A "shared reading booth" in Shanghai on March 25, 2018. (Photos: VCG)

Public telephone booths used to be a beautiful scene along the streets of Shanghai. However, with the spread of mobile phones, the red booths have gradually lost their status.

Together with China Telecom's Shanghai Branch, Shanghai's Xuhui district has decided to turn these booths into mini-library stands to promote its smart city development. The first batch of six such "shared reading booths" appeared on March 25.

A woman reads a book in a "shared reading booth" in Shanghai. 

The telephones will remain in the booths in case of emergencies. These booths come in three themes: "drifting stand" serves as a platform of reading and offline reading activities via a WeChat account, "famous figure stand" will introduce well-known local historical figures like Ba Jin and Ke Ling, and "one book stand" will recommend one good book on a regular basis.

All the booths are equipped with high-speed wifi, providing the public with fast and stable access to the Internet. 

Inside a "shared reading booth" in Shanghai.  

A "shared reading booth" in Shanghai on March 25, 2018.

Inside a "shared reading booth" in Shanghai.  

(Compiled by Du Mingming)