Zhou Li walked into the Qingguo bookstore, decorated in the style of an ancient Chinese garden, ordered a drink and spent a relaxing afternoon sitting there reading a book.

"I will have dinner here later," Zhou says.

She got to know the fancy bookstore from photos her friends shared on social networking platforms. She came here last week with her good friend, not to read or buy books, but to take some selfies.

The bookstore, decorated with bamboo, old bricks and tiles, was built in a corner of the Xinhua bookstore of Changzhou city, Jiangsu province to attract customers at a time when brick-and-mortar bookstores are losing out to digital reading and online shopping.

Zhu Jingtao, manager of Qingguo, said the bookstore targets young readers aged 20 to 40. Besides books and a range of food options, the store also hosts art saloons and reading.