The Guinness Book of World Records has
recognized a reading room on the 60th floor of the Shanghai JW
Marriott Hotel as the "Highest Library in the World."
Located on downtown Shanghai’s Huangpi Road near
People's Square, the hotel library is 230.9 meters above sea level
and covers 57 square meters. It houses more than 1,500 books in
various languages, including English novels and Chinese poetry.
Ancient editions of Chinese literary works with
threaded deep blue covers, which are very rare in local bookstores,
are also available in the hotel library.
"These books are always tough for our guests to put
down," said Pan Jin, the hotel's public relations manager. "People
love to pick up a book and spend a whole weekend afternoon or night
reading and drinking a cup of coffee."
Connected to a small coffee bar on the 59th floor,
readers can walk up a spiral staircase to enter the quiet library,
which is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling book shelves on three
sides.
The library is only open to hotel guests, who must
use their room cards to enter.
(Shanghai Daily April 30, 2005)