Coffee sellers discover opportunity, sense of community in a small Zhejiang village

View from 55 Road Coffee in Daqing Mountain. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xie Junwu sold coffee in the back of his van while driving around China with his wife for years. However, his journey came to an end in 2022 when he arrived at Luxiaxu, a small village adjacent to the sea in Putuo district of the city of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province.

The couple fell in love with the ancient village, which discovered a new life thanks to tourism and went viral in recent years. Their affection immediately led to the idea of setting up a local coffee shop — 55 Road Coffee.

"If we were to go back to city life now, we would actually find it quite challenging to adapt to that pace again. We truly enjoy the rural life here; this place is our home," said Xie who used to live in the city of Changsha, Hunan province.

Part of the coffee shop has been transformed from the original old house's chicken and duck coop. In order to preserve the old memories, they retained most of the structure and the roof tiles. And Xie's mother is currently the chef of this coffee shop, specializing in Hunan cuisine known for its spicy taste.

"We used to live in Hunan, and now starting a business here allows me and my family to live and work together, something that is hard to achieve elsewhere," Xie stated.

Xie is just one of the young entrepreneurs who are trying their luck in Zhoushan thanks to a favorable local policy to support establishments of cultural and dining businesses.

Luxiaxu village is dubbed "an entrepreneurial park without walls", offering policy support such as low rent, renovation subsidies, guaranteed loans with interest subsidies, and talent housing guarantees for aspiring entrepreneurs. Currently, it hosts 50 diverse shops, including nearly 10 village cafes, employing over 100 locals.

"Our annual revenue stays stable, reflecting a positive trend in this rural business mode. We manage to earn slightly more than in a traditional job, enjoying greater freedom and a stronger sense of community," Xie said.

Despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, government initiatives such as media exposures and client visits have benefited businessperson such as Xie in Luxiaxu.

"The local community and government care about everyone's businesses and organizes events such as rural coffee festivals and related markets to attract more visitors," he added.

Apart from government support, a stronger sense of belonging emanates from the warmth of rural life, Xie said.

"We have great relationships with our neighbors. We share leftover food with them to feed their chickens and ducks, and they often bring us fresh vegetables and fruits. They even help us raise chickens."

"The bonds among neighbors are not easily encapsulated in a single phrase; they are the culmination of numerous acts of kindness," Xie expressed.

Xie also managed to pay back the kindness of the neighbors with reciprocal benefits - rice, chicken, and vegetables he orders are all sourced from local residents instead of wholesales.

"The money we earn from using these ingredients go back to the community, albeit temporarily passing through my hands, ultimately benefiting many villagers," he said.

His business expanded in May as the second 55 Road Coffee opened in nearby Daqing Mountain, fulfilling his dream owning a shop facing the sea and a mountain behind.

"After observing Daqing Mountain for nearly a year, we found that the sea in that area is constantly blue for over 200 days out of the whole year. We want to share this unique information with more friends, encourage them to enjoy sea view at Daqing Mountain apart from rural life in Luxiaxu village.

In 2023, Luxiaxu welcomed 1.2 million tourists, generating over 252 million yuan ($34.7 million) in total tourism revenue. It was selected as one of the first batch of model destinations showcasing the province's efforts on revitalizing rural areas, according to Zheng Ping, a local interpreter.

The village's inaugural rural coffee lifestyle festival last year attracted 80,000 attendees offline, with a single event profit exceeding 1.5 million yuan, Zheng pointed out.

Furthermore, attracting innovative and creative talents back to rural areas is also a major initiative in this village.

It is reported that the village has so far attracted over 160 such talents, half of them are non-locals, leading to the creation of nearly 400 jobs and increasing the income of surrounding households by over 10,000 yuan each, Zheng introduced.

"It is very important for many young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses and for youth to empower rural areas. We hope to empower rural areas through art," said Xia Ziyu, founder of Rabbit Market, a creative store that gathers high-quality agricultural products with island characteristics.