The charmed life of Lucky Luke

In 2008 Liu the rocker branched out into fashion, opening up his first Mega Vintage outlet in the Gulou area of Beijing.

As someone who had played '70s style rock music he wanted to dress like someone of that time, and that in turn steered him into the field of vintage clothing, he says, and eventually he would be consumed by his passion for fashion.

"Just because I stopped playing rock music does not mean the attitudes I nursed suddenly disappeared. In fact I reckon I was following the same trajectory and was just carrying a different weapon."

Indeed Liu reckons it is music that keeps him connected with vintage clothes. He has also spent a lot of time watching old movies, mostly Western ones, including Hollywood productions.

"I did not fall in love with vintage that easily. There were a million reasons for it and a persistent interest in it."

Vintage clothing is not a business in which you are going to have instant success but needs a great deal of devotion over a long time, he says. You have to research and understand the product, including the craft and story behind it.

"It's not the kind of business just anyone can handle. No way."

Vintage culture in Beijing went through a purple patch between 2011 and 2013, he says, when there were 14 vintage clothing shops in Gulou alone. However, all but four of those businesses have since folded, and Liu thinks he knows why.

He surmises that in the good economic times the number of people who wrongly thought they could make a quick buck rose and the number of people who realized that success can come only after a hard slog fell.

"Gulou is a popular area now, and there are openings in the vintage market in China. However, many people think they can just run a shop for a couple of years then walk away with a bucket of cash. That's the fast-food way of doing business."