Liu Ke the founder of two Mega Vintage shops in Beijing, one on the fifth floor of a building in the fashionable Sanlitun area and the other in Gulou district. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

After years working as a fashion stylist, Luo Luo, 41, says she became sick of the commercial imperatives of a job in which she had to pander to the aesthetic of the masses. She eventually gave up all her commercial assignments and opened a shop named Lolo Love Vintage.

"I didn't open the shop to make money. I did so because I love vintage clothing culture. I never lose sight of that original motivation. I work in the shop, and that means my personal preferences come first."

Liu Ke, 32, the founder of two Mega Vintage shops in Beijing, one on the fifth floor of a building in the fashionable Sanlitun area and the other in the Gulou area, has a similar ethos.

"Obviously I always follow my personal tastes. Just look at how awful the mass aesthetic is."

Lau Hiufai, 39, the owner of Delia vintage shop in Wudaoying Hutong in the Dongcheng district of Beijing, says he considers it his personal storage room.

Song Zihang, 27, the owner of That Vintage Shop in Chengdu, Sichuan province, says vintage shops in different areas are little different one from another, even if the approach the owner takes can give each shop distinct characteristics.

Luo Luo, whose shop sells women's wear, says it is the historical culture behind the vintage clothing that particularly holds her interest.

She has read a pile of books about vintage clothing, she says, but the help they offer is limited. The best way to learn is by doing, which in this case means buying vintage clothing overseas, touching clothes with your own hands and talking with those who have been in the business for many years, often decades.