City coffee festival brews unique blend
Print Edition
On the tranquil grounds of the historic Sunke Villa, a heated exchange unfolded between an actress in a tank top and an actor in shorts and slippers. It was a performance captivating dozens of coffee-clutching spectators.
As the actors wove through their emotional volleys, each sip of coffee seemed to draw the audience deeper into the drama.
This unique blend of arts and the aroma of coffee is part of the ongoing 2024 Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival which will continue citywide throughout the five-day Labor Day holiday.
Shanghai has now brewed a new identity as a burgeoning coffee hub. The festival, part of the broader Double Five Shopping Festival, was launched on the West Bund waterfront in Xuhui District yesterday to celebrate global coffee culture.
This year’s theme, “Taste the World in Shanghai,” reflects the festival’s goal: to blend international flavors with local traditions, fostering a unique coffee culture that resonates with both residents and visitors.
Like other international events such as the London Coffee Festival and the Melbourne Coffee Expo, the Shanghai festival gathers coffee enthusiasts and industry experts to explore the latest trends, showcase global roasters, and host barista competitions.
The festival will be held across 16 districts through June, each hosting unique events that include Huangpu’s Bund Beverage Festival and Changning’s coffee theater festival.
Putuo offers a trendy wave of domestic coffee brands, while Minhang takes a global leap with the Global Coffee Industry Forum at Hongqiao.
The largest coffee, culture and tourism carnival in the city takes place on the Xuhui Riverside, blending coffee tasting with floral displays, athletic performances and artistic installations, creating a multi-sensory experience for visitors.
Adding to the dynamic scene, Sinan Mansions launched a special coffee and reading carnival.
It features stalls set up by popular local bookstores, a lifestyle market, a jazz concert and literary exhibitions celebrating writers such as Kafka, Murakami and Borges.
The blend of bookstore, coffee, music, literature, exhibitions, lectures and art shines a spotlight on the tangible joys of bookshops.
A whimsical street theater performance, “Giraffes, Wait for Me” from Spain, features two giraffes and their young strolling leisurely through the coffee stalls at the mansions, their path accompanied by lively music, creating a savannah-like landscape in the heart of the city.
“This very special festival makes me feel like at home because in April we have a very nice festival around books,” said Daniel Carreras Ruiz of Barcelona, leader of the troupe.
“Here I discovered it exists also in Shanghai, but not only books also coffee,” he told Shanghai Daily.
This year’s event also aims to explore coffee’s cultural significance while bringing in new ideas.
The Shanghai Mental Health Center, for instance, has introduced the “Spirit Coffee Bean.” This special coffee aims to be therapeutic and comes in creative packaging designed to resemble a prescription, appealing to young people looking to “cure internal friction.”
Qiaojiashan, a well-known local food brand, showcased its coffee culture through its “Qiao Coffee” at the festival. It also introduced a pure gold coffee bean pendant to attract younger customers.
Coffee’s journey to Shanghai is as rich and aromatic as the beverage itself. Traced back to the 13th century, coffee made its way from Ethiopia across the Arabian Peninsula and reached the bustling trade routes of Shanghai in the mid-19th century.
Initially sold in foreign-run pharmacies as a “cough syrup,” coffee became fashionable with the spread of Western dining practices.
As the years passed, Shanghai’s coffee culture continued to evolve.
Xu Jian, vice dean of Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s China Institute of Urban Governance, says Shanghai’s ability to keep up with global consumption patterns, such as drinking coffee, is partly due to its long-standing international commerce.
“These habits, often portrayed in movies and literature, have become ingrained in Shanghai’s cultural memory, making coffee a significant part of the city’s DNA,” Xu said.
Today, Shanghai leads China’s coffee scene. According to the “2024 China City Coffee Development Report” released at the festival, China’s coffee market reached a whopping 265.4 billion yuan (US$36.65 billion) last year, with a 17.14 percent compound annual growth rate over the past three years.
The average annual coffee consumption per person in China has nearly doubled, soaring from nine cups in 2016 to about 17 cups currently.
Shanghai itself has over 9,553 cafes, the highest number nationwide.
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