Chengdu, a southwestern Chinese city renowned for its laid-back lifestyle and vibrant culinary scene, is emerging as a key player in China's coffee culture.
The city is now home to a thriving independent coffee market, with unique brews and passionate entrepreneurs driving creativity and growing appreciation for local flavors.
China's coffee market is projected to surpass 220 billion yuan (about 30 billion U.S. dollars) this year. While in Chengdu, coffee-related enterprises surged to about 9,123 in 2023, with the number of independent cafés ranking second nationally, trailing only Shanghai.
The growth has highlighted significant opportunities for cafe owners like Wang Zifeng, the owner of a coffee shop called "Rebellion Beans."
Wang's shop is in Chengdu's Yunlin Neighborhood in the heart of Chengdu's old city. The area has historically been a hub for local artists, musicians, poets, and architects. It is now at the forefront of a quiet revolution that blends artistic traditions with modern culture, including such independent cafes -- once a niche market but now also flourishing in this area.
Wang, who studied engineering in Ireland and worked there as an architect, is part of a circle of friends of entrepreneurs drawn to Chengdu's booming coffee culture.
Despite initial resistance from his parents, who did not support his entrepreneurial ambitions, Wang pursued his passion.
"My dad hadn't even sent me a message for almost half a year. He doesn't understand why I started acting up after turning 30. And my mom said, 'Why is your adolescence only starting now'?," he said.
His journey began in Ireland, where he attended a coffee workshop and was introduced to Chinese coffee, specifically from the southwestern province of Yunnan, China's main coffee-producing region. This experience inspired him to move back to China and open a shop in Chengdu that focuses exclusively on Yunnan coffee beans.
Wang described the unique flavor profile of Yunnan coffee as many fruits, also one of his reasons to choose those coffee beans.
"If I were to describe it now, I'd say it has notes of red wine, passion fruit, tropical fruits, with a strong aftertaste. But back then, all I could think was, huh? Why does it taste so different?" said Wang.
According to Xu Depeng, a producer working on coffee geography projects at the Chinese National Geography, Chengdu's comfortable, laid-back atmosphere and its culinary culture is one of its biggest attactions.
"Chengdu, known as the 'Land of Abundance' in everyone's impression, is famous for its comfortable, laid-back vibe and its culinary culture. So whether it's locals or people visiting from other places, food and drink are always key considerations for them. This has created tremendous opportunities for Chengdu's coffee market," said Xu.
Innovative ways to make coffee are constantly giving the industry a facelift. For instance, some cafés sell coffee beans by the gram and use conveyor belts to grind and brew them, mimicking a factory assembly line. Others experiment with unique flavors, such as garlic-flavored coffee, to attract customers.
Wang's shop, Rebellion Beans, has also garnered a loyal customer base that supports his mission to promote Yunnan coffee.
"The majority of China's coffee market is dominated by foreign coffee brands. But domestically, we have Yunnan, a major coffee bean-producing province, which has largely been overlooked. So seeing a shop like this is actually quite touching," said Yin Zeming, a local customer.
Independent cafés in Chengdu underscore brewing economic vitality in China
A promotional event for the fifth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was held in Ankara on Wednesday, bringing together government officials, scholars and publishers from China and Türkiye.
Participants said the new volume is an authoritative work that comprehensively and systematically presents the latest achievements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It vividly showcases the theory and practice of Chinese modernization on the new journey, and offers a profound exposition of China's vision and proposals for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. As the event coincided with the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Türkiye, they said exchanges on state governance experience, with modernization as the theme, would help deepen political mutual trust, promote the alignment of development strategies between the two countries, and enable both sides to advance together on the path to modernization.
Addressing the event, Celal Adan, deputy speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, said the fifth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" provides a valuable reference for understanding China's policy direction and strategic thinking on global issues.
He said Türkiye is willing to take this event as an opportunity to further deepen exchanges between the two countries' legislatures and practical cooperation in various fields, enhance synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor, and achieve new progress in economic and trade, investment, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and tourism cooperation.
Gokhan Yazgi, deputy minister of culture and tourism of Türkiye, said the promotion event for the fifth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" held in Türkiye was highly inspiring. The book systematically explains that the Communist Party of China, through adhering to its people-centered development philosophy, has achieved sustained and healthy economic and social development in China and maintained long-term social stability, he said, adding this provides positive inspiration for the international community, especially for Türkiye.
Türkiye is willing to deepen people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations with China, injecting new impetus into bilateral friendship and cooperation, he said.
Giray Fidan, a prominent Turkish sinologist, said that books serve as bridges connecting different civilizations and play an important role in cultural exchange.
The translation and publication of the series in multiple languages represents a concrete practice of Chinese President Xi Jinping's call for civilizations to transcend estrangement through exchanges, creating new opportunities for the world to better understand China, Fidan said.
During the event, the Chinese side presented Turkish guests with copies of the English edition of the fifth volume and the Turkish edition of the second volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China."
Participating experts, scholars, and youth representatives engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics including economic and trade cooperation, green transition, mutual learning among civilizations, and global governance.
The event was jointly organized by China's State Council Information Office, China International Communications Group and the Chinese Embassy in Türkiye. More than 200 participants from the publishing industry, think tanks, media organizations and other sectors in both countries attended the event.
Promotional event for 5th volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" held in Türkiye
