Paris Cafe (La Coupole)

Round Pavilion Cafe (La Coupole), one of the most famous cafes in Paris, still retains the decor of the 1920s. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre and Simon Bova used to be regulars here, but the cafe is still full of guests. When you push the door, you will first find that the walls of the huge coffee shop are covered with large oil paintings, including works by Chagar and Brancusi.

There are 24 square posts, painted gloomy green at the bottom and murals at the top, reflecting the style of Paris in the 1920s. The ceiling, wallboard, tables and chairs of the round pavilion are all refined from lemon wood, reflecting a yellowish elegance. The counter is always full of people waiting to be seated. Here I met an old lady on crutches, leisurely drinking coffee and reading Le Figaro. She looked elegant in a thick-needle sweater, red-rimmed glasses and black-and-white soft-soled shoes. She told me that her name is Alexandra Parieule and that her family lives nearby and often sits here for hours in the evening.

The mahogany bar, red lampstand, wooden mirrors and leather seats in the cafe are still as haunting as they used to be. In the 300 years since there was a coffee shop in Paris, coffee culture has become a part of Parisian life. Hemingway used to patronize here when he was a special correspondent in Paris. "Paris is synonymous with happiness," and part of his happiness is associated with the Round Pavilion. Hemingway arrived in Paris in 1924 and often wrote here and in one or two other cafes. Part of the novel "the Sun still Rises" and many short stories are written in Paris.

Near the Wafan subway station (Vavin Metro), there are the Round Pavilion Cafe, the Elite Cafe (Le Select) and the La Rotonde Cafe. Kohler, an American critic and editor, once described the three stores as "the heart and nervous system of Paris culture". Celebrities such as writers, movie stars, fashion designers and top models often appear here, and people are used to seeing it all as normal. In the 300 years since there was a coffee shop in Paris, coffee culture has become a part of Parisian life. The Round Pavilion Cafe is a site shining with the light of simplicity, which has become a mosaic in life.

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com