"There are many distinct corners created by the small level changes, so I don't really have a problem finding a place to settle," says Zhang Jie, a college teacher who is visiting the library for a second time with her 5-year-old daughter.

The building is fully glazed to allow the largest amount of daylight to enter, as the library has no power supply, which means there is no heating or air conditioning.

To solve the problem, Li placed the entrance of the library on a lower level above the pond so that in summer the cool air above the water is sucked into the house.

Windows are placed at the levels where people sit to let the breeze pass through.

The roof of the building is also covered with the firewood, but the wood is sandwiched between two layers of glass so that heat will be trapped inside to warm the building during winter.

"Technology is not simply a tool, it is also a concept. It has to be integrated into the architectural space in a way that allows the house to ventilate itself according to the outside environment," Li says.

Special consideration was put into the visual effect of the building, which is 6.3 meters high. Any change in height would break the roof line, which Li believes would be disturbing not only to people's vision, but also to the landscape. "The simpler our design is, the easier it is to integrate it into the natural surroundings," he says.

Since its opening in November 2011, the library has received more than 7,000 books from the public. Visitors are invited to donate a minimum of three books and in return, they are allowed to take one book away, making the venue a platform for an exchange of ideas.

Originally intended to help the village, where there was no school or library, Li-yuan Library is now serving a bigger community. People living in the downtown drive for two hours to the library on weekends, and the villagers are benefiting by selling them food and hospitality.

"Before the library was built, we were worried that it might damage the originality of our village," says Wang Fuying, a villager who volunteers at the library. "Now we are relieved. The kids finally have a place to read. More visitors also mean more opportunities for small businesses."

And that's exactly what Li had hoped for, "to let architecture play a broader role in the nourishment of a community".

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