City of cafes: Shanghai’s love affair with coffee
咖啡之都：上海对咖啡的热爱
Walk through the streets of Shanghai and its café culture is unmissable. There are some areas where you won't be able to turn without passing yet another new little café. China's financial capital now has so many coffee shops that the government claims it has the most of any city in the world.
漫步在上海的街头，这里的咖啡馆文化是不容错过的。有些地方，无论你往哪个方向走，都会经过另一家新开的咖啡馆。如今，作为中国的金融中心，上海分布着许多咖啡馆，政府声称其数量位居世界各城市之首。
The city's café culture has been developing for years, but the post-Covid opening up has really given it a boost, as locals embrace outdoor living, looking for places to meet their friends and family.
这座城市的咖啡馆文化已经发展多年，但后疫情时代的开放真正为其带来了繁荣，因为当地人开始拥抱户外生活，寻找与朋友和家人聚会的地方。
However, with so many new establishments, the competition for customers has become fierce. Most owners we spoke to don't think all these businesses can survive.
然而，随着众多新店的涌现，顾客争夺战变得愈发激烈。我们采访的大多数店主都认为，并非所有企业都能生存下来。
Shanghai officials say there are "more than 8,000 cafes in the city". And a report by the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival, recorded 9,553 coffee shops at the end of 2023. And it's not just the number of outlets that sets Shanghai apart.
上海政府表示，“全市有8000多家咖啡馆”。而上海国际咖啡文化节的一份报告则显示，截至2023年底，上海的咖啡馆数量达到了9553家。但让上海与众不同的不仅仅是咖啡馆的数量。
Where other Chinese cities are still dominated by big coffee chains like Starbucks and its local rival Luckin, Shanghai's café explosion is largely fuelled by niche, independent outlets, like Hidden Track.
在中国其他城市，星巴克等大型咖啡连锁店及其本土竞争对手瑞幸仍占据主导地位，而上海的咖啡馆热潮则主要由小众的独立咖啡馆所推动，如 Hidden Track。
Its owner Dong Xiaoli says she had "no choice" but to dive head first into the industry because she was so passionate about coffee. But it hasn't been easy.
其店主董晓丽说，她对咖啡充满热情，因此“别无选择”，只能全身心投入这个行业。但创业之路并不容易。
Asked what advice she would give someone considering following in her footsteps, she laughs and replies: "I'd say don't do it. The investment versus return is awful. You need to buy expensive machines and put a lot of money into decorating. You're earning very small amounts of money compared to other industries."
当被问及会给那些打算“效仿”她的人什么建议时，她笑着回答说：“我想说不要这样做。投资回报率太低了。你需要购买昂贵的机器，并在装修上投入大量资金。与其他行业相比，你赚的钱非常少。”
To succeed in this very crowded market, having a distinct vibe has become as important as anything else in attracting customers. Hidden Track has gone for a limited menu and a simple, minimalist vibe which opens onto the street in a welcoming fashion.
在这个竞争激烈的市场中，要想成功，营造独特的氛围变得和吸引顾客一样重要。Hidden Track 选择了限量菜单和简约的氛围，以开放的方式迎接街道上的顾客。
Being seen at a café here is considered hip and urbane, and that has helped drive young customers through the doors. Cafes have become a social occasion with many young people to get dressed up and meet for coffee and a chat.
去上海的咖啡馆打卡被视为时髦和都市化的象征，这吸引了大量年轻顾客前来光顾。咖啡馆已成为许多年轻人打扮一番、相约喝咖啡聊天的社交场合。
Shanghai's residents who have long seen themselves as the inheritors of an outward-looking, cosmopolitan attitude which permeated Shanghai in the early decades of the 20th century, are also proud of their café culture.
上海的居民长期以来一直自视为20世纪前几十年中上海所特有的开放、国际化态度的继承者，他们也对自己的咖啡馆文化感到自豪。
"Shanghai has long been an international trading city: we started drinking coffee a long time ago. Smaller cities will also gradually get different types of cafes," says one man sitting at a café.
坐在咖啡馆里的一位男士说道：“上海长期以来都是一座国际商贸城市，我们很久以前就开始喝咖啡了。小城市也会逐渐出现不同类型的咖啡馆。”
A woman nearby agrees that the local café culture is now solidly established. Asked how many cups of coffee she drinks a day, she laughs out loud and replies: "As many as I like."
附近的一位女士也认同当地咖啡馆文化现已根深蒂固。当被问及每天喝多少杯咖啡时，她笑着回答说：“我想喝多少就喝多少。”
Along one stretch of road, we counted 18 cafes within only a couple of hundred metres. All of them had plenty of customers inside. Owners are hoping this will not be just a passing fad.
在一条街道上，短短几百米的距离就有18家咖啡馆。里面都有很多顾客。业主们希望这不只是昙花一现。
According to some estimates, China's coffee market was valued at more than 260 billion yuan (35 billion dollars) last year. It's been projected that it could increase by another hundred billion (13 billion dollars).
据估计，中国咖啡市场的价值去年已超过2600亿元人民币（约合350亿美元）。预计可能会再增加1000亿元人民币（约合130亿美元）。
The country's branded coffee shop market grew by 58% last year, according to the World Coffee Portal. With overheads so high in Shanghai, many coffee shops can't afford to have their space under-utilised at night. So, when the sun goes down, they are turning their cafes into bars, sometimes with live music.
据世界咖啡门户网站称，中国品牌咖啡馆市场去年增长了58%。上海的开支很大，许多咖啡馆都无法承担晚上空间闲置的费用。因此，夜幕降临后，他们会把咖啡馆变成酒吧，有时还会有现场音乐表演。
The owner of the Flower Café and Bar, Wang Xi, has a prime spot with a clear view of the city. His margins are very tight but, at the moment, his venture is surviving.
“花咖啡馆和酒吧”的老板王希有一个绝佳的位置，可以清楚地看到这座城市。他的利润空间非常小，但目前，他的事业还在勉强维持。
"I'm a quite optimistic," he says. "I hope the Chinese economy will quickly return to pre-pandemic levels. If the economy flows again, everyone will make a profit."
他说：“我很乐观。我希望经济能迅速恢复到疫情前的水平。如果经济再次流动，每个人都会盈利。”
China's economy may be facing some significant hurdles but, as Wang Xi speaks, he looks out across the customers sitting at little tables and chairs staring down Suzhou Creek towards a gleaming Shanghai skyline and – on this night – it's hard not to share his optimism.
经济可能面临一些重大障碍，但当王希说话时，他望向那些坐在小桌子旁、隔着苏州河望向闪闪发光的上海天际线的顾客们，就在这个夜晚，人们很难感受不到他的乐观情绪。
苏格拉底有一句名言：我知我无知。说的是，当你认识到的东西越多就越发现自己无知。苏格拉底认为，人对于客观世界的认识是有限的，且不可能完全认识客观世界，并且不应对客观世界刨根究底。神对于世界的规划自有安排，若人一意孤行地探索世界和自然的奥秘，则最终将亵渎甚至触怒神明。正因为人对神所构建的世界不可能实现完全认知，因此那些宣称自己能够认识和改造世界的人，本身便是无知的代言。尽管苏格拉底的关于“ 我知我无知”的观念的解读，在现在看来有失客观科学。但至少苏格拉底告诫人们，人的认知是有限的，现有的知识甚至可能存在错误和疏漏。因此，无论任何时代，我们都必须对自己的无知加以认识并通过不懈的开拓，去更新甚至颠覆固有的知识结构。我们在求学之路上也要报以我知我不知的心态，才能走得更远、终有所成。最后，祝愿每一位考研学子都能顺利上岸！
