Growth of 'academic bars' quenches thirst for knowledge

Young people crowd the pop-up academic bar launched by the social media platform Xiaohongshu in Shanghai in early September. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Dubbed "academic bars", drinking holes that quench an intellectual thirst for enlightening lectures and lively exchanges are mushrooming across China's big cities.

On lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, topics related to academic bars have garnered millions of views, with their popularity in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, accelerating over the summer.

Typically lasting one hour, the lectures are generally free of charge or can be listened to for the price of a drink.

"Bars or pubs, which provide an informal setting, naturally bridge the psychological distance between the general public and serious academic content," said Bai Anke, a 27-year-old manager of Bunker, a popular academic pub in Shanghai.

"We've noticed that there is a large group of young people in Shanghai who have received higher or overseas education and still pursue serious knowledge after leaving campus.

"Being in an informal setting can be more relaxing, and provides a free environment while learning," she said, adding that the availability of alcohol, or other beverages, complements this scenario.

Shanghai is believed to be the first city in China to pioneer academic lectures in bars and pubs.

Two years ago, lectures to popularize biomedical knowledge started in The Tiny Bar in Huangpu district. In May this year, Bunker in Jing'an district, started hosting academic lectures, which unexpectedly sparked interest in the trend among young people on social media platforms.

Bai said they never promoted Bunker as an "academic pub".

"Discussions about work, life or even academic subjects in a pub or cafe are nothing new worldwide. Our lectures were at first inspired and given by the friends of Bunker's previous manager, who is a PhD candidate at Yale University.

"Since Bunker opened in April last year, we have always expected it to be a public space focusing on public values, and a friendly community where people can talk, communicate, share and grow. We have diverse cultural activities, and the academic content is only part of our vision," Bai said.

Although the origins of the Chinese term "academic bar" are unclear, Bunker earned the sobriquet over the summer.

"Since May, we have held 19 academic lectures in our first summer 'season', and three others after that. About 700 audience members have been to our lectures, with around 30 attending each one-hour lecture due to our limited space," Bai said.

Bunker's academic lectures require no reservations or advance bookings, with seats secured on a first-come-first-served basis. Bai said sometimes the 30 available seats are all occupied before the staff arrive. Consumption of drinks is not obligatory, she added.

"We were deeply impressed by a girl standing 31st in the line for one lecture," Bai recalled.

"She had just flown back from America and headed directly to our lecture from the airport. She was tearful as we could only have 30 people in the audience.

"But, lucky for her one audience member gave up their seat, which allowed us to welcome her inside. She was very active in listening, discussing and sharing on that day, giving us enormous positive feedback," said Bai.

The enthusiastic woman characterizes many attendees of academic bar lectures. They are mainly undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD candidates, researchers, and young office workers, who all share an eagerness for knowledge and are curious about people, culture, life, science, society and the world, Bunker staff said.

Audiences attend a free academic lecture held at Bunker pub in Shanghai. NIE YUXUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Increasing popularity

Academic bars have gained in popularity through word-of-mouth and the algorithms of social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

Working with a venue in Jing'an district, Xiaohongshu launched a pop-up academic bar in Shanghai on Sept 7 and 8, featuring more than 10 lectures on topics including philosophy, reading, critical thinking, life experiences, anti-aging technology, and language learning.

As the closing event for Xiaohongshu's summer school program, the pop-up bar had attracted 1,500 participants, who were randomly selected online, said Sun Qiyao, head of the Xiaohongshu project.

"This year, we have been focusing more on knowledge that is related to and helpful for individuals, as we found out that young people are actually well-educated. In the fast-paced daily hustle and bustle, they are in need of more knowledge to navigate, safeguard and enrich their lives, such as information and experience on careers, finance, laws, health, psychology and culture," Sun said.

She said they were surprised by young people's huge demand for learning and knowledge. The program garnered about 2 billion online views, and 120,000 posts on the platform.

With the concept of "learning while relaxing", Xiaohongshu's academic bar's speakers included an editor, writer, debater, science educator, and a stand-up comedian.

The venue can only host 60 to 80 people, and Sun said that the lectures were so popular they had to turn up the speakers so people gathering outside could hear them.

Also, the free drinks offered at the partner bar were tailored to echo the lecture themes. Light alcohol was offered to help audiences relax and feel freer to interact.

Both Bai and Sun agreed that to some extent, drinks can make the audience members relaxed and "merry enough", which sets academic bars apart from class settings, seminar rooms or cafes. The social lubricant also encourages attendees to be braver in raising questions, joining in discussions, and making new friends.

Li Chenghao, a PhD candidate in applied economics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gives a lecture at an academic bar in Shanghai on Sept 20. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Variety of topics

Topics involved at academic bars can vary widely. One topic that was popular was anti-aging technologies. The lecture was presented by Ji Shisan, founder and CEO of Guokr, a popular science website in China.

"I was surprised because the audience members were young — mostly university graduates and office workers under the age of 35," Sun said.

"Ji is not a popular entertainer, and his lecture informed the audience how to face the aging process with advanced technology and equipment, which was showcased on-site.

"It (the lecture) was very interactive and popular," she said.

Another popular lecture was given by Gao Xiang, a 36-year-old visually impaired stand-up comedian more widely known as Dyingsight. Known for sharing details about his barrier-free daily life in a humorous and inspiring way, his lecture attracted about 5,000 online applicants.

A psychology major, Gao said he had been curious about academic bars since hearing the term from his wife.

"It sounds like a place with novelty and diversity, which will pretty much attract artistic people like me," he said.

"Lectures at a bar are light in form, rich in content, and more flexible when it comes to time and place."

Sun said that posts on Xiaohongshu indicate the ongoing expansion of academic bars — especially outside big cities.

"I see the essence of the academic bar as a proper space for a certain group of audiences to share and discuss certain topics. So I would say that the 'academic bar' should actually be called the 'knowledge bar'," Sun said.

Participants attend an academic lecture held at Bunker on Nov 16. YU ZIXU/FOR CHINA DAILY

Two-way street

Academic bar organizers, hosts and lecturers are also benefiting from the gatherings.

Gao said sharing his life experiences through lectures boosts his efforts to make the visually impaired better understood by the wider public.

Diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration at the age of 13, Gao went through many struggles and challenges before he found new hope in stand-up comedy.

With humorous accounts of his experiences, he has brought greater public attention to the rare disease and offered newfound confidence to those who have the condition.

"The public and society must see and know us first to do something further," he said.

"Xiaohongshu is a big platform with extensive influence, particularly among young people who have the desire to acquire and share knowledge. They represent the future and will soon be the backbone of society. The academic bar is a good chance, and platform, to make them see us."

Li Chenghao, a 25-year-old PhD candidate in applied economics who attends Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gave a lecture on financial analysis at an academic bar on Sept 20.

"The lecture was about a published paper of mine. It was still a challenge for me to explain the academic content in simple and brief words to an audience outside the field. Although I was unsure if such a topic would be accessible to them, it turned out quite positive and interactive," Li said.

"I even received some really good and valuable advice from them, as they could see things from different views and aspects based on their various work experiences."

Liu Qingge, a 31-year-old marketing consultant, frequently attends the academic lectures at Bunker. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in criminology and values the diverse perspectives and learning atmosphere at these lectures.

"The audiences at the lectures are kind of 'self-selected' ones," she said. "They usually share similar knowledge, interests or curiosity about the same topic, and are willing to learn and be open for discussion.

"For me, it is interesting to learn from them, expand my horizons and better understand society and the world," said Liu, noting such lectures can offer the public a broad "general education" on various aspects of life.

Gao Xiang, a visually impaired stand-up comedian more commonly known as Dyingsight, gives a lecture at Xiaohongshu's pop-up academic bar on Sept 8. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Shot in the arm

The booming trend is also injecting new vitality into the hospitality industry. Many people have a negative impression of bars and pubs, but the academic lectures are changing the stereotype. More patrons, especially those who don't drink, are stepping into bars for the very first time.

"I think academic bars have found a new path for bars and pubs in China. Actually, bars have an innate cultural quality. These small public cultural spaces for talks and discussions are what we are missing now," said Gao, the stand-up comedian.

However, debate on the worth of academic bars has also accompanied the boom. Some critics have questioned the value of such lectures and the seeming contradiction of "serious" academic issues being discussed in a commercial bar.

Many wonder whether audiences can really learn something in one hour, or just regard it as a way of showing off as being part of an "elite".

Organizers, lecturers, audiences and bar staff were unperturbed by the controversy, and view it as a way to publicize the trend.

Sun, head of the Xiaohongshu project, said it is normal for a new trend to gradually find the right direction to head in.

Li, the doctoral candidate, sees the debate as a catalyst to make academic bars more widely known among the public.

Bai said that Bunker will stick to its original goal to create a public space for the community to help the spread of knowledge.

Liu, the frequenter of the lectures, said academic bars are part of new business forms that represent change, development and fresh opportunities in society.

Instead of being overly criticized or having too great expectations placed on them, they should be encouraged, even though they may be viewed as a marketing gimmick, she said.

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