The interior of Southern Song Study. [Photo/IC]

Southern Song Study, a two-storied bookstore located in the Qinghefang historical and cultural street in downtown Hangzhou, is the first place in the city to focus on books about the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a historical period that is widely considered the pinnacle of ancient Chinese civilization.

The bookstore, which started operating in late September last year, is stocked with over 20,000 books, around a third of which are related to Song Dynasty culture. Apart from selling books, the bookstore also hosts research seminars and public lectures, publishes new books, as well as runs gift shops and cafes.

One of the most prominent books in its collection is Complete Set of Song Dynasty Paintings, which contains images of roughly 1,500 masterpieces around the world.

Complete Set of Song Dynasty Paintings is on display at the bookstore. [Photo/IC]

The Song Dynasty, a Han-dominated imperial dynasty, was divided into two distinctive periods: the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

During the former period, the Song Empire controlled most of today's Chinese territory to the east of the Heihe–Tengchong Line. Following a series of humiliating military defeats to the Jurchen nomadic group, the empire lost the northern half of its territory and retreated to the south, leading to the emergence of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, was called Lin'an when it was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.