Zheng Liu
Cultural and economic sociologist and lecturer in innovation management at the University of Bristol Business School; author of Cultural Mavericks, which examines independent bookselling in China through over a decade of immersive research.
Best podcasts with Zheng Liu
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Mar 28, 2026 • 1h
Zheng Liu, "Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China" (Columbia UP, 2026)
Zheng Liu, cultural and economic sociologist and lecturer in innovation management, explains how independent bookstores in China craft identities between commerce and intellectual autonomy. She discusses their emergence, supply and profit challenges, three "culturally adapted" strategies, store aesthetics, diversification into cafes and merchandise, and the role of subsidies and investors.
Mar 28, 2026 • 1h
Zheng Liu, "Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China" (Columbia UP, 2026)
Zheng Liu, cultural and economic sociologist and lecturer at the University of Bristol Business School, studied independent bookstores in China through over a decade of immersive research. She discusses how these stores define themselves, navigate publishing and stocking challenges, adopt “culturally adapted” business strategies, blend aesthetics and events, diversify revenue, and balance cultural mission with commercial pressures.
