Photo of the Day: Gao Ruiting Records, Chengdu

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1:00 AM HKT, Thu April 19, 2018

In celebration of International Record Store Day, which falls on April 21 this year, our photo theme this week is Record Shopping in China. Though vinyl culture never quite caught on China in quite the same way as it did in other parts of the world, it’s on the rise. This week we’ll put the spotlight on some of the best shops in China to pick up new tunes.

Last year Gao Ruiting, the man who gives this Chengdu vinyl den its name, was forced to swap his store near the city’s historic Wenshu Temple for a space in the basement of a somewhat deserted shopping mall. Fortunately, Gao’s collection of records, cassette tapes, gramophones, and vintage radios had more than enough character to pull off the relocation.

And it really is his collection. The scores of Taiwanese, Korean, Cantopop, and Chinese Red Opera records found here — he focuses on accumulating “made in Asia” music — were sourced by Gao personally, originally for his own listening pleasure. He told us on a visit last year that he began selling his records when he realized it could bring other people pleasure, and though it was sometimes painful to sell off pieces of his collection he felt it was better for the world if they could be heard by more people.

Gao Ruiting Records

B52-53, Basement, Feida Plaza, No 100, Yihuan Lu North Third Section, Jinniu District, Chengdu

成都, 金牛区一环路北三段100号负一层B52-53室

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