Brewing new experiences in a Beijing cafe (2)

"The SCAA is an American system, but it's like a third wave -- globally, it' s a new thing. The environment and decoration here -- if you want to say it was influenced by the Western world, I can admit that. But I prefer to say that it's an international thing because this coffee revolution has just started and it's worldwide."

"The foreigners who come here also find it amazing! It's new for everyone."

Some big international brands coming into China have met with problems -- Starbucks recently came under fire for allegedly charging Chinese consumers a premium to enjoy a product the rest of the world had been sipping cheaper.

But shops like Ma's are part of a cultural interaction rather than a wholesale import, and the fact it's down a hutong and not in one of the shiny new shopping malls speaks to that.

Four months ago, a government enterprise asked him to move from the art district, where he'd been for over a year, to Qianmen. While there's undeniably been some conflict between the rapid modernization of Beijing and the preservation of its more traditional areas, especially with many completely demolished to make way for high rises, Ma says development and heritage don't have to be mutually exclusive.

"The government wants to develop this area and thought my shop was unique and wonderful," he explains. "I was happy to move because we can have a long-term lease here and plan for the business' future."

"Redevelopment like this is better than everything being knocked down. It keeps the vitality of the area. If you treat it as a human, it's like keeping the life of the human and the character."

Ma says the space now occupied by the coffee shop has been variously a printing house, a public bathroom and a jewelry shop, among other things, his business just the most recent in a long line of reinvention.

Parts of Qianmen have been redeveloped beyond recognition, while others retain original character. In an area where vast extremes of Beijing's history and big international brands sit next door to each other, perhaps places like Ma's coffee shop sit in the middle -- an example of the city opening up to international tastes and introducing new experiences.

If Goubuli should prove to be a lesson in Chinese chains expanding globally, Soloist could be a lesson in small businesses engaging in cultural exchange.

For his part, Ma Kaimin is clear on his personal hopes and motivations. "When someone comes in, first of all we have to get the guy a good coffee. And in terms of our expectations for them, we are ambitious -- we hope this environment will encourage some people, give them a totally different environment from their regular life. Give them a different approach to life."