Shenzhen Book City 2026: All 8 Book Cities Free Entry — Central City (中心城), Luohu City (羅湖城), Nanshan City (南山城), Longhua City (龍華城) (MTR Exits + Opening Hours)

Beyond Eating, Shopping and Playing in Shenzhen: Visiting Book Cities

The Shenzhen Book City (深圳書城) chain is a bookstore brand under the Shenzhen Publishing Group, covering the districts of Futian, Luohu, Nanshan, Longhua, Longgang, Bao'an and Guangming. All are free to enter, and most are directly accessible by metro. Compared with bookstores in Hong Kong, Shenzhen Book Cities are far larger — the biggest one covers 82,000 square metres, and you could spend a whole day there and still not finish.

For Hong Kong readers, visiting a Book City has several practical uses: buying mainland-edition books and textbooks, buying stationery and journaling supplies, taking kids to look at picture books, or simply finding an air-conditioned place with seating to while away half a day. This guide is organised by district near each border crossing, so whichever checkpoint you cross at, you'll find the nearest one.

From Futian Checkpoint: Shenzhen Book City Central City (福田區)

Shenzhen Book City Central City (深圳書城中心城) is the flagship of the whole chain, opened in 2006, with an area of 82,000 square metres, divided into the South Zone, North Zone and Central Hall space. Besides selling books, it has a 24-hour book bar, an aesthetic lifestyle hall, an art and design hall and a study room — the top choice for Shenzhen locals "soaking in the Book City" on weekends.

• Address: 2014 Fuzhong 1st Road, Lianhua Subdistrict, Futian District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 4, "Children's Palace Station" Exit C2; from Futian Checkpoint take Line 4 directly, no need to change lines
• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 10:00–22:00; Friday 10:00–22:30; Saturday 09:30–22:30; Sunday 09:30–22:00
• On the way: After leaving the Book City you can walk to Lianhua Mountain Park and reach the summit in an hour to see Futian CBD

From Luohu Checkpoint: Shenzhen Book City Luohu City (羅湖區)

Luohu City (羅湖城) is one of Shenzhen's earliest Book Cities, opening in 1996, and can be called the birthplace of the Shenzhen Book City brand and the "Shenzhen Reading Month" event. Besides selling books, it also holds occasional talks and exhibitions, inviting authors to share; the first floor regularly hosts calligraphy and painting exhibitions, so you can look at art while browsing books. It's located on Shennan East Road, just over one metro stop from Luohu Checkpoint.

• Address: 2nd–4th Floor, Jinshan Building, 5033 Shennan East Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 1 or Line 2, "Grand Theatre Station" Exit F
• Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 9:30–21:30; Friday, Saturday and statutory holidays 9:30–22:00

From Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint: Shenzhen Book City Nanshan City (南山區)

Nanshan City (南山城) is seven storeys tall and is the best one for bringing children — the entire 4th floor is a dedicated children's floor, with famous Chinese and foreign picture books, nature and science, subject education and traditional culture books. For adult books, humanities, social sciences and history are all well stocked. The 2nd floor has a book bar where you can read while drinking coffee.

• Address: 2748 Nanhai Avenue (near Haide 2nd Road), Haizhu Community, Yuehai Subdistrict, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 9, "Nanshan Book City Station" Exit B; entering Nanshan District from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, it's not far after transferring
• Opening hours: Friday, Saturday 09:30–22:00; Monday to Thursday and Sunday 09:30–21:30

The Other 5: Longhua City, Longgang City, Bao'an City, Eye of the Bay Area, and Mi Bookstore

Shenzhen Book City Longhua City (龍華區)

Shenzhen's second-largest Book City, after Central City, with a total area of about 46,000 square metres, gathering nearly 700,000 books. Its architectural design is known as "Shenzhen's most beautiful Book City", with the highlight being a 270° circular grand book wall facing panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass.

• Address: 1389 Meilong Avenue, Longhua District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 4, "Qinghu Station" Exit D
• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 10:00–22:00; Friday 10:00–22:30; Saturday 09:30–22:30; Sunday 09:30–22:00

Shenzhen Book City Longgang City (龍崗區)

Longgang City (龍崗城) is part of the "Shenzhen Red Cube" three-halls-one-city complex. Inside there is a public reading space and a study room (advance booking required), and it also hosts occasional cultural exhibitions, music performances and talks.

• Address: 8028-4 Longxiang Avenue, Sanguan West Road, Longcheng Subdistrict, Longgang District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 3, "Longcheng Square Station" Exit D
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 09:00–21:00

Shenzhen Book City Bao'an City (寶安區)

Opened in 2015, with an area of about 38,000 square metres across 6 floors, its collection covers humanities and social sciences, lifestyle and art, and history. It pioneered a "WeChat self-service book purchase experience zone" — scan the QR code to buy books yourself.

• Address: Jinyue Building, west side of Zhongxin Road, Xinqiao Subdistrict, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 11, "Shajing Station" Exit D
• Opening hours: 10:00–21:30

Eye of the Bay Area (灣區之眼) (寶安區)

The largest physical Book City cultural complex in the country, with a floor area of 131,000 square metres. Inside are nearly 100,000 titles and over 300,000 selected books. The design is mainly landscape architecture, with a starlight garden of more than 20,000 square metres on the roof, plus a Bay Area Folk Museum. It is connected by the same elevated walkway to Uniwalk and the Happy Harbour area.

• Address: 1 Baohua Road, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 5, "Baohua Station" Exit A1, direct
• Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00–22:00; Friday, Saturday 10:00–22:30

Mi Bookstore (覔書店) (光明藍鯨世界店)

Mi Bookstore (覔書店) is a national bookstore chain brand. The Guangming Blue Whale World branch has a collection of over 50,000 books. Its "Time Corridor" tunnel-style design and "tree hollow" interactive installation are photo hotspots, and there's also "Mi Coffee" where you can sit down and drink slowly.

• Address: 3rd Floor, Guangming Blue Whale World, intersection of Guan Guang Road and Guangming Avenue, Guangming Subdistrict, Guangming District, Shenzhen
• Transport: Shenzhen Metro Line 6, "Phoenix City Station" Exit A
• Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00–22:00; Friday, Saturday 10:00–22:00

Beyond Book Cities: Shenzhen's Free Libraries Are Worth a Visit Too

If you don't want to spend money, Shenzhen's public libraries are all free to enter. Worth mentioning is Luohu Library (羅湖圖書館) — with a total floor area of 77,000 square metres and 21 storeys, designed around the concept of "stacked book mountains". The first floor has a 24-hour self-service library, and the second and third floors are children's picture book and youth reading spaces. It's located on Yijing Road, Shenzhen Metro Line 5, Yijing Station Exit C, not far from Luohu Checkpoint.

Also, Shenzhen Library North Branch (深圳圖書館北館) is in Hongshan, Longhua, about a 300-metre walk from Shenzhen Metro Line 4 / Line 6, Hongshan Station Exit A1, connected to the new Shenzhen Art Museum. Both are free and require no booking.

Practical Tips

1. All are free to enter, no booking required. The only exception is that some Book Cities' study rooms require advance booking (e.g. Longgang City).
2. Pay with WeChat / Alipay — Hong Kong people can generally set these up; some self-service book machines only accept mainland electronic payments.
3. For bringing children, first choice is Nanshan City (entire 4th floor of children's books) and Central City (has a children's reading area).
4. Check the traditional Chinese edition before buying: for mainland editions of books like "The Three-Body Problem" and "To Live", the simplified edition is usually much cheaper than in Hong Kong, but pay attention to the edition used by children's schools.
5. Best to go on weekdays. On weekend afternoons, Central City and Longhua City are extremely crowded; if you want to sit down and read, arrive early.
6. Luggage arrangements: Some Book Cities have lockers at the entrance, so after buying a big pile of books you can pick them up before heading back to the checkpoint.

FAQ

Q1: Do Shenzhen Book Cities require a ticket?
No, all the Book Cities above are free to enter.

Q2: From Luohu Checkpoint, which Book City is closest?
Luohu City, Shenzhen Metro Line 1 / Line 2, Grand Theatre Station Exit F, just over one stop away.

Q3: Which Book City has the most children's books?
Shenzhen Book City Nanshan City — the entire 4th floor is a dedicated children's floor, with the most complete picture books and science books.

Q4: Can you sit down and eat at the Book Cities?
Most have coffee shops or book bars, such as Central City's 24-hour book bar, Nanshan City's 2nd-floor book bar, and Mi Bookstore's Mi Coffee.

Q5: Which is cheaper compared with Hong Kong?
Chinese books published in the mainland are generally 30% to 50% cheaper than in Hong Kong, but imported books (English originals, Taiwan editions) may not be. Before buying, you can check Hong Kong prices on your phone first and then decide.

Q6: Are there restrictions on bringing books bought at Book Cities across the border?
Books for personal use are generally fine, but too many or sensitive content may be inspected. For large purchases, it's advisable to keep receipts.

Sources: Shenzhen Publishing Group and public information from each Book City; opening hours are subject to on-site announcements. Opening hours may be adjusted with the seasons or holidays.