You haven't lived...

...until you've visited the Public Library of Xiamen.

Located in The Xiamen Culture and Art Center (opened in Spring 2007). Our mission on Saturday was to find it, apply for library cards and check out what facilities were available.

Whilst the four buildings of the complex are interesting (and we do intend to go back to check out the technology building and museum), our time in the library was definitely not conducive to a return visit.

First we picked up some library card applications to bring home, translate and fill in.

Then we tried to see how the library was set out...no go. Our way was barred at every entry and because our chinese is non-existant, whatever the guards were saying to us was not understood. Confused, we finally headed to the children's room which was located on the first (ground) floor and had no guards - it was packed! This room (it was around 10am on Saturday) had so many people in it they were sitting on the floor. Having found a chinese version of "Snow White" that I could read to Alex, Brett went off to test his theory - that children aren't allowed in the rest of the library. Sure enough - he gained entry where we had been blocked (as a family) before.

Curiouser and curiouser...

We took photos of the sign so we could get translations from friends and then the tropical downpour began - which meant we stayed put as we had no desire to venture out to find the bus-stop in that! Except that the only places to sit were on the few couches that were fast filling up as other library patrons made the same decisions. Having sat on an available garden surrounding wall, only to have a security guard tell him you could only sit on the couches, Alex and I found a space and she proceeded to fall asleep on my lap. Sebastien was entertaining the kids stuck there because of the rain, power crawling up and down the entry area and "talking" to the masses - only for Brett to be told that that was also not allowed.By this stage, we'd decided that we would have lunch at the library and went to buy some noodles from the little kiosk (that was doing a brisk trade). Alex squatted on the ground and said that her tummy hurt (usually meaning she needed to go to the toilet) so I took her off - however she said that she wanted to lie down so, thinking she was still tired we sat on a couch (her on my knee). Five minutes later - vomit. Twice. All over mummy.

The lady sitting next to me on the couch handed me a package of tissues whilst I was trying to work out how to get Brett's attention (he was standing outside showing Sebastien the rain) or clean up just enough to get Alex and I both to the bathroom without leaving behind a mess. I managed to clean up a little (Brett dumped those tissues in the nearest bin) and then carry Alex to the bathroom. Thankfully they had a handicapped toilet which meant we could strip off our shirts, wash them out in the sink and - well in the end I just wet my whole shirt to try to achieve a single colour. The hand-dryer was not powerful enough to dry either shirt so we just wore them wet. My skirt, well I ended up washing off as much as possible without dunking the whole thing.

Then we made our sorry way out of the library - in the last drizzle of the rain - to catch the bus home. Alex ran a fever all that day and slept most of it and the following day - plus had an eventual minor bout of diarrhea - which leads us to believe she finally (after three weeks) succumbed to something she ate. And we'll leave it at that.

Oh yeah - apparently children under twelve aren't allowed in the library (aside from the children's room). I wish that this was mentioned somewhere in the english information site we read.