From Monday to Friday, classes fill up our schedule: 9:00-12:00 Chinese, 12:00-1:00 lunch, 1:00-4:00 class (Public Health/Political Science/IMC). Trying to study and finish homework and, more or less, experience something new, I sometimes go to a cafe afterwards. There are multiple coffee shops in Peking’s campus like Paradiso Cafe and Beautiful Time Cafe. The latter also serves tea and various meal choices so you can even stay for dinner!
There are plenty of cafes outside of Peking University too. If you go near EC Mall and City Gate Mall, there’s a two-story Starbucks which has great wi-fi. Inside the two malls, there’s also Maan Coffee and another Starbucks so you can get dinner afterwards and shop!
But by far, my favorite cafes are in Wudaokou. Less than a 20-minute bus ride, Wudaokou is filled with much activity, food and fun. There are Korean chain bakery-cafes like Tous Les Jours and Paris Baguette, where you can study and get some small pastries for breakfast the next morning. There’s also a sloth cafe (a drawing of a sloth on top of their open door) and it’s usually the most quiet one of all. But the down side is that you’re expected to pay for a pretty expensive drink if you study there. Close by though, there’s a popular cafe among NU students called Bunny Drop and here, there’s no need to pay to stay. The coffee shop has food too like burgers, salads, pasta and other non-Chinese dishes, and I ended up eating dinner there multiple times.
Bunny Drop aesthetics
Dinner at Bunny Drop
Unlike the States where most people grab coffee at either Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks, the cafe culture in China is quite diverse and ubiquitous. Some cafes even have sit-down, warm meals delivered directly to wherever you’re sitting–almost like a restaurant. Even though I go to these cafes after class to study/do homework and it all seems mundane, I’m also learning parts of Chinese culture along the way. Not everything needs to or can be attained from intentional planning and doing. Sometimes, it just happens.