STARBUCKS has opened a new concept store on Hefang Street in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, that spotlights China’s intangible cultural heritage, part of Starbucks’ ongoing expansion and localization strategy. The Hangzhou outlet is the fifth Starbucks heritage?themed store in China, following locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Nanjing. Housed in a nearly century?old building on the historic pedestrian, the shop blends contemporary café culture with local craft displays. The interior features hangluo gauze — a celebrated Hangzhou silk technique added to China’s national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008 — and a handloom on the first floor so visitors can watch weaving demonstrations while they sip coffee. The concept grew from two Starbucks public?welfare programs launched in 2019 to preserve traditional skills and support rural women artisans. According to the company, those initiatives have engaged about 50 intangible cultural techniques through training, exhibitions and community projects. The Hangzhou store is intended to function not just as a retail outlet but as a cultural venue where customers can learn about and experience local craftsmanship. “We hope the store will serve not only as a space to present coffee culture but also as a cultural window for the public to experience the vitality of intangible cultural heritage,” said Cheng Yiting, an executive with Starbucks East China Region. Starbucks has operated in Hangzhou for more than 20 years and runs about 450 stores in the city. The new concept underlines the company’s effort to marry its global coffeehouse model with place?based cultural programming — a move observers say reflects a broader trend of brands supporting cultural preservation as part of community engagement and brand differentiation.(Mu Zi) | 