China's coffee revolution sees youth swapping tea for lattes
At a cafe on a mountainside in southwestern China, Liao Shihao makes coffee using locally grown beans, bringing a modern twist to the area's traditional beverages.
For a long time, Pu'er in Yunnan has been famous for its fermented tea. However, younger Chinese people now favour strong espressos, creamy lattes, and flat whites.
Every year, Pu'er's plantations sell tens of thousands of tonnes of coffee to big cities in China, according to government data.
Liao's family has run the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation for three generations. Little Hollow produces around 500 tonnes of raw coffee fruit each year.
China's coffee production has significantly increased in recent years. However, it is still much lower than that of major producers like Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
Yunnan produces almost all of China's coffee, mainly in Pu'er.
Officials are keen to expand the sector further.
Answer: coffee made with locally grown beans
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
33 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Xi-Trump call a ‘step back from the brink', but China's neighbours still caught in rivalry
The much-anticipated phone call between the leaders of China and the US could offer a respite for many Asian countries caught in their rivalry, but the detente might also complicate their calculations on how to strike a balance between the two superpowers, according to analysts. More than four months after his return to the White House, US President Donald Trump had what he described as a 'very positive' phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday. While Trump said his 90-minute discussion with Xi had not touched on matters beyond trade, it was widely considered a diplomatic breakthrough after weeks of worsening tensions between the world's two biggest economies. For many of China's neighbours that have relied on trade with both powers, the call between the two leaders has eased their predicament of having to choose between prioritising trade with China and navigating aggressive US policies. Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow with the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, said the phone call marked a 'tentative step back from the brink, offering brief respite for Asian neighbours like South Korea'. But he said the relationship between the two powers had 'become more fragile than ever', noting that it was the first phone call with Xi since Trump's inauguration in January.
South China Morning Post
36 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Why Hong Kong is China's undisputed hub for global finance, at Shanghai's expense
When Yan Jun was looking around last year for a stock market to raise capital for his Beijing-based traffic-control software company, the engineer and chairman thought he was spoiled for choice. He could sell shares of his 10-year-old company AICT on one of the three mainland exchanges – Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – that together make up the world's second-biggest capital market, with a combined value of US$10 trillion, according to Bloomberg data. Or he could raise capital offshore by selling shares in Hong Kong's nearly US$6.2 trillion market , the world's fourth-largest. New York – a welcoming possibility at first – lost its appeal early this year when US President Donald Trump unleashed a new wave of trade hostilities and animosity towards Chinese companies. In the end, the choice was clear: Hong Kong won because of its access to 'international capital and strong connectivity to global markets', Yan said. The city, where he earned his doctorate in business administration, would also be the launching pad for his business abroad, he added. AICT's products are used in sensing robots, intelligent traffic systems and autonomous driving. Photo: Handout Yan is not alone. Since the summer of 2024, a series of mainland companies have made similar calculations and turned to Hong Kong's stock exchange for capital infusions.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Asia is finally cool in the eyes of those who matter
The late Joseph Nye, who coined the term 'soft power' , often warned that US President Donald Trump's actions were harming America's reputation abroad. Meanwhile, perceptions of China and other Asian countries are on the rise. Could this indicate a shift towards the fabled ' Asian century '? More than a third of people in Southeast Asia were born since the beginning of the 21st century, amounting to more than 250 million people. As a result, none of them personally experienced the 1997 Asian financial crisis. A small minority encountered the September 11 attacks and the subsequent 'war on terror', while only a few can recall the 2008 global financial crisis. However, most of them have been directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic . Some have now entered the workforce and can afford to travel abroad. Many Southeast Asians consume a diverse range of foreign content and products online and offline. What does the world look like to them? Geopolitics is back and globalisation is no longer taken for granted. Meanwhile, regionalism might be stronger than ever, especially given Trump's 'America first' doctrine China is leading the way in shaping socioeconomic and political developments across Southeast Asia and beyond. Part of the reason for this is its Belt and Road Initiative , which has been instrumental in expanding its influence across different domains. This initiative encompasses physical and digital infrastructure, including roads, trains, bridges and the technological foundations for future connectivity such as 6G and beyond, which will power smart cities.
