State-run cafe
The Forbidden City Cafe, managed by the authorities that oversee the historic imperial quarters, serves both coffee and traditional Chinese tea.
“We want to provide tourists with a package of products relating to the imperial palace and Chinese culture,” Li Wenru, deputy curator of the Forbidden City, was quoted as saying.
In July, Starbucks closed its coffee shop, which it had operated in the Forbidden City since 2000. The Starbucks outlet had been controversial since it opened in the palace, the former home of China’s emperors and one of the most important Chinese cultural heritage sites.
Last January, Chinese television presenter Rui Chenggang called on Starbucks to leave the Forbidden City, saying that the cafe undermined the “solemnity of the Forbidden City and (trampled on) Chinese culture”.
Thousands of internet users supported his view, which sparked extensive coverage in the official press, the agency said.
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