Post as a word has a wide range of meanings; it can refer to a past, old-7me communica7on, and nostalgia, and at the same 7me point to the other extreme feeling about 7me, i.e. the present tense in which a certain state of affairs, by defini7on, has passed, but also the future tense in which a certain state of affairs may end and a new state of affairs may take place in the future. The bookstore that bears the name post post also has this aAribute, finding
a balance between observing the past, radically criticising the present and producing the future
.
This zine, essay, or also could been seen as an image book, is an archival analysis and interpreta7on of this bookstore, and a limited documentary report on contemporary independent bookstores in China;
It seeks to explore, through an analysis of one of the most iconic independent/radical bookshops, how the bookshop, as a seemingly obsolete site, nowadays maintains its independence and contributes to the enactment of cultural cri7que in society despite the occupa7on of the popular mind by consump7on and capital.
The fascination of this bookstore lies in the fact that it is on the front line of the
market , exchanging benefits through the sale of cultural goods, piercing and breaking through the commercialised and mainstream sales market itself in the most essen7al way of capitalism, and making changes not only through theore7cal propaganda, but also through direct prac7ce. Using a quote from the bookstore at the beginning of the third shop of Post Post to begin this process of observa7on:
True radical cri+que should grow stealthily in the gaps of the market, cloaked in disguise. This is no longer the age of the naive street ac3vism, and galleries have become too smooth and accommoda3ng."
What we need now are tantalizing goods filled with hidden barbs, and salespeople in disguise who are, in fact, assassins. The market is the ba=lefield we should truly cherish.”
Figure 1: A post box
Figure 2: The definition of Post in the Oxford Dictionary 1974
Figure 3: A Bus station post advert imitating the Post on Instagram
Figure 4: The official AI analysis of the recent popular topic of users reactions and public emotions on Weibo (a social media platform in China) Translated into English by AI This analysis interface would appear in every Hot search
What is the shop “Post Post”?
One of the three founders, Xiao
-“Back when I was in college, I used to sell vintage cameras, shipping them from the U.S. to Asia. That meant frequent trips to the post office in the small town where I studied, and over time, I got to know the elderly staff there quite well. I developed a bit of a fondness for the whole postal thing. Later, during my studies, I was buried in papers and assignments on all sorts of “post” theories postmodernism, posthumanism, post-industrialism.
I started wondering what word could possibly follow once the era of “post” is over, and that’s when I decided to stack two “posts” together. Plus, “post” also refers to the act of posting on social media and the content itself, so doubling it up gives it this kind of imperative vibe, like it’s commanding something to happen.”
Chapter 1
The desire and design to have a fight
DesirePlay a game player ♟
The image on the last page shows a stone chessboard set up in a residen7al neighborhood near the bookstore’s third branch. Fixed stone chess tables like this are a common sight in northern Chinese ci7es, where they serve as community gathering spots.
Residents oMen come together during their free 7me to play Chinese chess, aArac7ng crowds of onlookers who eagerly debate tac7cs and some7mes join in the game. This community-driven chess culture led to the installa7on of these tables by local authori7es in residen7al areas.
This concept of communal chess-playing also inspired the design of the bookstore’s newest space. In the third and latest branch, every table is actually a different game board. The idea came to Xiao aMer discovering a tradi7onal Vietnamese board game that looked remarkably similar to a game he had seen in a photo of a group of Black players.
Both games involved placing round stones of varying sizes into fixed grids. The connec7on spanning across 7me, place, and culture, yet linked through visual and symbolic similari7es was irresis7bly compelling. Moreover, the idea of “game” 7es back to game theory, which Xiao felt also resonates with the strategic nature of running this bookstore.
Design- Whirlwind of purchases and reflec3on
East Lake Legend
A zine guide for a geocaching wuxiathemed game designed to provoke reflections on the real and virtual worlds.
In tradi7onal Chinese literature, there is a popular genre known as Wuxia fic7on. These stories are set in a universe apart from the centralized feudal society of ancient China, in a realm known as the Jianghu. The jianghu represents freedom, challenge, and a spirit of growth. Within this world, different sects possess unique mar7al arts (an almost supernatural form of combat). The heroes of these tales navigate the jianghu using their mar7al prowess, morality, wisdom, and personal vision to uphold social jus7ce.
If today’s market were likened to the chao7c and boundless jianghu, Post Post would be the wandering assassin, the hidden wuxia warrior, a master player in this vast game, and the daring captain steering a pirate ship through turbulent seas. As a sect, its core “mar7al arts” lie in crea7ng disrup7on and noise—drawing in all kinds of people and sweeping them into a whirlwind of “purchases and reflec;on.”
It’s a bookstore, a café, a media content produc7on hub, a designer brand collec7ve, and even a miniature art gallery. Entering this space can only be described with one word: Mindboggling. Your sight, smell, and hearing will all be bombarded with s7mula7on. But chaos doesn’t mean visually and audiologically noise. This is purposeful richness an orchestrated diversity with sharp and precise strikes.
The self introduc4on of Post Post
“Post Post places a sharp focus on the cri7que of imagery. By craFing disorien7ng sensory environments that straddle the boundaries between commerce and art, it drives the blade of image cri7cism deep beneath the skin of consumer spectacle. In this way, both the brand and its audience are swept into a shared frenzy of reflec7on and indulgence, merging cri7cal thought with the act of consump7on.”
Sale
Art installation
Old camera exhibition and display
Eat \ Drink
The Post Post opera2on spirit?�
#2 Flower-Shifting Palm Gra5ing
and Reclaiming of Images and Images
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Xiao, who went to grad school to study art, and some friends first opened a bookstore in San Francisco. Later, they moved and settled in New York. In 2019, Xiao returned to Beijing to open a store, and for the two subsequent Beijing locations, he came up with a methodology: **Image Criticism**.
Images always have a more immediate power，they’re more intuitive. Even if you can’t read, you can still connect with and perceive a lot from an image. But when asked why he chose this approach, Xiao’s answer is refreshingly down-to-earth for someone with an art degree. He avoids lofty abstractions and responds with a friendly pragmatism: "Well, it’s just because I studied it. Like how someone else might study coffee, or leather shoes, or work in the music industry I just happen to study this." His vision for the store becomes clearer in a discussion about the broader concept behind it.
Nearby, another customer named Skylar jumps in: “I don’t come from a humanities background, so when I hear terms when you are talking like 'commodity fetishism,' I don’t get it at all. It feels abstract, like there’s a big gap between theory and everyday life." Xiao responds, "There are two ways people use jargon. One is to assert expertise, to intentionally exclude those who aren’t in the field that’s the way people dislike. The other is to make communication more efficient. For us, though, we didn’t want to posture too much when opening this store. We’re thinking about how to express things in a way that’s less exclusionary, simpler, and more approachable, so that anyone walking in feels like they could pick up a book and start reading."
On the left is Jrat, a zero-waste designer clothing brand sells in Post Post
Postpost Learning: Several types of nested relationship
learning.
Post Post Learning is made up of a series of mini image-classification tasks. Each session is linked to a specific keyword, shaped by certain concepts or sensory experiences, while also spilling over into other words, categories, or fields.
Postpost Learning: Several types of nested relationship learning.
On the wall
-The movie poster in the center of the first image is from Jim Jarmusch’s 1989 triptych film, which tells intertwined stories across different times and spaces.
-Flanking it are couplets from the ancient Chinese "Ballad of Mulan," dating back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties: "Two rabbits run side by side, how can one tell which is male or female?"
-Above the poster is a Taoist yin-yang harmony symbol.
Below is Post Post's Sanlitun shop has an iron sign on its door that was removed from the Berlin Wall: DANGER! You are leaving West Berlin.
Game： try to find / think picture like this
The Post Post opera2on spirit?�
# Ocean‘s Embrace of a Hundred Rivers
-The loca7ons of Post Post are carefully chosen. The first store is tucked away in a residen7al area within Beijing’s First Ring, in the heart of the city, at Yangrou Hutong. The second is located near Sanlitun, Beijing’s “only true fashion consump7on center”
The Lamb Hutong store is hidden deep in a hutong (alleyway) in central Beijing. It's so notoriously hard to find that social media is full of comments like, "It's impossible to locate!" For first-7me visitors, it's a bit like a treasure hunt: you follow some clues, then, when you finally muster the courage to push open the door, you're transported into a completely different world.
Nestled in the maze of alleys, the shop is surrounded by tradi7onal old Beijing homes, where you’ll find local grannies and grandpas siZng around chaZng daily.
Nearby, there’s a mix of wildly different places: the Ministry of Land and Resources, clusters of financial ins7tu7ons, Guangji Temple (a Han Chinese Buddhist temple),
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White Pagoda Temple (a Tibetan Buddhist temple), Gangwashi Church (Beijing’s existing oldest Christian church), Kaixin Mahua Theater (a comedy venue), and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
In Beijing, the capital that’s a fusion of history, culture, and politics, space is limited, so the most unlikely institutions and people have to squeeze in together. This mix is part of the reason why Xiao decided to move back from the U.S. to open a new store in Beijing because Beijing isn’t your typical modern, glassskyscraper metropolis. It’s a jumble of people and things, with gaps to slip through, and more alive.
Xiao’s vision aligns with this: “I want all kinds of people to come in, and I can picture completely different groups together—like young kids with that ‘avant-garde, alternative style’ sitting right next to white-collar workers who don’t usually care about art. The space is small, the aisles are narrow, so people have no choice but to sit close together. Just imagine that scene, it’s pretty interesting!”
Peking University
White Pagoda
Na#onal Commi+ee of the Chinese People's Poli#cal Consulta#ve Conference.
People’s Hospital
The Temple of Successive Emperors
Guangji Temple The Geological Museum of China
Ministry of Land and Resources, Kaixin Mahua Theater (a comedy venue)
Gangwashi Church (Beijing’s exis7ng oldest Chris7an church),
#1 One time, two monks from Guangji Temple—famous for helping people find love came in.
They ordered a couple of hand-brewed coffees, then sat with their backs to our bigeared wall. So, I switched up the music for them, put on something with a steady beat, kind of like striking a wooden fish—New Wave or Post-Punk vibes—and they started moving to the rhythm every now and then.
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Chapter 2
The weapons that have hidden barbs
Select-The Curation of bookshelves �
Xiao: “As someone who studied business in undergrad, my ini7al idea for choosing products was preAy prac7cal just trying to sell something different from everyone else. The first store opened in 2019, and with the pandemic hijng shortly aMer, we figured diversifying our product lines would help us weather the lockdown’s impact. For example, while the café side of things came to a complete stands7ll, we developed a clothing sec7on, collabora7ng directly with designers and securing exclusive rights in China. People started following us because they saw things they loved and couldn’t find anywhere else.”
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As an independent bookstore, the selec7on of products within the space is the key factor that sets one store apart from others and establishes its unique iden7ty. Post Post clearly has its own dis7nc7ve way of sourcing and cura7ng products.
The necessity of physical bookstores today lies precisely in this while the internet, social media, and big data are constantly predic7ng and pushing what a person "needs" based on their income, educa7on, and social status, offering a steady stream of recommenda7ons that feel tailored yet confining.
The process feels like a silk cocoon being spun, trapping individuals within a predictable framework of interests. But a brick-and-mortar bookstore, on the contrary, offers a beau7ful sense of uncertainty. It’s not a flaAering online algorithm but rather a space imbued with the owner's personal thoughts and character. Entering the store is like mee7ng someone, having a conversa7on, and interac7ng with the space and the books within it.
Post Post has always maintained a passion for selec7ng diverse, unique products that introduce an element of unpredictability. Xiao remarks, "If a so-called 'cri7cally-minded' bookstore only stocks one type of cri7cal literature, it eventually turns into a salon where the same group of people are endlessly playing within their own circle. We're constantly trying to discover and bring in different things. You'll no7ce that our selec7on now is quite different from a few years ago. From photography and ar7st books to various magazines, newspapers, and Chinese books—the selec7on has evolved.
Each year, we explore different themes. This year, the theme 7es into music, focusing on a trade route that stretches from Western Asia to Egypt and North Africa. This idea came aMer reading a sensa7onal booklet about the violence of global logis7cs in Singapore. It highlighted that despite the digital age, undersea cable routes s7ll follow ancient sailing paths. That got me thinking about the physical distances in the world. However, constantly changing and sourcing things no one else has comes with its own risks. You can't predict how they'll sell, and readers might not always be recep7ve to the changes.”
In the newly added Chinese book section this year, Post Post introduced it with the following thought: "No book should be read in isolation. Every book changes shape, even transforms completely, because of the book next to it. In an era of [Recommended for You] authoritarian reading lists, can we boldly create new neighborhoods of books? Could these new intellectual and conceptual relationships tear open a small crack in the boundaries of disciplines and circles, letting in some fresh, unfamiliar air?”
In conversation, Xiao touched on this idea, saying, "From afar, these books just look like a flat wall of books, a 2D surface. If you simplify it, it’s just like colorful tiles. But up close, the connections and personalities between each book become very interesting, as they intersect in unexpected ways."
Xiao: The pink one is by Georges Bataille, and it‘s a book about erotica. The one next to it is by a Chinese internet celebrity, Wang Dake, and it’s called “Their Sex,” which is about animals.
Me: It seems like they have similar themes, but there’s a contrasting feel between the two.
Xiao: Exactly. When you read them, you can see how they almost have a dialogue with each other, and sometimes they seem to argue.
Argument? :
Up
Introduction to Probability with Texas Hold’em Examples-Frederic Paik Schoenberg
Down
The Utopia of Rules: On Technology,Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bereaucracy- David Graeber
Argument? :
Left
Fashionable Nonsense, Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse of Science-Alan Sokal
Right Foucault- Gilles Louis ReneDeleuze
This year, postpost also launched a new line of packaged coffee beans, con8nuing its tradi8on of infusing every product with cultural significance. The coffee beans are treated not just as a product but as a cultural symbol and project in themselves. In the promo8onal WeChat post, there’s a mini image project inspired by the rela8onship between the origin of the coffee beans and the coffee culture. For example, one batch of coffee from Ethiopia tells the story of the modern transforma8on of the local ritual of laying grass while drinking coffee.
The leF image shows the plas8c grass bags sold in the bookstore space, which echoing this cultural narra8ve.
# Reflection and Association on the Coffee beans
Yunnan Province in southwest China also produces coffee beans and has gradually entered the specialty coffee market in recent years.
The Yi ethnic group, a minority in the region, has a tradiKon of dining on the ground covered with pine needles. Unlike in Ethiopia, modernizaKon has shiNed this custom indoors, with people now collecKng pine needles in bags and spreading them on the floors and tables inside their homes. A market for bagged pine needles has even emerged.
More products……
*Cereria introna, an Italian brand of handmade candles sells in Post Post, uses wax as a raw material to create ceramic texture and surrealistic food, animal models
"When you're surrounded by so many fake things, it becomes hard to tell whether the food in front of you is real or not.” (A
true memory called up by the candle)
In Oxford’s Covered Market, there’s a large fondant cake shop that specializes in cakes so realis8c you’d mistake them for actual objects Barbie dolls, great white sharks, sneakers, ice cream cones, all craFed with such precision it’s hard to tell the difference.
Directly across the aisle from this shop is a place that serves tradi8onal Bri8sh food. On one of the empty tables lay a heap of leFover food beans, chips, and more. Framed by the clean glass windows, wicker chairs, perfectly soF ligh8ng, and wooden tables polished just right, everything looked like a me8culously set movie scene.
My friend and I glanced away from the cake shop and turned to this scene, suddenly unsure whether the food on that table was real or one of those fake food models you see in restaurant displays.
I dared my friend to touch the plate, poke the leFover peas with a fork and surprise, it turned out to be real food.
I wanted to capture this strange corner of a fake-looking real world, but through the lens, the scene looked disappoin8ngly ordinary just a few plates of leFover food. At that moment, a thin, bearded man walked by, no8ced me taking photos, and started snapping some himself. He turned to me and said, "It really does look fake, doesn’t it?"
Left: Work , Consumerism and the New Poor Zygmunt Bauman
Right: Three moments of a script that never was written but might have happened Huwei
Chapter 3 The weapons directly towards the Post ------?
# Put criticism into practice and expression
Aside from embedding cri7cal thought through the sale of cultural products, Post Post is ac7vely engaged in broader content crea7on and cultural prac7ces, which are even sharper and directly target the core of leMist thought. In an interview, Xiao once men7oned a quote from one of his art teachers during his 7me in the U.S.: "Philosophers before Marx explained what had already happened, but Marx and those aMer him wanted to change what was happening. If you don’t watch The Walking Dead or Keeping Up with the Kardashians, how would you know what's actually happening?" This idea stayed with him for a long 7me, inspiring him to fight in spaces where the public is already ac7vely engaged.
� "So what does it mean to fight? It's about delivering so-called leMist perspec7ves to those who have no idea what leMism is. We need to reach people who don't understand, don't care, or even deliberately misunderstand the poli7cal spectrum, and show them something that challenges their everyday assump7ons. That’s what I called it , the “s7r up of social life”. I don’t think bookstores have a clear-cut and definite leM or right divide. Some7mes, when something truly impacts an individual, the direc7on it takes them is unpredictable."
Xiao holds Slavoj Žižek in high regard "If you confine cri7ques of capitalism to poli7cal economy alone, it can be quite boring. But when combined with psychoanalysis, it becomes fascina7ng, more closely 7ed to individual lives and the mo7va7ons behind decisions. Žižek fully understands the workings of capitalism, yet he uses this very logic to communicate his ideas through mechanisms that more people can access." While perhaps not the most efficient approach, its directness is its strength.
In a discussion, if you draw a boundary around it where ideas from outside can’t enter and those from inside can’t leave it becomes difficult for that conversa7on to evolve meaningfully. This echoes another of Žižek’s ideas: that capitalist ideology can lead to an overemphasis on subjec7ve beliefs while neglec7ng ac7ons and externalized convic7ons. Post Post, through its various prac7ces, is ac7vely working to re-emphasize the reali7es of everyday life. Below are a few examples.
#1 Social Media engagement
Post Post isn’t just running a physical space—they are also a content creator across three social media plaporms. Each plaporm, with its dis7nct audience and style, has tailored media channels. These include: Post Post Select, Post Post Sound, Post Post Study, Dance with a Book (DWAB), and Post Post Archive.
On WeChat, they share longer, text-heavy content. Through the Post Post Select column, they curate and translate lengthy excerpts from books they’ve recently read and feel are worth sharing. "We once worked on a book about Techno music. Ini7ally, we planned to translate just one chapter, but aMer two sessions, we had nearly 10,000 words. A colleague pointed out that the ar7cles weren’t gejng many views and suggested we drop the rest. I hesitated, though, and decided not to rush. Some things should be done without worrying about immediate results. Certain projects are for profit, but others are about contribu7ng to something bigger.”
On Xiaohongshu(LiAle Red book), a more image-driven plaporm, Post Post u7lizes the visual nature of the site to host the Post Post Study channel. Since the column is a themed collec7on of categorized images, the plaporm’s format offers a more straighporward way to present this content.
Weibo, being a more established Chinese social media plaporm with a longer history of engagement in internet culture, offers a slightly different advantage. Its recommenda7on mechanism, especially for ar7sts' pages, is more accessible than the other two plaporms. This makes it ideal for Post Post to share Dance with a Book a project where they find a book and then create, collect, or play music inspired by it. Here, they hope the content can reach a wider audience and encourage more people to join the collabora7ve effort.
DWAB: Orange Petunia Massacre
Why reading and music can't happen at the same time
Post Post study: Romance of confusion
#2 Wearable Publications
The two images here are from the Post Post Study content printed on canvas bags, with the theme of women wielding sharp blades.
"We believe that people can be judged by their appearance. Why shouldn’t we view clothing and accessories as integral aspects of constructing a multifaceted identity in contemporary society? For those who love fashion, it’s crucial to understand the industrial logic behind each piece of clothing. For instance, how critical fashion photography practices are challenging traditional gender binaries in the fashion industry."
Xiao: "I think clothing is an excellent medium. Take the Y2K trend in Japan during the late 1990s, for example. Young people would modify their shorts, backpacks, and other items themselves, transforming these pieces into cultural statements. This was a contrast to today’s trend where many people merely apply cultural items to their bodies without such personal transformation."
# Hydra
Red Head Document" ( 头文件) refers to an official, authorita7ve
# Reflection and Association on the Wearable Publications
#Japanese drama Brush up life
# Hydra folder translate project
Post Post posiKons itself as "soil," a source of cultural nourishment for the "mushrooms"—those who are drawn to the shop and its intellectual offerings. The metaphor of the mushroom, a symbol the collecKve embraces, represents resilience and organic growth, thriving even in the cracks of concrete. Yet, Post Post is more than just passive ground; it also assumes the role of a culKvator, acKvely shaping the cultural landscape. The bookstore’s role as a cultural intermediary cannot be overstated through its publicaKons, Post Post plays a key role in agenda-seZng, highlighKng criKcal issues through translaKon, curaKng materials, and presenKng them in ways that provoke though[ul engagement.
*Red Head
Document (红 头文件) refers to an official, authoritaKve document oNen marked by a red header to signify its importance and official status
This curatorial approach is exemplified by their recent series, *Pirate Folder*. *Pirate Folder* is a translaKon project inspired by Marcus Rediker, who draws on the myth of Hydra to define "Hydrarchy" a subversive force of liberaKon that has traversed the global seas since the Age of Sail. Emerging from marginalized groups such as outcasts, pirates, sailors, slaves, dockworkers, and sex workers, this force has resisted imperial power from the land, disrupKng early global trade and the slave trade, while seeking to establish alternaKve forms of grassroots autonomy (as seen in pirate codes of law).
Each ediKon of *Pirate Folder* is centered around a specific theme. The first, *Museum CriKque*, compiles essays that criKcally reflect on the funcKon and influence of postmodern museums. The second, *The Cost of AI*, explores how arKficial intelligence, electronics, and informaKon technologies are transforming human life and the human body another postmodern reflecKon.
According to staff, the series has performed well commercially, likely for two key reasons. First, *Pirate Folder* is a non-profit endeavor, with all profits directed to the translators, authors, and editors, allowing for a lower retail price compared to other works in the store. Second, its innovaKve format loose-leaf pages printed in the style of official government documents and stored in simple, unbound brown envelopes has a strong visual impact. The use of a format reminiscent of "Red Head Documents," tradiKonally associated with official authority, creates a striking contrast with the subversive content of the publicaKon, lending it a powerful aestheKc and conceptual tension.
Post Post is not content with merely raising a problem; it also takes on the role of a convener, calling others to participate in building projects together. Unlike some chain bookstores that employ dedicated staff for community management, Post Post’s strength lies in the vast network of artists and cultural workers it connects behind the scenes. Facilitating these connections has become one of Post Post’s defining features.
#1 Give It Up (算了吧) is such long-term project, now in its second year, draws inspiration from a microfiction piece by Franz Kafka. Post Post shared this story with artist friends, inviting them to create works based on it, which were then transformed into wearable publications. The unique aspect of this project is that Post Post provides only the initial spark artists must interpret the text in their own way, producing vastly different creations. Yet, because of the common starting point, these works open up new possibilities for connections and cross-readings.
For example, illustrator Gantea created a drawing of a dog comparing the 8me on a clock and a wristwatch, but the dials are made up of ancient Japanese characters Due to a phone8c misunderstanding, the dog misreads the hours 1 through 12 as something en8rely different. The objects scaXered around the watch in the right-hand image represent what the dog has mistakenly interpreted
Fashion designer Samuel, on a trip to the Faroe Islands in search of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s home, reflected on Ka\a's *Forget It*, which he felt revealed "the absurdity and horror of the modern world. Isn’t this the perfect reflec8on of our postmodern struggle to find truth? It hints at the terrifying future of so-called ‘nihilism with a smile.’ Bergman’s films almost emerge from nothingness no real story, just a sketch, much like Ka\a’s short stories " While in the Faroe Islands, he sketched the image on right (Image 3)
Misinterpretation, nihilism, and cynicism are visually represented in an unsettling way, immersing the viewer in the nonlinear logic that Kafka's story seeks to convey. "Forget it," the story seems to say. If you don’t understand it, forget it. If you do understand it, still, forget it because there doesn’t seem to be any other path forward.
Post Post’s mission is to "s7r up public social life." However, it’s clear that not all members of the public are the same. The bookstore is well aware of this. For those sharp -eyed intellectuals, piercing the barriers with the spear of knowledge, learning, and experience is a maAer of individual skill. Post Post plays the role of a game master, designing levels for different players. At the Sanlitun loca7on, for example, there are more Chinese books and magazines, while the Lamb Hutong store offers a wider range of collec7bles and ar7st books. The game’s core goal is to spark curiosity in everyone about this strange game. The first stage’s grand plaza is cap7va7ng enough players entering the game and glancing at each other in bewilderment already achieves more than half of the game’s objec7ve.
In an interview about the bookstore, an insighpul metaphor was shared: "But what is the ideal ra7o of disguise to core substance? Is it like a bun with such a thick skin that one bite s7ll doesn't reveal the filling? Or is it like the thin layer of crispy coa7ng on an ice cream bar? If the 'baJlefield' is full of noise, what allows people to pierce through the disguise? What does that ul;mately depend on?" The outcome is cri7cal, so let’s take a closer look at the rela7onship between Post Post and its audience.
To Post Post, the consumer is not just someone to attract but also a fellow player in the game a worthy and delightful opponent. Visitors to the space may not necessarily make a purchase, but they are certainly consumed in return becoming subjects of Post Post’s observation. This observation serves two purposes: first, as a business, Post Post needs to understand its audience, echoing the old Chinese proverb, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a battle." Observing consumer behavior helps the bookstore gauge how its constantly evolving products are received. Second, consumer behavior reflects broader consumer culture, which Post Post actively critiques and transforms into reflections, frequently sharing these insights.
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Xiao : “Although it may seem like everyone in the store is busy taking selfies, I‘ve noticed a rather interesting phenomenon. Often, when a girl or a guy brings along a friend or partner who isn’t skilled at taking photos someone who doesn’t have that kind of experience the scene usually unfolds in a specific way. The girl, for example, will ask her partner to stand aside while she frames the shot, adjusts the angle, and sets up the phone. She then instructs her partner to hold the phone still in that exact position while she steps in front of the camera herself. So, in reality, what appears to be a selfie isn’t really one it’s more about setting up the shot for someone else to capture, with the viewer imagined as someone other than the subject themselves.”
In a broader sense, this shows that the photos users post on different platforms come with distinct considerations. For instance, on WeChat, you're curating a version of yourself that you want to present to friends, while on Xiaohongshu, you're posting images tailored to that platform’s audience. This process shapes not only how you take the photo but also how you present and style yourself accordingly.
Apart from being known as the "hardest bookstore to find," the Lamb Hutong store is also famous for its terrace, nestled within a cluster of ancient residen7al buildings. On the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, it has earned the nickname ”The terrace Café." The terrace isn’t the only viral sensa7on when you search for "Post Post," you’ll find a popular "check-in pose," where users cover their faces with a book featuring a surprised expression on the cover. Interes7ngly, this trend wasn’t ini7ated by Post Post but rather organized organically by social media users caught up in the wave of internet popularity.
The irony lies in the content of the book itself. It documents a project by Swiss ar7st Clément Lambelet, who explored ar7ficial intelligence’s ability to recognize human emo7ons. Lambelet input human faces displaying six core emo7ons Happiness, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, Sadness, and Fear into MicrosoM's Face API, then one of the most advanced facial recogni7on systems. The surprising result? Only "Happiness" could be accurately iden;fied.
This highlights the complexity of human expression and the rich context that AI struggles to grasp. Yet, Xiaohongshu users, through their viral trend, did the opposite reducing this rich human diversity into a repe77ve, mechanical act, essen7ally "mechanizing" themselves. The project’s 7tle is Happiness is the Only True Emo7on!, and Post Post, in response, collected these viral check-in photos and compiled them into a new book, Happiness is the Only True Emo;on!.
When influencers and social media users flock to Post Post, turning it into a simplified backdrop and photo studio, the bookstore doesn’t react by passively resis7ng or driving them away. Instead, Post Post absorbs this behavior into a larger cri7que of art and culture.
Apple vision pro: imagination vs reality
Generated by Bing
How does visitor see and say?
A university student studying astrophysics, visited Post Post three 9mes.
Sky: "Honestly, I don’t fully understand what’s going on in this space, but there’s a mysterious pull that makes you stop and just get absorbed by certain things. I bought a book called The Oath Collec9on. At first, it was the cover that drew me in a deep crimson curtain resembling theater drapes, invi7ng you to uncover the story behind it. The book explores the history of ancient oaths, mixed with modern emojis, crea7ng a strange yet fascina7ng dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary. What really sealed the deal was when I opened the first page and found ‘The Oath of the Tennis Court.’ It was perfect 7ming, as I had just started learning tennis. At that moment, I knew this book was the one!"
Media Professional: Martha Number of Visits: Countless
"The store has to evolve and remain commercially resilient, especially in a city like Beijing. In my view, Post Post has recently become more adaptable. They’re branching into more diverse areas, developing a broader range of products, which seems like a strategic and 7mely move. Every 7me I visit, there’s something fresh and intriguing that makes me think, 'Oh, so it can be done this way.' It’s always inspiring. I also really enjoy their wearable publica7ons series they’ve become a regular buy for me, though I suspect it’s partly because tradi7onal print publica7ons are gejng harder to sustain.”
Fashion Designer: Allen Number of Visits: Countless
What does Post Post represent to you?
"For me, it’s like a cozy living room space."
Post Post uses image cri7que as a method how do you think this approach works for you?
"It makes their stance more sharply defined. It’s also an effec7ve promo7onal strategy."
Engineer Wei
Number of Visits: 1
"It's a bookstore doesn’t like bookstore. Stepping inside, you encounter a blend of studio space, café, music bar, and bou7que all elements that might typically push the 'bookstore' theme out the door. Yet, remarkably, they coexist harmoniously, crea7ng a unique and cohesive ecological space.
Typically, I’d spend an hour or two in a large bookstore with extensive selec7ons, only to leave without any desire to buy. Curiously, within just five minutes at Post Post, I found myself deciding to purchase a book aMer a quick browse. Five minutes later, I was tempted to buy two more……
The white elements in the space are also intriguing like the oversized photo of a curled-up chimpanzee reflec7ng a sense of lost solitude. The quirky sculptures and decora7ons challenge conven7ons and spark new imaginings.”
Accountant Xun
Number of Visits: 1
"As soon as you enter, there are dis7nc7ve liAle trinkets that are visually appealing and irresis7ble to touch. There’s a purple T-shirt with a soM feel and a simple yet novel design, and some fabric bags with a straighporward, approachable style.
Further inside, one side features bookshelves, while the other includes a bar and sea7ng area for coffee and conversa7on. The books on display have notable depth and quality, sugges7ng they’ve been carefully selected. The books available for purchase are neatly packaged, while those for browsing are conveniently placed in front.
The store's design and atmosphere are genuinely unique, embracing freedom and casualness, crea7ng the feeling of being transported into a different, pleasant environment. It’s a place worth visi7ng and apprecia7ng."
-THE END-
The approach to expression in China's independent or radical bookstores differs significantly from that of the West, primarily due to cultural traditions and socio-political factors that shape their responses to issues.
Post Post, through its creation of publications, clothing, tote bags, stickers, and other merchandise, has crafted a "micro-battleground." However, according to conventional expectations, the lack of explicit slogans or overt thematic categories might cause some to question the efficacy of such expressions: "With such a diverse range of products, is this a bookstore, a clothing store, or something else? Can it really drive any change?" On the contrary, this ambiguity is exactly where Post Post's allure lies.
In the Chinese context, it is practical action—rather than lofty rhetoric—that proves most effective. The store's strategy is not about launching direct and obvious blows, but rather employing a method of retreat to advance, waiting for the right moment to act. This aligns perfectly with a core tenet of Chinese philosophy: subtlety and timing. To encapsulate Post Post in a Chinese idiom: *图穷匕现* revealing the dagger at just the right moment. "图穷匕见" (tú qióng bı̌ xiàn) refers to a situation where hidden intentions or actions are finally revealed, often at a critical moment, like unveiling a hidden dagger from a map.
