The shop used to be a bar in a street reputed for its late-night carousing.

The night China Daily visited the shop, and alley that connects the northern and southern ends of Sanlitun Village was teeming with people, while in the 700-square-meter bookstore with about 20,000 books, a couple of young people were sitting next to their laptops open.

"We come here quite often," says one of them, who lives nearby. "It's the place I use most for finishing work each day. This is the only quiet place I can find around here where I do not need to worry about closing time, and you have the air conditioning in summer, too."

Another of those in the shop, Zhao Xiaohan of Xiamen, Fujian province, who was on holiday in Beijing, says: "I accidentally found this place while I was looking for a perch after a long day of travel. It's a relaxing place, but many young people come in here after dinner time because it's the summer holidays."

In addition to stocking the latest titles and best-sellers, Sanlian Taofen sells books in ancient Chinese and many works in English. To attract customers in an area that is popular with tourists it also sells souvenirs and ornaments representative of traditional Chinese culture.

Another tourist in the shop, who says she is from Moscow, was astounded by the shop's range of offerings. "I've never seen a bookstore like this. It's got everything related to books you could ever want. Before I came in I wasn't even sure it was still open. I've never come across anything like this in Russia."

A shop assistant says the design of the shop, on two floors, is inspired by Travelers among Mountains and Streams, an ink-wash painting by Fan Kuan of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

At an intersection of Chinese and foreign culture, the bookstore takes pride in promoting and telling stories of the Chinese culture.

A cafe inside also prolongs business late into the night. There are customers who order a drink before falling asleep and those who, it is clear, are present just because they would prefer to be here than out in the street. The bookshop managers say it does not encourage these people to stay, but on the other hand if they are not disturbing others it turns a blind eye to them.