A mock airplane at Village Coffee in Qianmushan village, Nanxun district, Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Rural cafes in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, are looking beyond eye-catching settings to attract repeat visitors by linking coffee with local tourism, culture, and village life.

In Qianmushan village in Nanxun district, Cunli Coffee has installed a simulated airplane cabin and boat-themed setting. In Shanchuan township, Anji county, visitors can take helicopter rides over bamboo forests before stopping at a mountain cafe.

Other businesses are building connections with existing local activities. In Baofu town, Anji, a mountaintop cafe at a paragliding base encourages visitors to stay longer and explore nearby attractions. In Xibao village, Nanxun, a cafe links locally grown Hongmeiren citrus drinks with a stone museum and handicraft activities.

Some cafes also serve local communities. Yangli Coffee in Deqing county offers free coffee to village residents aged 65 and above. Ink and Bean Bookhouse in Anji allows villagers to exchange fresh vegetables for coffee and sells local produce.

Huzhou has introduced 13 measures to support rural operations, including local standards for rural operations, training for rural cafe operators and a map of rural coffee destinations.

Wuxing district has also introduced a model under which village collectives provide unused buildings to operators at low or no rent in exchange for a share of revenue.