Deja Vu Recycled Store / Offhand Practice

Inside the Beijing Electromechanical Institute compound, trendy shops and creative studios sit alongside abandoned factories, while stylish young people walk beneath withered ivy. Deja Vu Recycle Store calls this neighborhood home—a place defined by striking contrasts, where old and new intertwine. The first time we saw the site, we were struck by a sense of ruin. Dead vines crawled up the exterior walls, tangled wires hung loose, a long-abandoned garbage shed stood in the corner, and a massive old chimney dominated the center. But as we passed through the foyer and ascended to the second floor, the symmetrical windows on the north and south sides opened up, along with the skylights above, letting sunlight pour in. The entire space brightened, feeling like a bustling old railway station from another era.