Leaf through a Beijing bookshop known for English-language novels and magazines
Jetlag Books is a design-led space in Beijing’s revitalised Friendship Store.
It’s tough to find an international newspaper or a must-read foreign magazine in many parts of Asia – and it’s only getting tougher. In China, where strict licensing rules add an extra layer to the commercial challenges, it can be particularly tricky. That’s why spaces such as Jetlag Books in Beijing are worth celebrating.
Jetlag was founded in 2020 in the Sanlitun district of the Chinese capital and moved in October last year to a bigger space in the recently revitalised Beijing Friendship Store. The former state-run department store, located in one of Beijing’s three diplomatic quarters, was built in the 1960s to serve diplomats and foreign residents, mainly from the Soviet Union. It is now a leafy, open-air courtyard complex filled with restaurants, cafés and shops.
Beijing’s Studio Nor designed the L-shaped space, which includes a magazine wall and bookshelves selling a curated selection of English-language novels, Chinese poetry and coffee-table books. “Japanese magazines sell really well,” says Zoe Yang, editor of Jetlag Books. “Popeye is the most popular, followed by & Premium. Chinese streetwear fans get a lot of inspiration from them.” The enlarged floorplan at Friendship Plaza provides ample room for a café and shop selling a selection of Chinese brands, including Herbeast (a speaker at Monocle’s upcoming The Entrepreneurs Live conference) and ceramics from Danish design label Hay.
Six months after moving to the Friendship Store, Jetlag has become a meeting place for the creative community. A busy programme of events concludes at the end of every month with a discussion among magazine readers about favourite titles and a vote for the best front cover. “We have been surprised by the success of these events,” says Yang. “They go on for two hours and people share the stories that have influenced them. We thought we knew all of the magazines out there but we always find out new things happening around the world.”
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