Hangzhou Library, located in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, is affectionately dubbed “the warmest library” because it opens its doors to beggars and scavengers, even featuring a statue of one such individual.
Notably, it was the first library in the country to welcome readers without requiring a library card, providing free access to all.
When this inclusive policy was initiated in 2008, a reader expressed concerns to the director about the presence of beggars and scavengers in the library. The director, Chu Shuqing, responded: “I have no right to reject them, but you have the right to leave.”
One of the most frequent scavengers was Wei Sihao.
He had a profound love for reading history and politics and always washed his hands solemnly before diving into a book. A librarian recalled: “Despite being covered in stains, his hands were always remarkably clean.”