Walking into Zhongshuge Minhang Bookstore in Shanghai ranks as one of China’s most surreal experiences. Less bookstore, more literary neverland, it’s a maze of mirrored surfaces where curved bookshelves appear to flow infinitely and lamps illuminate cosy reading nooks.

It’s the work of architect Li Xiang and her Shanghai studio X+Living, who are also behind many of the other Zhongshuge bookstores across China which have opened at a breathless rate since 2013. In Yangzhou, a renowned water town, black-mirrored floors and tunnel-like rooms impart the illusion of flowing water. In Chengdu, home of the giant panda, Zhongshuge’s children’s section evokes China’s signature bear with a bamboo forest of whimsical panda-styled bookshelves. In Chongqing, a mind-bending vertical maze of bookshelves, staircases and mirrors invokes an Inception-meets-Penrose-steps aesthetic.