A couple in the middle of a divorce in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province has spent most of their efforts arguing over, not their child or money - but on books.

Throughout their years of marriage, the book lovers have accumulated a collection of more than 1,000 books, which occupy an entire wall of their house, many of which have sentimental value to each of them.

The husband argued in court that he had books that were given to him as gifts and some had been with him since university, while the wife said that many of the books related to her field of study and work, and that she had many favorites she couldn't bare to part with.

After a total of five trials, the couple managed to take their book collection apart, one book at a time, until they had finally divided up all the books - before moving on to the more traditional items, such as their child, money and property.

The couple, who had been married for 12 years met in college, but began arguing frequently over trivial matters last year.

When they couldn't work things out, they opted for a divorce, but did not realize how hard it would be for them to part from their joint book collection, which included a mix of college texts, traditional classics and fictional works.

In addition to her share of the books, the wife was also awarded custody of the couple's child and received a one-time alimony payment of 150,000 yuan.

Qianjiang Evening News