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

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.