Nowhere Books

Building in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
Breakneck	Dan Wang	setting	The bookstore stocks books not publishable in mainland China, a Chinese translation of the Whole Earth Catalog, a sticker of the Urumqi Road sign and ‘Republic of Nowhere’ passports.

Breakneck — Dan Wang (2025)

Source: Readwise highlight

In Chiang Mai, these creative types gathered around a bookstore founded by a journalist. Nowhere Books had its first store in Taiwan before opening a second branch in Chiang Mai, offering books that can’t be bought on the mainland.

• Role: setting
• In the book: The bookstore stocks books not publishable in mainland China, a Chinese translation of the Whole Earth Catalog, a sticker of the Urumqi Road sign and ‘Republic of Nowhere’ passports. Similar shops have opened in New York and Washington.
• Why it matters: It is a gathering place and symbol of exile culture, tying the Shanghai protests to the diaspora.