Zhichong Coffee: A Pet-Friendly Café on the Lawn by the Wenzaobang in Baoshan

Read more (CoffeeYo coffeeyo.com): On the big lawn beside the Wenzaobang river in Shanghai’s Baoshan district, a café called Zhichong Shiguang has folded greenery, sunlight and coffee into a single space. The owner has built community services into daily operations — a convenience corner, neighbourhood gatherings, youth volunteer meet-ups — turning the café into a doorstep hub for local residents. In the evenings it becomes a meeting point for dogs and their people.

Baoshan has long been a place of rich culture and notable people. For busy city dwellers rushing past streets and buildings every day, some road names feel familiar and some buildings stand out — but there is rarely time to stop and learn their history. In the series “There Is a Place in Baoshan”, former Shanghai radio host Tao Hai, who first came to Baoshan a decade ago while filming a documentary, takes viewers to the district’s most interesting corners.

This episode arrives by metro at the No.1 Bay Innovation Hub beside the Wenzaobang to visit a café worth the trip. It is called Zhichong Coffee.

“The moment I sat down, I felt that everything here resonated with how I like to live,” Tao says. The café, Zhichong Shiguang, sits on the lawn by the Wenzaobang, so it naturally carries a birds-and-flowers atmosphere. Push open the door and freshness greets you. Every member of staff is unhurried, attentive and quietly warm. Plants fill the interior, blending with the bright sunlight outside into something that simply breathes.

The coffee here has a distinctive milky aroma that relaxes you almost immediately. Staying true to an idea of harmony between people and nature, the owner has embedded community services into the business: a convenience corner, and hosting for neighbourhood socials and small youth volunteer activities, all aimed at becoming a genuine doorstep service point for nearby residents. Many companies choose the space for team building. Sitting down with a few close friends over coffee to talk about life and work brings a real sense of ease — and closes the distance between people. The feeling here is that no problem cannot be solved with a cup of coffee.

As evening falls, pet owners come out to walk their dogs. Zhichong Shiguang has built a dedicated rest area for pets and offers a rather refined pet afternoon tea. While owners chat inside, the dogs can enjoy their own treats at the entrance, with staff on hand to look after them.

That Shanghai people love coffee is beyond dispute. For us, coffee is no longer just a drink, or simply a tool for staying awake. The place where we drink it inevitably expresses a modern idea of life that is healthy, pleasant and harmonious. This café clearly aims at young office workers, young couples and local pet-owning families: youthful and on-trend, yet rooted in the community and carrying a public-service character. It is both a base for young people to decompress and a fashionable space that draws neighbours closer and builds a warmer community.

Source: The Paper — Zhichong Coffee: A Pet-Friendly Café on the Lawn by the Wenzaobang in Baoshan

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