I once bought a book featuring the world’s most beautiful libraries.

I have an enduring love for books. To me, they are flat-panel displays capable of projecting three-dimensional holograms of entire worlds. One page, one universe. It has never ceased to fascinate me.

I remember reading about the Abbey Library of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The sheer splendor captured in the photographs was no less breathtaking than the first time I looked up at the Sistine Chapel.

Many European libraries are stunning beyond words; entering them feels like a pilgrimage. Those treasures, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, make you feel as though you must build a ladder of your own knowledge, step by step, just to reach them.

Sometimes I wonder: do those books sitting so high above feel lonely? Hardly anyone reaches those heights. Do they become old friends with the dust? Over the centuries of their existence, how many stories have they witnessed being opened, ignored, or forgotten?

In recent years, many modern libraries have sprung up across China. Yet, it seems most people enter them not to read, but to "check in" on social media. It isn’t a respectful pilgrimage, but a shallow "I was here" gesture. For the sake of aesthetics, some shelves don't even hold real books, just blank volumes arranged by color. This hollow grandiosity smothers the historical depth that should have been there.

The same goes for old houses. Because they are dilapidated, they are "restored" into a cheap, cost-effective version of "new." The details carved by time vanish, replaced by a layer of fast-drying paint. Who is willing to spend the fortune and time required to truly restore the old? It’s easier to just brush on some paint and turn it into a new scenic spot.

Ultimately, looking around in 2026, we see either cheap inferiority or exquisite fakes. It’s no wonder that I, someone who never particularly enjoyed antique shops find myself increasingly drawn to those imperfect places.

Because only there has Time truly lived.



—— 🎐 XC Scribbles · 壹佰參拾玖 CXXXIX 📚