On the fourth floor of a shopping mall in Hotan is a unit decorated in an antique style that has Uygur calligraphy in its front windows.

The place stands out from its modern neighbors, not only for its architecture, but because instead of shoppers browsing for bargains it is full of people reading books.

It is a small library, the brainchild of Tursontohut Wushor, who is illiterate.

Apart from his signature, the 52-year-old can hardly write a word, but he can recognize the name of his beloved library, a local word meaning conscience.

"I'm rich now, and I want to leave something valuable to be passed on," said the successful businessman from Hotan, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. "I don't mean money. I mean knowledge."

Tursontohut started a silk company in Beijing in 1982 and has since expanded his business to Pakistan and France.

Although he is unable to read or write, he is a true book lover. He opened the library last year, stocking it with more than 10,000 books in various languages ranging from Uygur and Chinese to English.

On the tables of the library, which covers about 150 square meters, are dry fruits and snacks for readers. Those who miss lunch can order hot noodles.

College student Musajon Metet, 20, was taking photographs of the beautiful Uygur calligraphy on display and had only just picked up a novel and sat down to devour it on a sofa when a librarian poured him a glass of hot herbal tea.

"It's different from those large libraries," he said, unable to hide his excitement at finding a library in a mall. "It's more like reading in the comfort of your own living room."

For Tursontohut, that is exactly the vibe he is going for.

"I just want people, especially young people, to stay and get into the habit of reading," he explained. "I wish I could've had such an opportunity when I was young - I wouldn't be illiterate.

"My business would be even bigger if I could read and write."

The businessman said he is proud to have converted a group of young people who used to play cards and drink beer at a nearby garden into loyal customers.

"At first, they only stayed for the free tea and food, then I noticed they were gradually sucked into the books. Now they visit almost every day," he said.

Many of Tursontohut's books are secondhand and were collected from people in Hotan. Among them is a hand-copied book about Uygur medicine on handmade mulberry paper.

"I bought that book from a farmer, and it is very old," the businessman said. "Although it cost me a lot of money, I don't want to put it in a glass box as some people have suggested. I want people to touch it and feel the history."

The most expensive book in the library is a hand-copied Quran on sheepskin, which cost about 100,000 yuan ($16,300). It is also on a shelf for anyone to flip through.

Tursontohut, who covers the running cost of the library with profits from a bookstore he opened on the same floor, said he plans to rent more space in the mall to expand.

"Many people have made a fortune by selling jade from Hotan, but they use the money to do bad things, such as drugs, because their heads are empty," he said. "Some people say I'm a fool running a business that only loses money, what they don't see is the knowledge we are putting in people's heads."

Tursontohut Keyoum, the businessman's youngest son, said at first he also did not understand his father's actions, but since he was put in charge of the library he has learned how rewarding it is.

For example, he said, one regular visitor is a motorbike dealer who has a disability in his right hand.

He holds a book only with his left hand and reads the entire day, the 23-year-old said, "and every time I see someone like him reading happily in a place we created, I feel it's all worth it".

Contact the writer at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 07/02/2013 page5)