breeding ground of culture," according to XL-Muse. "Yangzhou was born near water. In the past, guided by water, many authors and poets visited and gathered here."

The store's design is presumably as poetic as the books within.

"Rivers on the floor and in the sky, which flow forward, lead readers to go deeper into the vast ocean of knowledge," continues the firm. "Bookshelves on the two sides extend the shape of the skyline with graceful arcs, just like a bridge over the streams, setting up a bridge of mind between readers and books."

Courtesy of XL-Muse

This shop is just one of many new Chinese spaces catering to bookworms. In Shanghai, 10 new bookstores opened last year and e-commerce site Dangdang plans to establish 1,000 offline bookstores throughout the country in the next three years, according to Yibada, a Chinese news company.

Other recent out-of-this-world spaces that have opened in China include a twig-covered glass library and a concrete library on a deserted beach, Curbed reports.

The trend may have to do with the admittedly charming experience of leafing through a book in person, rather than simply glancing at its cover online, Yibada reports. Bookstores in the country are also attracting backpackers by setting up beds, tents and sleeping bags in the shops, according to the Daily Mail.

Trending bookshops in a very digital world? Now that's a lovely plot twist.

Check out more photos of the bookstore below.

Courtesy of XL-Muse

Courtesy of XL-Muse

Courtesy of XL-Muse

Courtesy of XL-Muse

Courtesy of XL-Muse

[h/t: Curbed

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