Introduction:

Between 2024 and 2025, several independent bookstores in Chengdu closed one after another. You Xing Bookstore and But Read Bookstore survived, becoming two of the most active ones in Chengdu and southwestern China, each cultivating distinctly different bookstore cultures.

ZHANG Feng, an independent media creator, founded You Xing Bookstore in 2023. In 2025, the venue was shut down due to "force majeure." After its reopening, he has been inviting public intellectuals such as LIU Qing for talks and discussions. From discussions of social and technological trends to spirited debates on psychology and ethics, You Xing Bookstore has become a landmark in Chengdu's public cultural life and civic debate.

Located near Sichuan University, But Read Bookstore attracts a considerably younger crowd. But Read is a space for young people to exchange experiences and engage with one another emotionally. All born in the 1990s, the three co-founders of But Read have adopted a decentralized approach and built it into a space where young people take center stage. It has also become a warm and welcoming hideout. In different ways, these two bookstores serve as "social containers," where people can express their views face-to-face, engage in discussion, and find emotional support. In uncertain times, these spaces continue their struggles to preserve room for the public to speak freely.