Coffee craze in China's 'city of the future' brews up innovative spirit

SHIJIAZHUANG — Until a few years back, locals in China's Xiong'an New Area, also dubbed the "city of the future", were perhaps not much into drinking coffee. But nowadays, the perky brew has evolved into a daily staple for many, with local coffee shops serving as hubs for networking, business discussions and exchanging entrepreneurial ideas.

Migu Cafe in Xiong'an, Hebei province, is an innovative space, blending a coffee shop, reading nooks and a technology and innovation experience center by China Mobile. At the cafe's entrance, a coffee-making robot captivates the attention of passersby.

With its bulging body and flexible arms, the machine skillfully carries out the entire process of making hand-brewed coffee, including weighing and grinding beans, placing coffee powder and pouring hot water.