Delivered at the Fourth Session of the 14th Guizhou Provincial People's Congress on Jan 27, the Report on the Work of the Government mentioned continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of the tourism industry, highlighting the booming rise of boutique coffee, craft beer, and new tea drinks.

In the 600 square kilometers of urban area comprising Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, there are over 1,200 craft beer bars hidden throughout the streets and alleys, ranking among the highest densities in the country. Well-known local enterprises like Chuizi Craft Beer, TripSmith, Tapstar, and Dasheng have emerged. In 2025, the Guiyang Craft Beer Industry Association was established, while a three-day cultural promotion event themed "Guiyang Craft Beer · World Flavor" attracted nearly 150,000 participants in the same year, generating over 1.5 million yuan ($215,958) in revenue and boosting surrounding dining and retail business turnover by about 20 percent.

The view of Umber Coffee. [Photo/WeChat account of Shuangshuang Guiyang]

On social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, posts about Guiyang's coffee remain highly popular. Over 3,000 coffee shops in Guiyang, run by young entrepreneurs, have begun various explorations. For instance, Umber Coffee, which is located next to a 150-meter natural waterfall, attracts tourists from countries like Italy, Malaysia, and Sweden. There are also more coffee spaces that organically meld into caves, parks, and other scenes, showcasing the strong adaptability of Guiyang's coffee industry.

The Guiyang municipal government aims to establish Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area as national coffee consumption destinations and coffee culture experience cities by 2027. This includes creating more than five iconic coffee consumption scenes that highlight the city's character and blend diverse cultures, nurturing over 10 influential and culturally recognizable local boutique coffee brands, establishing more than 10 distinctive coffee market entities with strong market competitiveness, and adding 600 new coffee market entities.

New tea drinks are also achieving cross-industry growth by leveraging local resources. At the Dongjian Teahouse, boiled Guizhou's local tea is paired with roasted oranges and baked sweet potatoes, with average spending of just 30 yuan per person. Since opening last October, the store's monthly sales have exceeded 100,000 yuan. Qcs, a local specialty tea brand, currently has over 60 stores in 11 cities nationwide, with 4.6 million members and nearly 20,000 daily consumers, 88 percent of whom are aged between 25 and 35. According to Liu Shengjian, co-founder of Qcs, the brand sells 12 metric tons of Guizhou green tea and 20 tons of matcha annually, helping local farmers increase their incomes.

The practices of Guiyang's boutique coffee, craft beer, and new tea drinks demonstrate how traditional specialty industries can unleash tremendous growth potential when they find the right connection with modern consumption. What these three industries convey is not only the city's vitality, but also a clear way for Guizhou to stimulate consumer potential through innovative integration and improve livelihoods through specialty industries.