Healthy, nutritious and tasty food is another highlight at the bookstore. Lamu says that their cuisine uses organic ingredients and is based on ancient Chinese wisdom and the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine), the earliest known book of traditional Chinese medicine that dates back over 2,000 years. Among the various dishes, its signature roast chicken is brushed with a traditional, handcrafted soy sauce glaze and roasted to perfection, presenting a crispy, aromatic skin and tender, juicy meat.
"We want to build a healthy, kind and happy lifestyle and community here. Our staff members are like family, and they treat each other and our customers with the same kindness. Everyone who visits feels the relaxed aura and becomes part of it.
"As they feel connected, they trust, love and return to this place that offers a naturally healthy and positive lifestyle," says Lamu.
For visitors seeking a place to stay overnight, the village's Xuejian 299 homestay, a five-minute drive from the bookstore and Ruru coffee, aims to offer homelike experiences. Yao Ping, owner of the homestay, tells China Daily that she renovated the building for her own retirement and is glad to extend the same leisure and rural beauty to more people.
Opened in December, the homestay provides much more than delicately designed rooms. It also has a restaurant and bar that serves food and coffee, a fully equipped event space for family or team gatherings, and entertainment and sports facilities.
Local artisans are often invited here, leading visitors to do handicrafts and experience local cultural heritage. Kids can play on the swings, row a boat, dig bamboo shoots, or learn about nature. After dusk, open-air movies, candlelight dinners and nighttime parties are always ready to light up the starry sky.
"It feels more like sharing my home and way of life with those who need it, rather than running a business. Our guests often come back and talk to me, and we end up becoming friends.
"This is the life and place that we have all been dreaming of, and such encounters and connections are extremely precious," says Yao contentedly.
