泉州咖啡变奏曲：融合中西风味，创新场景业态Quanzhou Coffee Variations: Integrating Chinese and Western flavors, innovating scene formats

Integrating Chinese and Western flavors, innovating scene formats, coffee shops become a new carrier of urban culture——

Quanzhou Coffee Variations

Quanzhou Net, August 21st (Xinhua reporter Wei Jinglin/Wen interviewee/photo provided) Coffee has always been a footnote to a city's distinctive artistic temperament. With the continuous release of the Quanzhou World Heritage City dividend, the "World Food Capital" city card continues to shine, the cultural and tourism industry is thriving, and young people continue to flock to the ancient city. The foreign coffee culture is rooted in the fertile soil of the Chinese parasol tree, constantly growing, transforming, and innovating. When the rich and fragrant aroma of coffee lingers between ancient alleys, arcades, mountains, seas, and rural areas, a flavor variation that spans ancient and modern times and blends Chinese and Western flavors is slowly playing in Quanzhou.

The coffee industry in Quanzhou has long broken away from the rigid framework of standardized chain stores. The picture shows a coffee shop transformed from an ancient house.

In just a few years, the coffee industry in Quanzhou has already broken free from the rigid framework of standardized chain stores and completed a comprehensive reform. From the spatial carrier that carries coffee to the ingenious containers and utensils; From the appearance style of the beverage to the flavor and ingredient formula, the collision and fusion of Minnan ancient charm and trendy creativity continue.

Strolling through the criss crossing stone streets and alleys of Quanzhou's old city, old buildings that have been dormant for many years are revitalized in the lingering aroma of coffee. Countless young entrepreneurs have rooted themselves in the ancient city, exploring new paths for revitalizing and utilizing historical buildings. Red brick houses, abandoned factories, Nanyang arcades, and old stone houses have all transformed into characteristic cafes that combine leisure aesthetics, cultural exhibitions, and social functions.

Local brands represented by Barangfish coffee are becoming a vivid epitome of this cross-border integration. They no longer simply chase traffic, but attempt to break commercial boundaries by planning art exhibitions and hosting cultural salons in ancient city temples, guiding citizens and tourists to complete a complete journey from taste leisure to cultural experience in the streets and alleys.

South City Element Coffee

Coffee is no longer just a simple drink, it is a cultural bond that connects the history of ancient cities with contemporary life, a gentle window for tourists from other places to understand Quanzhou, and a spiritual sanctuary for locals to relax and exchange ideas and inspirations. In the Chengtian Lane area, cafes and independent bookstores coexist, regularly holding book clubs, video sharing events, and cultural salons; Coffee shops in the southern part of the city and other places continue to link with local creators, enabling art, coffee and the streets of the ancient city. In the streets and alleys, between mountains and seas, coffee shops, cultural and creative shops, ancient homestays, and specialty snack shops form a mature business cluster. Strolling through ancient cities, tasting coffee, visiting exhibitions, and exploring cultural and creative industries, the one-stop cultural and tourism experience is becoming increasingly perfect. Nowadays, coffee shops scattered throughout the streets and alleys are like tiny cultural stations, interweaving the rich cultural heritage, vibrant streetwear, and trendy youth culture. People sit in ancient courtyards, seaside terraces, and small forest shops, holding up a cup of coffee, gazing at the East West Pagoda, Luoyang Bridge, and the vast blue sea. In the fragrance, they feel the unique urban temperament of Quanzhou, where old and new coexist.

Under the wave of cultural and tourism integration, coffee continues to empower high-quality urban development. In the ancient city, cafes revitalize a large number of idle ancient houses and promote the conservation and revitalization of historical buildings; In towns and villages, rural cafes activate rural tourism and attract tourists to enter mountainous villages; Various coffee festivals and markets boost the popularity of the neighborhood, driving diversified consumption growth in catering, travel photography, and cultural and creative industries. A small cup of coffee can stimulate the flourishing development of new cultural and tourism industries, becoming an important lever to drive consumption, revitalize old streets and alleys, and spread the image of the city. A small cup of coffee carries the vivid practice of organic renewal of the ancient city, the hot ideals of young entrepreneurs, and the infinite possibilities of continuous innovation and exploration of local culture. It has become an important carrier for the dissemination of Quanzhou's urban culture and continuously injects youthful vitality into the world heritage ancient city.

A thousand years ago, this place was a gathering place for sailboats and shadows, serving as an international commercial port for people from all over the world, where goods, ideas, and cultures converged; A thousand years later, the coffee culture originating from overseas meets again with the local cultural context of southern Fujian. Openness and inclusiveness have always flowed in the blood of Quanzhou city. The concept of freedom, diversity, and relaxation carried by coffee resonates with the inclusive urban character of Quanzhou since ancient times.

Using coffee culture as a carrier to illuminate the landscape, scenery, and young people, Quanzhou——

The vitality of the city in a cup of coffee

□ Integrated media reporter Wei Jinglin/Interviewee/Image provided

The recently concluded Quanzhou Ancient City Coffee Art Week brings together global boutique coffee brands, international professional events, interactive experiences of intangible cultural heritage, and music performances, creating a fashionable consumption venue in the core area of Quanzhou, a world heritage site that combines international perspectives and ancient city characteristics. It further promotes the gathering of young talents, coffee industry exchanges, and the integration of culture, commerce, and tourism. A number of hot words of Coffee Art Week dominated the top five of Tiktok's list. Only Tiktok's platform had more than 17 million exposures, and the topic volume was high. A small cup of coffee creates a new cultural and artistic calling card for Quanzhou.

Looking back at the Song and Yuan dynasties, Quanzhou was an international port for the "Ten Continents of the Common Market", where exotic products and diverse civilizations intersected and collided; A thousand years later, coffee originating from overseas meets again with the Minnan culture that has been passed down for generations in this inclusive and open city. Nowadays, there are young entrepreneurs with dreams, tourists heading to mountains and seas, and local citizens who love life heading to the ancient city to search for delicious coffee.

In the city, in the countryside

Activate cross-border gameplay with 'Coffee+'

Wang Xiaoying, a native of Quanzhou, has been wandering outside for more than ten years and has been working hard in Shanghai for a long time. She has experienced the vibrant and diverse coffee ecology of the metropolis and has opened more than ten coffee shops. The constant longing for his hometown in his heart ultimately led him back to Quanzhou. He rooted himself in the downtown area of Quanzhou and created HOU coffee. During the entire process of repairing and renovating the ancient house, Wang Xiaoying insisted on preserving the original texture of the old house to the greatest extent possible, without arbitrarily damaging the original walls, wooden carvings, old-fashioned floor tiles, and old trees in the courtyard. After renovation, the long dormant ancient house is no longer idle and deserted, but has been transformed into a composite cultural space by introducing coffee, light meals, and cultural creativity. Tourists come and go to the ancient house hall, tasting coffee while experiencing the thousand year old fireworks of the West Street. The protection of ancient architecture and commercial revitalization have found a perfect balance here, and century old houses continue to be revitalized.

The coffee shop transformed from a factory has a spacious interior, bringing a new experience.

If the ancient caf é continues the cultural heritage of Minnan dwellings, then the renovation of the old factory building into a caf é gives new vitality to the industrial heritage. Command Lane South facing caf é, renovated under the direction of Quan artist Wu Daxin. This stone old building, which has undergone changes over time, has shed its industrial memories of the old factory buildings and has been re planned as a two-story space: the first floor provides coffee for citizens and tourists to sit and relax; Create a professional art exhibition hall on the second floor, showcasing contemporary works such as paintings and installation art from time to time. Daily fireworks and avant-garde art collide wonderfully here, adding a cultural landmark to the old streets and alleys, and completing a magnificent cultural transformation of old industrial buildings.

The coffee scene in Quanzhou is not limited to the core streets and alleys of the ancient city, but extends continuously along the foothills, lakesides, coasts, countryside, and rooftops. Between mountains and seas, there is a fragrance of coffee everywhere. At the foot of Qingyuan Mountain, Lu Ke Coffee has recently opened its doors to welcome customers. The manager Gina has many years of experience in the clothing industry. With a shared pursuit of aesthetics, she and her partners built this hidden caf é at the foot of the mountain. The simple and elegant space design, combined with the scenery of the mountains and forests outside the window, has quickly become popular on social media platforms, becoming a popular destination for young people to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and take a break. The Xiangong Mountain Caf é is hidden in the mountains and forests, like a paradise on earth. Climbing high and tasting coffee, one can enjoy the tranquility. The forest style caf é in West Lake Park is surrounded by plants and trees, and when you open the window, you will see the lake's green light, creating a rare and peaceful secret in the city.

Tiantai Cafe overlooks the ancient city and old street

The rooftop caf é hidden between the buildings in the old city is even more unique. Looking up, you can see the east and west towers of Kaiyuan Temple, or the continuous arcade on Zhongshan Road, presenting a panoramic view of the ancient city and becoming an excellent observation deck for viewing the city's scenery.

The coffee shop by the water offers a panoramic view of the lake

Towards the mountains and towards the sea. At the bridgehead of Luoyang, mobile bicycle coffee has become popular with the wind. Simple cars carry coffee dreams, and pedestrians stop to buy a cup of coffee, overlooking the millennium stone embankment of Luoyang Bridge. The Gudu Coffee in the Taiwan Business District stands by the sea, with a panoramic view of the vast sea. Drinking coffee by the sea breeze, the poetic atmosphere of mountains and seas is overwhelming. In the rural areas of Dehua, coffee shops are quietly emerging, and the trend of "village cafes" is sweeping across the porcelain capital. City dwellers drive to the countryside to experience the leisurely rural life in the local scenery.

Coffee Week Event Site

The diverse and rich coffee spaces connect Quanzhou's complete cultural and tourism network from ancient cities to rural areas, from mountains to the coast. At the same time, urban coffee culture activities take turns to emerge. The Quanzhou Ancient City Coffee Art Week will kick off in early August, with market salons, brewing competitions, and city tours taking place in rotation. The coffee truck runs through the streets and alleys of the ancient city, from Chengtian Temple to Bell Tower, from Fuwen Temple to Tianhou Palace. Encounter is luck. On the cup testing table, Guixia from the Panama Emerald Estate is lined up in a row, from the new season in Ethiopia to the new season in Panama, and the fragrance permeates under the red brick house. Ms. Chen, a citizen and coffee enthusiast, said, "Quanzhou is becoming more and more artistic, with more and more coffee shops holding various coffee festivals. A small cup of coffee reflects the full development vitality of the ancient city." This is not only the exclamation of consumers, but also the exchange of creativity and inspiration among the organizers at the coffee week stalls. They all said that in the future, they hoped to have the opportunity to open boutique coffee shops in the ancient city and create a Xintiandi in the old streets and alleys.

Previously, the Fengze Coffee Festival and the Jinjiang Wudian Coffee Art Festival were held successively, bringing together high-quality coffee brands from all over the country and attracting a large number of citizens and tourists to participate. A series of coffee events continue to amplify the influence of Quanzhou coffee and deeply integrate coffee culture into the daily fabric of the city.

Local innovation

Coffee flavor welcomes Minnan specialty

As the spatial layout continues to expand, Quanzhou Coffee boldly breaks through and innovates in terms of ingredients and flavors. Rooted in the rich culinary soil of the world's culinary capital, local coffee managers constantly explore the unique charm of southern Fujian, skillfully integrating ancient ingredients passed down from generation to generation with modern coffee techniques, incubating multiple creative special flavors, and filling a cup of coffee with fresh and rich Quanzhou flavors.

The "Huinu Potato Coffee" launched by Huian County is refreshing. Relying on the high-quality local sweet potato resources in Tuzhai, Huian, the soft and sweet sweet sweet potato puree is blended with concentrated coffee. The gentle and long-lasting sweet potato aroma neutralizes the slight bitterness of coffee, transforming local agricultural products into trendy drinks and opening up new ideas for the integrated development of rural agriculture, culture, and tourism.

Tie Guan Yin coffee comes with local flavors

Roasted meat zongzi coffee with unique creativity

The local characteristic creativity is far more than that. Shihua Gao Coffee incorporates the favorite Shihua Gao of Quanzhou people in summer into its latte. The smooth and elastic Shihua Gao is paired with silky milk coffee, allowing you to taste the coolness of the sea at the same time; Anxi Tieguanyin Tea coffee extracts elegant tea fragrance, which is intertwined with coffee fragrance layer by layer, showing the millennium tea charm of southern Fujian; Moreover, roasted meat zongzi coffee and moist pancake vegetable coffee have broken the conventional drink pairing, bringing the classic ancient flavor of Quanzhou dining table into the coffee cup. The collision of traditional food culture and foreign coffee culture has created wonderful sparks.

The characters' hidden city 'and' Quanzhou 'are presented on top of the milk foam.

Hairpin flower element enters coffee

It is gratifying that a small coffee cup has become a dynamic canvas for showcasing local cultural creativity. Yisong Coffee Shop takes inspiration from the urban culture of Quanzhou to create a series of poetic latte art coffees. The phrase 'hidden city in the words' delicately presents the two characters' Quanzhou' on top of the milk foam, with hidden silhouettes of ancient houses and lucky boats in the patterns. A cup of coffee is filled with the cultural context of paulownia trees; The "Hairpin Flower into Coffee" draws inspiration from the intangible cultural heritage of Xianpu Hairpin Flower Garden, where the female head of the Hairpin Flower Garden is surrounded by flowers, capturing the charm of Xianpu fishermen on the surface of the coffee. In addition, iconic urban elements such as paulownia flowers, east and west towers, and bell towers have been transformed into exquisite coffee latte patterns.

Barbecue Flower Coffee

Not only the beverage itself, but also the container and surrounding design are engraved with the Quanzhou mark. Featured cultural and creative paper cups are printed with cartoon images of clock towers and east-west towers, with cute and playful cats and tung blossom IPs popping up on the cup body; Drinks are decorated with bamboo sticks and Dim sum with Minnan characteristics. Every detail conveys the urban temperament. When tourists walk through the ancient city holding a cup of specially brewed coffee with Quanzhou elements, the flowing coffee becomes a vivid and lively city business card.

The coffee shop environment incorporates marine elements such as oyster shells

From a single traditional Italian coffee to a diverse range of Minnan creative specialties, Quanzhou coffee has undergone a profound transformation in flavor localization. It is no longer a purely foreign beverage symbol, but fully absorbs the nutrients of Minnan cuisine culture and grows a unique flavor system belonging to the ancient city of tung trees. The urban temperament of blending ancient and modern, and the coexistence of mountains and seas, is condensed into a cup of coffee.

Youth Economy

Coffee connects the "production and consumption" end of young people

Behind the flourishing development of the coffee industry is the continuous creativity of the youth group.

Behind the booming development of the coffee industry is the continuous creativity and consumption power of the youth group. A large number of young people from Quanzhou who are studying and working abroad choose to return to their hometowns to start businesses, and there are also many young people from other places who go to Quanzhou to take root and open stores. They love the rich heritage of ancient cities, are good at capturing trends, use coffee as a carrier, deeply explore urban culture, and continuously produce innovative content. Young people bring new aesthetics and concepts, which interact with the rich traditional culture of Quanzhou, keeping the millennium old city vibrant and attracting young consumers to develop more cultural and aesthetic identification with Quanzhou in the complex consumption scene of coffee.

Among many foreign coffee entrepreneurs, Ms. Zhang, a Sichuan girl born in 1985, has years of solid industry experience. She has been deeply involved in the coffee industry in Chengdu for 22 years, familiar with the production process of premium coffee, and has also accumulated rich experience in store operations. Because her family settled in Quanzhou, she chose to leave the familiar Chengdu market and come to Quanzhou to embark on a new path of entrepreneurship. In the end, she chose to open a boutique coffee shop around Zhongjun World City. Based on years of industry experience, Ms. Zhang has developed multiple Sichuan style specialty coffees by incorporating the taste characteristics of Sichuan beverages into traditional coffee. Unlike the common Minnan style creative coffee in the local area, her product has a refreshing taste and unique flavor, bringing a different taste experience. Since its opening, the store has gained recognition from many citizens and young consumers for its stable product quality and innovative flavor characteristics. Office workers and shopping tourists around the business district often come to check in, and foreign flavors have gradually integrated into the local market.

Coffee shops have become the preferred space for young people to gather together

The booming development of urban coffee industry has also attracted foreign entrepreneurs to settle in Quanzhou. At the Fengze Architecture Industrial Park, Max, a young man from India, has opened a fusion restaurant that combines coffee culture with leisure night economy, offering a blend of Japanese coffee and night wine. In his opinion, coffee is an important component of a city's atmosphere. He admitted that a vibrant city cannot do without coffee. Integrating a restaurant into the coffee industry will create a more artistic and relaxed atmosphere, and better fit the consumption habits of young people. During the day, the store mainly serves boutique coffee and light meals, catering to office workers and surrounding citizens in the park. After nightfall, the store switches to a casual night drink mode to create a relaxed social space. One store with two formats not only enriches the commercial facilities of the industrial park, but also provides new leisure options for young people in Quanzhou, adding international and diversified vitality to the coffee leisure industry in the urban area.

Many low-cost and smoky old streets and alleys in Quanzhou have also become gathering places for young coffee entrepreneurs. The affordable rent and quiet atmosphere of the small commodity street in the hometown of overseas Chinese are suitable for low-cost entrepreneurship, attracting a large number of young people to gather and open niche coffee shops. The Beaver Coffee, founded by young entrepreneur You Changfu, is rooted in this street and alley. The store has been open for nearly a year now, without deliberately creating an internet celebrity traffic model, but retaining customers through down-to-earth management and sincere service. In addition to daily operation, You Changfu insisted on updating the daily store opening, work and life experience on the official account every day, recording the growth of the store and the daily fireworks in the streets. The simple and sincere words, as well as the quiet and healing atmosphere of the small shop, have gradually accumulated a good reputation. Many tourists come to check in after seeing the tweets, experiencing a different Quanzhou coffee aroma in the old streets and alleys.

Boutique Coffee Shop

Not only does it freeze the fireworks in the streets and alleys, but it also explores the advanced integration of local culture and art. Ame, the owner of the local brand Balangyu Coffee, has brought memories of sea silk such as boat wood furniture and fishing floats into the store. She also opened a branch next to Tianhou Palace and planned an art exhibition at Huangdi Palace in the south of the city. Many people, after strolling through the old streets for a cup of coffee, walked into the temples to see exhibitions, completing a cultural adventure.

At a time of vigorous development, Quanzhou coffee has gained full recognition and is also facing industry scrutiny. Wu Yang, the initiator of the WCBC World Coffee Collar Competition, said, "Quanzhou not only has profound historical and cultural resources, but also has natural advantages in developing the boutique coffee industry and managing the economy." Chen Siyi, the champion of the China Coffee Brewing Competition in Quanzhou, said that the opening of the Ancient City Coffee Week has made him truly feel the city's active exploration and open attitude towards young talents, new consumer formats, and managing the economy. However, he also admitted that there are still hidden concerns in the current industry, such as uneven quality and serious homogenization. He looks forward to Quanzhou in the future, which can use coffee as a carrier to promote urban industrial upgrading, cultural dissemination, and talent gathering in resonance, truly becoming an influential boutique coffee city.

Journalist's note

The password for the paulownia tree in Kaoxiang

From a few scattered independent coffee shops in the beginning, to the vast coffee landscape now spread throughout ancient cities, mountains, seas, and rural areas; From simply replicating standardized coffee flavors to deeply integrating Minnan culture and world heritage to create exclusive specialties; From a simple leisure consumption venue to a composite cultural space that integrates leisure and social activities, art exhibitions, and cultural exchanges, Quanzhou Coffee has grown and constantly transformed. Behind this is the inclusiveness and diversity of innovation that Quanzhou has accumulated for thousands of years.

The red brick ancient house emits a long aroma of coffee, and the elements of intangible cultural heritage hairpin flowers and lucky boat thorn trees slowly bloom on the milk foam. Ancient Minnan style plants such as sweet potatoes, stone flower paste, and Tie Guan Yin meet coffee beans in a wonderful way. Coffee has built a bridge between tradition and modernity in Quanzhou. Tourists stroll through the ancient city holding coffee, understanding the Quanzhou fireworks in the lingering aroma; Citizens search for a favorite coffee shop to place their daily relaxation and poetry.

As more and more young entrepreneurs take root in the ancient city, continue to explore local culture and create aesthetic spaces, this coffee variation belonging to Quanzhou will continue. Looking forward to more creativity sprouting here, more young people pursuing their dreams here, so that Quanzhou, a millennium heritage site, can always combine ancient charm with fresh and trendy, and tell the story of the paulownia tree to the vast world in a cup of sustainable fragrant coffee. (Wei Jinglin)