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The MUC Praxis Archive at Minzu University of China Library adopts traditional Chinese elements such as a moon gate window.

The vintage Glass Stacks at Tsinghua University Library are lined with tall, dark metal bookshelves.

The General Education & Course Reference Hall at Peking University Library is centered around a striking pagoda-shaped book tower.

Teachers and students walk in front of the library of Minzu University of China.

On a morning in early September, at Tsinghua University Library, the doors of the reading room are pushed open to reveal rows of wooden desks beneath green-shaded lamps, standing in quiet readiness for students returning for the new semester.

Just beyond a wall lie the "Glass Stacks", where sunlight streams through tall window frames and falls upon rows of bookshelves that have witnessed a century of academic lineage — the very place Qian Zhongshu (1910-98), a Chinese scholar and writer who studied here, famously pledged to "read his way through the entire collection of Tsinghua University Library" during his student years.

This is an ordinary day for a university library, yet it captures a broader transformation unfolding across the higher education landscape: the redefinition of what university libraries stand for. The culture embedded in university libraries is shifting from primarily preservation-focused to living transmission-oriented, and young people emerge as the participants, interpreters and co-creators of this inheritance.

The roots of civilization

Stepping into the Glass Stacks in Tsinghua University Library feels like walking into a tunnel where time stands still. Flanking the narrow aisle, tall steel bookshelves with towerlike walls and a cool metallic sheen are lined with Chinese and Western volumes whose worn pages bear marginalia left by generations of scholars during their student days.

The century-old glass floor underfoot reveals faint glimmers of the level below, while long overhead lights stretch deep into the distance, guiding one's focus toward a small window at the far end bathed in warm natural light.

Yin Xin, deputy director of the Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections at Tsinghua University Library, explains the deeper philosophy behind the space: "The Glass Stacks remain entirely as they were — the steel shelves, the glass floor, all original. Many of the volumes bear notes and markings left by students from earlier generations.

"When students see these books and this library, it offers an immersive experience very different from classroom lectures. It carries the academic footprints of earlier scholars and also traces the evolution of China's library system," says Yin.

The library's Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections houses more than 28,000 titles and 222,500 volumes of ancient texts, including 1,885 titles of rare books and 425 unique copies.

For freshman Xu Yitian, majoring in theoretical and applied mechanics at Tsinghua University, this sense of immersion took hold the moment he entered the historic library building. "I climbed the spiral staircase flanked by marble walls, with a decorative lantern on the ceiling and vintage green-shaded lamps on the desks. The place is steeped in history," says Xu.

For Kang Yu, a clinical medicine student at Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, this cultural resonance feels equally tangible. "The brush calligraphy by ancient scholars on images of original ancient book pages gives me a tangible connection with traditional culture," he says.

If the Glass Stacks let young people witness the continuity of knowledge, the Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang Study — known as part of the "Master's Study" — in the same historic building puts a human face on that legacy.

Step into the Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang Study in the old building of Tsinghua University Library, and time seems to freeze. Several sets of wooden glass bookcases stand against the walls, with yellowed books neatly lined up, exuding the subtle fragrance of years gone by. Every piece of furniture, every book and every detail here is more than mere furnishings; they tell a story in silence.

He Yu, director of the Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections, elaborates on the concept: "Yang Jiang once said that reading is like paying a casual visit to someone; each book is a visit to a person's home. Reading is not just about absorbing words — it is about getting to know the author's life."

Living heritage

Seeing is only the first step of inheritance, not the final destination. For culture to truly take root in the hearts of young people, it must be made tangible and accessible.

At Beijing Normal University, a special textbook exhibition traces a distinct "cultural vein" of education. Upon entering the library, visitors see representative textbooks from different eras laid flat in rows of wooden-framed glass display cases.

The crisp clarity of glass and the warm texture of wood complement each other, presenting documents once kept in closed storage in an approachable way. Strolling past the display cases is like journeying through China's educational history.

Hu Shenqiu, an associate research librarian at Beijing Normal University Library, says that textbooks have long been one of the library's signature collections. First assembled in the 1930s, the collection has grown over nearly a century to include more than 80,000 titles and over 240,000 volumes of textbooks spanning all educational levels and subjects.

"Textbooks are an integral part of their time. In many ways, they shape the person you grow into," says Hu.

When displayed in the library, textbooks transcend their role as mere teaching tools and become witnesses to the spiritual growth of generations. For young people, they offer not just knowledge, but answers to questions about their origins and their path forward.

Even as AI enables instant access to information and learning anytime and anywhere, the role of authoritative "guides" remains as vital as ever, according to Hu.

"These time-tested textbooks were meticulously compiled by leading scholars and scientists of each era. They embody systematic knowledge frameworks, rigorous academic standards and enduring educational missions that are fundamentally different from the fragmented information delivered by AI," says Hu.

Spiritual growth

As culture evolves from being "seen" to being "felt", the role of libraries is also transforming. They are neither classrooms nor museums, but "third spaces" sitting in between.

Step into the General Education & Course Reference Hall at Peking University Library, and a 5.4-meter-high wooden book tower stands at the center of view. Layer upon layer of ancient tomes climb upward. Encircling the tower is a blue rippling bookshelf with a perimeter of 54 meters, resembling spreading waves of knowledge.

The hall houses around 20,000 volumes of reference books on the ripple-shaped bookshelves inspired by Weiming Lake, plus about 4,000 general education titles on adjacent shelves. The central Boya Book Tower holds roughly 3,000 copies of historical library books and another 1,000 volumes about Peking University's history and culture. Around 3,500 volumes are displayed on reading tables. The space has proved hugely popular among students and is often packed during graduation season.

Zhang Naishuai, director of the Knowledge Resource Service Center at Peking University Library, says the General Education & Course Reference Hall was designed with the intention of integrating Peking University's culture into the space.

"We hope visitors can feel the atmosphere even when they are not reading here, simply by passing through," says Zhang.

The AI era has driven dramatic shifts in people's reading habits, with many turning to AI for quick solutions instead of reading full-length books, notes Zhang.

"But the depth of knowledge comprehension differs vastly between the two approaches, and AI still has inherent limitations at this stage," says Zhang.

By curating and presenting authoritative literature, libraries allow readers to verify facts and trace sources to classic texts, thus fostering critical thinking, Zhang explains.

"Readers can use AI as a tool while taking authoritative library collections as a reference for verification. The two complement each other, and this process also improves readers' AI literacy. It helps build a more complete knowledge structure and nurtures a well-rounded personality," says Zhang.

Beyond fostering critical thinking and systematic knowledge, the library's immersive cultural atmosphere also resonates with young people from across the globe.

"There are two things that I really like about this library," says Renze Antonie van de Putte, a first-year postgraduate student from the Netherlands at Peking University's School of International Studies.

"First, there are so many Chinese books here. That's a big reason I love this place. When I am in the Netherlands, it is far more difficult to access such books; even my home university does not have a large collection of Chinese titles, and procuring and shipping them from China to the Netherlands is challenging, which is why I love it here. Also, the architecture is amazing here — the combination of modernity and traditional style is remarkable," says Van de Putte.

Space fosters atmosphere, while "shared reading" turns that atmosphere into meaningful human connection. At Minzu University of China, shared reading turns a solitary activity into a collective, interactive experience.

Stepping into the MUC Praxis Archive at Minzu University of China Library, visitors are greeted by a traditional Chinese moon gate window, with lush bamboo shadows outside contrasting with the neat wooden bookshelves lining the interior walls.

Students from various ethnic groups sit around long wooden tables. A teacher stands at the front by a screen, speaking engagingly; students listen intently, jot down notes, and occasionally exchange glances or whisper in discussion. In this space that blends traditional aesthetics with modern pedagogy, young people from all ethnic groups come together, with knowledge and ideas flowing through equal, open dialogue.

Minzu University of China hosts monthly reading events, where the university library selects a number of books from its holdings and invites students to read them.

"The first event was held on April 23 this year," says Guo Yue, a librarian at the library's Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections.

"Students have shown extremely high enthusiasm. Each session offers 20 spots, and they are basically fully booked within five minutes," says Guo.

Liu Mingxin, director and professor of the library, says: "This multiformat, multi-carrier reading model can meet the diverse needs of different students. Peer-to-peer deliberation, exchange and discussion greatly help students develop critical thinking and the capacity for objective judgment. Everyone participates in the conversation on an equal footing."

Jirikeniu, an undergraduate majoring in paleography at the School of Chinese Ethnic Minority Languages and Literatures at Minzu University of China, says this format "differs from regular large-class lectures", and students "get so much more out of it". Jirikeniu, who is from the Yi ethnic group, has grown increasingly confident and articulate since he came to work as a volunteer and study at the library.

"That is a defining feature of our university. We have many students from ethnic areas, and we provide them with more scope to showcase themselves and develop their capabilities," Guo says.

When young people linger in these university libraries, they connect not merely with yellowed pages, but with the living roots of Chinese civilization. What began as scattered initiatives has grown into a systematic practice steadily unfolding across universities, revealing a clear trajectory: from static preservation to living inheritance, and from physical spaces to spiritual homelands. In their own distinctive ways, university libraries are helping cultural inheritance take root in young people's daily lives.

As Jin Jianbin, professor and director of Tsinghua University Library, puts it: "Libraries embody each university's historical heritage and cultural temperament. Every university boasts its unique history and mission. Serving as a silent and nurturing venue, the university library exerts a subtle and enlightening influence on students."

Contact the writer at zhangwei1@chinadaily.com.cn