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May 31, 2021

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Coffee culture brewing in Jing’an

The aroma of coffee wafts through the air along the bustling Nanjing Road W., inviting people to the best-ever coffee festival of Jing’an.

The annual Shanghai Jing’an World Coffee Culture Festival, after a one-year pause, returned to the outdoor square of the HKRI Taikoo Hui mall on Friday. Open from 10am to 10pm, it ended yesterday.

This year’s festival featured 32 coffee shops, from Shanghai-based Manner to Sydney-based e.R Coffee Roasters, from local boutique MQ Coffee to global chain Starbucks. Scores of coffee lovers tasted special brews or made their own blends.

For the event, the district’s culture and tourism bureau also released a map with 100 coffee shops in a myriad of types, such as Italy’s venerable brand Lavazza, wanghong (Internet celebrity) store Paras and “red”-themed The People opened at Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial.

It’s quite the epitome of the city’s bustling coffee scene.

A CBN Data report released on Friday noted that China’s coffee consumption saw a year-on-year increase of 30 percent. First-tier cities consumed 326 cups of coffee on average per capita per year, with Shanghai leading the field by miles.

According to business media Yicai, Shanghai had 6,913 coffee shops as of January, ranking it No. 1 globally. There’s an average of 2.85 coffee shops for every 10,000 people in Shanghai, the same density as in New York, London and Tokyo.

Across Shanghai, Nanjing Road W. has the highest density of coffee shops, where one can find nearly 58 coffee shops within one square kilometer, according to China’s major food takeaway site Meituan.

“Coffee is a lifestyle and a way of social intercourse,” said Hua Xiangyi, deputy director of the Jing’an District Culture and Tourism Bureau.

“These coffee shops, or new business models, are drawn by Jing’an’s humanistic spirit,” he said. “Next year, we plan to integrate the coffee festival with other major events such as Modern Drama Valley and JZ Jazz Festival. Such integration will generate something catering to the market.”

Over six years, Manner has grown from a 2-square-meter store on Jing’an’s Nanyang Road to a popular chain. Shanghai’s coffee culture feeds its development, according to brand manager Ning Yihan.

“In Shanghai, there are so many good and distinctive coffee shops,” he said. “It creates a very competitive market, but also improves the overall level of coffee shops.”

You Rong Nai Da, which operates coffee shops in different names, started from a store in the century-old Zhangyuan, a major shikumen (stone-gate) neighborhood that is under a large-scale renovation.

“It’s good that coffee is widely accepted in Shanghai,” said Haze from the shop.

“It means that not only big names in the industry but also newcomers and small players can find their place in the market. Local government also shows strong support.”




 

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