GROWTH OF 'ACADEMIC BARS' QUENCHES THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

Lectures at pubs attract audiences eager to relax, expand understanding

Dubbed "academic bars", drinking holes that quench an intellectual thirst for enlightening lectures and lively exchanges are mushrooming across China's big cities.

On lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, topics related to academic bars have garnered millions of views, with their popularity in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, accelerating over the summer.

Typically lasting one hour, the lectures are generally free of charge or can be listened to for the price of a drink.