Through Ex-Book, Lu meets various kinds of readers such as officer workers, security guards and devoted mothers. This helps him realize the warmth of strangers in real life, which is often neglected in the digital era. "A book of mine was torn when I first got it, but after it was borrowed by a reader and returned, it was fixed."

Since September, Wu Xiaozhu, who is a children's reading tutor, has borrowed 250 books from the platform, and uploaded over 700 books. Wu's child also helps her pack the books to be delivered once there is a borrowing order.

"Seeing me check and pack books, my child will take reading more seriously," she says. "We discuss the contents before we mail them to others. It's also a comfort for a mother."

Huang, the library director, says the platform helps a cultural system grow spontaneously.

"Speaking of public cultural service, the public should be the main participant and major beneficiary."

Offline fairs to exchange books have also been organized by the library since last year.