During the three years of the pandemic, Chinese urban life underwent dramatic transformations. As lockdowns became part of daily life, the public life in large cities were shaken drastically. It was only then that many began to realize the irreplaceable value of real-life encounters and physical mobility.
In this context, Chengdu became a striking example. While many cities experienced isolation and stagnation, Chengdu witnessed an unexpected flourishing of public life. One visible phenomenon was the emergence of numerous independent bookstores across the city during the pandemic years.
In 2020, Chengdu-based writer Zhang Feng began writing The Details of Chengdu(《成都的细节》), a book in which many local independent bookstores in Chengdu have been written. As of 2025, several of those bookstores are still operating. Yet at the same time, a noticeable number have closed this year. In Zhang’s view, it was precisely during the pandemic years that public life flourished—and from 2023 onwards, as “social order” gradually returned to “normal,” this fragile public life began to falter again.
What makes Chengdu’s bookstores unique?
As Zhang observes, “These bookstores are all very small; the founders are very young; and they each cultivate a highly specific but distinctive community. Their purpose is not to sell books—or even to sell anything at all. They are a form of expression.” Many of them open only after midday but stay open late into the evening. Beer is often served, and the atmosphere is reminiscent of “academic bars” found in other major cities.
For Zhang, therefore, to talk about these bookstores is also to talk about the youth of today’s Chinese cities. Behind the often-self-mocking phrase tang ping (“lying flat,” a form of passive resistance), young people are still thinking, still experimenting—and some are clearly on the frontlines of cultural life.
Zhang Feng belongs to a generation of journalists who grew up within China’s commercialized media system, which developed alongside the decline of the Party-run outlets in the reform era. He worked for many years at Chengdu’s daily newspaper before writing regular cultural and political columns for a wide range of national outlets starting in 2015. He also runs two widely read WeChat public accounts: Chengshi de di de(城市的地得) and Zhang3Feng’s World（张3丰的世界）, both known for their timely responses to current affairs and sharp takes on cultural phenomena. His writing during the pandemic offered readers a rare and intimate window into life in Chengdu.
In 2023, Zhang also became a practitioner of one independent bookstore himself. That August, he founded Youxing Bookstore(有杏书店) in Chengdu as a space for offline public gatherings. Since then, he has hosted conversations with prominent scholars such as Wang Di, Lin Xiaoying, Lao Dongyan, and Adam Tooze, turning Youxing into one of the city’s most influential cultural spaces.
Blaues Haus Bibliothek in Hannover is itself a child of the pandemic—a quietly growing space dedicated to cultural events, communities, and books. In this spirit of cross-border resonance, we are honored to welcome Zhang Feng on October 1, 2025, for an evening talk at Blaues Haus. He will share his observations and personal experience on Chengdu’s independent bookstores and the changing contours of public life in urban China.
This event is free to attend, but registration is required via Eventbrite. Please find the QR code below to sign up.
About the Speaker
Zhang Feng, born in 1978 in Henan, holds a master’s degree in literature from Beijing Normal University (2005). He began his media career in Chengdu and has written columns for numerous prominent publications since 2015. He is the author of The Details of Chengdu and the founder of Youxing Bookstore. He was a visiting scholar at Daito Bunka University (Japan) in 2019 and at Columbia University (USA) from 2023 to 2024.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 19:00 – 21:00
Venue: Blaues Haus Bibliothek
Maschstr. 7, 30169 Hannover
Language: Chinese
Admission: Free
Registration: Please scan the QR code below to register on Eventbrite.
Deadline for registration: September 30 at 15:00
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