A customer holds a cup of coffee with a traditional rabbit symbol drawn into the foam in Jiuquan, Northwest China’s Gansu province, on Jan. 12. Coffee’s growing popularity has caused a boom in the number of outlets in smaller cities and counties across the country. Photo: Li Yalong/China News Service, VCG

Customers brew coffee in a market at The Bund in Shanghai on Wednesday. The city was home to more than 7,500 coffee shops as of last June. Photo: VCG

A coffee shop in Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, serves coffee using a traditional tea set called Gaiwan, to appeal to customers in April. Photo: Wang Lei/China News Service, VCG

A barista makes a coffee mixed with Moutai liquor for customers in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, in November. Photo: VCG

A robot makes coffee at an expo in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, in November. Photo: VCG

Ethnic costumes hang on display in a coffee shop in a county in Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in April. Photo: Yu Jin/China News Service, VCG

Customers enjoy their beverages in an antique Dangdang car that was converted into a coffee shop in November in North China’s Tianjin. Photo: Dong Yu/China News Service, VCG

Customers drink coffee in an anti-fraud-themed coffee shop in Chengdu on Jan. 11. As part of the store’s appeal, police provide pointers on how to avoid being scammed. Photo: VCG

Beijing’s first coffee store launched by China Post in July last year has become a favorite spot to take a photo. China Post’s coffee chain now has outlets in cities like Xiamen and Fuzhou. Photo: VCG

Cement storage tanks converted into a coffee shop in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, in August 2021, have proven to be popular among people looking to take photos. Photo: VCG

People line up in front of a hole-in-the-wall cafe, where drinks are served by a furry bear claw and made by people with hearing difficulties, attracting many customers in Shanghai in December 2020. Photo: VCG