Cultural Mavericks

Zheng Liu's Cultural Mavericks investigates the rise and practices of self‑identified independent bookstores across China, drawing on more than a decade of interviews, observations, and documentary analysis.

The book develops the concept of 'culturally adapted strategy' and identifies political framing, moral positioning, and cultural distinguishing as key ways bookstores differentiate themselves from state and commercial competitors.

Liu demonstrates that these stores engage with politics strategically rather than as outright resistance, while also pursuing business innovations like diversification and premium non‑book merchandise to survive.

The work situates independent bookselling within China's broader cultural economy and publishing system, explaining how ownership, operational autonomy, and cultural ethos combine to produce varied bookstore forms.

Richly descriptive and analytically grounded, the book offers timely insights into the interplay of culture, commerce, and politics in contemporary China.