6-meter-tall "book well" a mother's monument to the need for critical thought
By Globaltimes.cn, Published: 2016-12-02 16:42:39
The impressive structure looks like a deep well when peering down from above. Photo: CFP
Editor's Note:
A 6-meter-tall well built from old textbooks has been constructed by a mother in Xi'an, China’s Shaanxi Province. The mother built the well at a café using the outdated books to remind her daughter to always strive to understand the true meaning of the texts that she reads, lest she be trapped in the well of ignorance.

Old textbooks are layered together to serve as the bricks of the well. Photo: CFP
The used books were collected from nearby college students and weigh more than four tons. Photo: CFP
An old Chinese saying likens the view of a frog sitting at the bottom of a well to a narrow-minded person, which served as the inspiration for the "book well." Photo: CFP