Wormhole Library
Opened in 2021 as 'Haikou Xiaodao', monolithic cast-concrete organic form (daylight through the openings), public reading + coffee
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 10:00-18:00 · Closed on Mondays
- Ticket
- Free (reservation required)
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Opened in 2021 as 'Haikou Xiaodao', a monolithic cast-concrete organic form (daylight enters through the openings), public reading + coffee; a viral seaside building. Designed by Ma Yansong's MAD Architects and opened in 2021, the 'Haikou Xiaodao' Wormhole Library uses white concrete cast in a single pour to create a porous, cave-like organic shape; its openings let in sea breezes and daylight, and inside, the reading areas, coffee zone and sea-viewing terrace blend seamlessly — it has been hailed as 'a poem in concrete'. As a free public reading space, entry requires an online reservation; even without going in, walking a full loop around the building to study its curved surfaces and the interplay of light and shadow at the openings is a must for architecture fans. At sunset the white shell is dyed a warm orange, and framing it together with Century Bridge is a popular composition in China's architectural-photography circles.
Getting there: Seaside of Century Park
Photos
More in Haikou
- Qilou Old Street (Zhongshan Road / Bo'ai Road Historic District)
Nanyang-style qilou arcade building complex (600+ buildings, since Sipailou Street was built in 1849), 'China Historic and Cultural Street'
- Wugong Temple (Temple of the Five Lords)
Commemorates five famous officials exiled to Hainan in the Tang and Song dynasties (Li Deyu / Li Gang / Zhao Ding / Hu Quan / Li Guang), the 'First Building of Hainan' (built in the Guangxu era, Qing dynasty), relics of Su Shi's stay in Hainan (Jiongzhuo Pavilion / Fusu Spring)
- Hainan Provincial Museum
'Nanming Qidian' exhibition (artifacts recovered from the Huaguangjiao No. 1 shipwreck), South China Sea maritime civilization + Li textile (dragon quilt) special exhibits
- Qiongtai Academy
Built in the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty (1714), the setting of the story behind the Cantonese opera "Sou Shu Yuan" (Searching the Academy, with Xie Bao as headmaster), Kuixing Tower
- Former Residences of Qiu Jun and Hai Rui
Memorial sites in the hometown of Qiu Jun, the great scholar of the "Nanming Qidian" (Ming-dynasty philosopher / author of "Daxue Yanyi Bu"), and upright official Hai Rui; Hai Rui's tomb park is separately on Qiuhai Avenue (approx. CNY 30)
- Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden
China's only tropical island-type wildlife and botanical park (drive-through carnivore zone and walking zone), giraffes / giant panda house