Yulin·Ueno Bookstore is situated in Huizhou's Wild Island Cultural & Life Community. Transformed from a distillery boiler room with over 70 years of history, it awakens industrial memory through the scent of books, blending history with modernity to create an urban complex space rich in cultural sedimentation and contemporary spirit.

The preserved old chimney serves as the project's symbol, inspiring the name "Ueno" – meaning "upward growth" and "natural evolution" in Chinese. The designers used architecture to connect with history, retaining original brick walls, courtyards, and greenery while integrating modern materials and techniques to evoke a flowing sense of time. The former boiler room has been repurposed into a "Time Mailbox," becoming a vessel for emotional connection.

Spanning nearly 300㎡, the interior primarily combines a cafe and bookstore, integrating reading, conversation, and leisure. The ground floor, dominated by wooden structures, feels warm and rustic; the old brick walls engage in a dialogue with the acrylic bar, creating a contrast between old and new. Behind the bookshelves, a secluded reading area is illuminated by natural light from a small window, offering a tranquil and elegant retreat.

The second floor adopts a more modern style. A staircase featuring concrete steps and a glass handrail creates a stark contrast, symbolically guiding readers from the past toward the future. The multifunctional area makes extensive use of resin glass panels combined with a traditional beam structure—a challenging execution that reflects contemporary conceptual thinking. The VIP room provides comfort and freedom, where accents of orange interplay with the lush greenery outside the window.

The semi-open architectural design allows seamless flow between indoors and outdoors, where the scenery of all four seasons naturally permeates the space. The bookstore breathes like a living entity, using time as its radius to grow alongside the city and its people.

An independent bookstore is the silent soul of a city, a spiritual corner where people seek themselves. As The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry writes, "We are all an entire anthology of life stories." Ueno Bookstore weaves fragmented memories into a complete narrative, forging eternity from the fabric of daily life.