Paid study rooms thrive in China

"Fierce competition in the workplace motivates white collars to learn more. A quiet and professional learning space is needed," said Liu. His study rooms also offer wake-up call services.

"Seats are hard to get in public libraries, and there are also a lot of distractions," said Feng Jia, an employee in a financial media company who was preparing for a financial certificate examination. "At home, there were more distractions, such as mobile phones, snacks and pets."

"I did not have much time to prepare for the exam, so I must be efficient with my time. So, a paid study lounge is ideal for me," said Feng.

Yu Xuefeng, who recently quit his job, goes to paid study rooms almost every day.

"I feel fulfilled when I learn something new. It is worth paying for a private and quiet study environment," said Yu.

Shanghai's public libraries have encountered a rising number of library users.

Pudong Library has about 3,000 reading seats. "Over 80 percent are occupied on workdays, and it is almost impossible to find a vacant seat during weekends and holidays," said Shi, deputy director of the Pudong Library. "Sometimes, the steps of the library are even full of readers."

At the Shanghai Library, there are about 1,900 reading seats with tables and chairs and about 1,400 seats with no tables for leisure and training.

The Shanghai Library receives around 3.6 million people annually, which breaks down to 5,000 to 8,000 on weekdays and 11,000 to 15,000 on weekends, according to Xu Qiang, director of the Shanghai Library's reader service center.

"People are lined up outside before we open every day. There are often quarrels and disputes over getting a seat," said Xu.

As for the emerging paid study rooms, Shi said it was a new model of learning consumption, different from the services of public libraries.

As young people have more personalized needs, it is a supplement to the cultural facilities offered by the government, according to Shi.