Starbucks opened its first heritage gallery store to promote intangible culture

On the opening day, an old man with gray hair showed up at the Starbucks Reserve Heritage Gallery Store in Beijing. After knowing the opening date, he flew from southeast Guizhou province for experiencing the integration of old craftsmanship of his hometown into the modern city. Li Xiaowei, manager of the store, received him and explained the displays with intangible cultural heritage elements to him. Touched by this, the old man was also proud of his hometown.

Besides the old man, many young people came for the intangible heritage art. Li said, “Some young adults come here especially during the afternoon tea break. They are interested in the ancient artisan handicraft.” The first Starbucks intangible cultural heritage gallery store was launched in Beijing. Different from the modern exterior design of the store, its inner design is inspired by the Beijing Hutong culture which features traditional Beijing. The ceiling of the store uses the elements of lines of the stone tile roofs of old Beijing courtyards, creating a traditional atmosphere in modern urban life. The pattern of bar with the wax printing backdrop presents the unique living atmosphere and changes of Beijing Hutong.

Starbucks designers have cooperated with inheritors of wax printing and built the first wax printing-themed coffee bar. The whole backdrop is a bright indigo dyed “painting” with delicate and subtle hand-drawn “old Beijing Hutong”, while the other side is wax printing artworks that combine wax printing, coffee culture, and old Beijing traditions.

Li Xiaowei especially introduced a huge wax printing piece in the store which breaks through traditional narrative way and depicts the charm of Beijing courtyard. Li said, “It is like a miniature of city life, making customers feel at home.” Surprisingly, in the wax printing piece, people from all over the world gather in the hutong, which presents cultural diversity and inclusiveness. “Children’s games, such as kicking shuttlecock and playing chess, bring a sense of innocence to people and arouse their memories of happy hours. Keeping their joy in the store is also of great meaning.” Li said.

The creation of wonderful wax printing artworks tells warm stories. It is jointly created by Starbucks and Danzhai Wax Printing Cooperative in Qiandongnan prefecture, Guizhou province. Women in Danzhai county were not familiar with the elements of Beijing hutong, so they gathered to read pictures, study the contents, and communicate with designers so as to accurately depict details and present the work perfectly. Cloth for wax printing was too large to be put flat on the table, so painters had to lie faces down on the ground to finish part of the painting. In the dyeing process, 3 dyers were needed to repeat dyeing and oxidation at the same time to ensure uniformity in color.

“I have never thought that the works could be displayed in such a beautiful store in Beijing.” Yang Erbaolang, leader of the wax printing cooperative, said, “It provides a broader platform for wax printing, which boosts our confidence. Working with Starbucks, we hope to further spread the wax printing culture and improve the living standards of the women in my rural areas.”

“Our original inspiration is to bridge the intangible cultural heritage and modern cities.” Leo Tsoi, CEO of Starbucks China, said. “We also want to leverage our brand to provide a wider platform for more intangible heritage inheritors and “rural women”, and contribute to the preservation and inheritance of China’s cultural treasures.”

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