A new division of Shenzhen Library, known as the North Division of Shenzhen Library, and the New Hall of Shenzhen Art Museum were put into trial operations in Longhua District on Sept. 28.

The two cultural facilities, connected to each other through a public square in between, are located near the Hongshan Metro Station in the Shenzhen North Railway Station area.

The facade of the North Division of Shenzhen Library and the New Hall of Shenzhen Art Museum in Longhua District. Sun Yuchen

They mark the first two of the 10 new cultural landmark projects to be put into operation in Shenzhen.

During the trial operation phase, the 72,000-square-meter North Division will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Tuesday and Sunday, including public holidays. The library’s first floor, covering 3,500 square meters, will be open to readers, where they can borrow and return books, as well as avail of reading services.

Visitors to the North Division need to make reservations, which start at 10 a.m., for the 1,000 slots for the following day. The slots are evenly divided into two periods, either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The new division is set to commence full operation by the end of this year.

According to earlier reports, the North Division will house an extensive collection of 8 million books and provide over 2,000 seats for readers.

To celebrate the opening of the New Hall of Shenzhen Art Museum, three exhibitions featuring classic products, documents, and photo and video art collections from Shenzhen Art Museum were held.

Visitors to the museum can make reservations up to seven days in advance through the WeChat account and app of Shenzhen Art Museum. The museum is scheduled to officially open in November.

Shenzhen unveiled its plan to build 10 new cultural landmarks in 2018.