Coffee is also spreading and evolving with the times.

Some operators integrate Chinese elements into the operation of cafes. I browsed through some of the photos online and noticed that the cafe had been moved into a courtyard house with a lot of ancient Chinese furniture. The overall feeling is naturally antique, rich and elegant; however, only this, whether it can present the artistic conception or connotation of Chinese style cafes? Somehow, I always felt like I was missing something.

Before we talk about Chinese coffee shops, we have to discuss coffee shop culture briefly. What is Cafe Culture? But there are different opinions, and there is no consensus! Some people think that smoke is an indispensable part of coffee shop culture, others think that colorful salon activities can highlight the style of coffee shop culture; even, coffee shop culture is imported, we can only simply copy or imitate the view, but also has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so long as the Internet type "coffee shop" this keyword, you can search for all kinds of cynicism against coffee shop enthusiasts; such as: X, small capital,... and so on.

When it comes to cafe culture, the first thing that comes to mind is if not the romance of Paris, the passion of Rome, the leisure of Vienna, then the rigor of England. However, if we are not forgetful, we should remember that cafe culture did not originate in Europe. The first coffee shop in Europe began in 1683 when the Ottoman Empire and the Central European Allied Forces fought a war. After the war, the Turks left behind many bags of coffee beans in their hasty retreat, which led to the birth of Vienna's first coffee shop. Therefore, coffee or cafe culture is also imported to Europe, but why do we always think of Europe and not the Middle East when we talk about cafe culture today? Thus, it is not where it originated that determines who can represent cafe culture, but who can interpret it more richly.

Coffee shop culture in China, can we get better inheritance or even play? I am not sure about this, but I believe that coffee shop culture in China should and must have its own style. In fact, in real life, coffee shops in China already have a unique color, but it is not very good part of it. For example, Chinese people are used to shouting at the service staff in restaurants or cafes. If it were placed in other parts of the world, I am afraid it would be amazing!

If simply adding concepts such as houses and furniture is not enough to present Chinese-style cafe culture well, then what kind of connotation can better express Chinese-style artistic conception? Personally, I feel that to answer this question initially, we must trace back to the roots of Chinese culture. Chinese culture consists of three pillars: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. I have not studied Chinese culture systematically, so I can only make a brief guess from the traditional education I received as a child. In my shallow understanding, the core of Confucianism is ethics, but it also makes some of its content full of feudal colors (such as: monarch and minister have righteousness, women without talent is virtue, etc.), which makes it in today's society, play a certain role in the application of limitations. In contrast, the spirit and significance of Taoism's freedom and Zen's open-mindedness seem to have transcended the times. Some people may think that Zen is also a product of foreign origin, but I feel that Zen has been completely localized since Huineng, the sixth ancestor. Therefore, it does not seem too wrong to say that it is part of the essence of Chinese culture.

Salon activities are an important part of European cafe culture, and I think it is due to the special needs of the times. At that time, Europe was influenced by the Renaissance, and various humanistic and civil rights ideas flourished. The cafe happened to be the outlet of various ideological trends and an important social place. However, the Internet has developed so far, and all kinds of ideas and gossip are disseminated. If you just join the salon of coffee shops, you are in danger of being marginalized. Therefore, in the information age, the function and urgency of salon activities are not so strong.

Culture is always spreading and evolving with the times, so is the cafe as a sub-culture. So what kind of a good Chinese cafe culture might look like today? Roughly speaking, culture can be divided into three areas: scientific truth, moral goodness, and artistic beauty. As we have just mentioned, in the information age, science is flourishing, so there is no urgent need for all kinds of knowledge; however, in today's China, moral goodness and artistic beauty are lacking, so according to the development trajectory, China's cafe culture is likely to be developed around these two fields, because this is in line with the needs of the current era.

Moral goodness, I think, will be influenced mainly by Taoism and Zen, and the focus will probably be on improving oneself first rather than reaching the world, because in today's social environment, doing good to others often carries great costs and risks.

Confucius 'disciples once lamented that Confucianism had 72 sages after decades of inculcation; Lao Tzu ruled by doing nothing, but only by personal charm, but also could educate one side, and achieved remarkable results. As for Zen Buddhism, there were no cafes in ancient China, but there were teahouses. Whenever Zen master Zhaozhou met someone asking about Buddhism, he often said nothing but asked people to drink tea. Since tea can enlighten people, why not drink coffee? For the essence of Zen is to teach people to stay away from all phases.

As for artistic beauty, I seem to have seen encouraging momentum in Chinese cafes, especially around Hangzhou. Many coffee shops are designed to break through existing stereotypes, quite a new one for the eyes and ears, and the feeling of physical and mental comfort; in addition, many operators for the coffee itself professional pursuit, but also spare no effort, and when the skill is profound, it is almost Tao. Perhaps one day, we will see in these cafes that moral goodness and artistic beauty are so perfectly blended.