“A Cup of Coffee, A Glimpse of a Chinese City” — Los Angeles Welcomes the World’s First Chinese City Exhibition Hall

LAPost / Pasadena, Los Angeles (September 9, 2025) — The world’s first overseas Chinese City Exhibition Hall officially opened on the morning of September 9 in downtown Pasadena, a major commercial hub in northern Los Angeles. Nearly one hundred guests attended the grand opening, including Wang Taiyu, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, his wife, Consular official Chen Fenghua, as well as Southern California media representatives and prominent influencers. The inaugural theme city unveiled was Chongqing.

The idea for the themed venue came from well-known influencer “Jiao Jiao” (@毒角SHOW), who has more than 50 million followers across platforms. Earlier this year, his collaborative short videos with “Jiakang Ge” on Chinese culture sparked heated discussions. Following his attendance at the Los Angeles premiere of The Nanjing Photo Studio last month, his related video surpassed 100 million views and 3 million likes on a single platform, gradually transforming online influence into a force for cross-cultural exchange and social education.

Jiao Jiao explained that the space, named Unicorn Coffee, is more than a café — it is a “mini Chinese City Exhibition Hall.” Its core program, “Twelve Cities in Twelve Months”, will spotlight a different Chinese city each month, offering an immersive sensory experience across sight, sound, and taste.

Visually, the team invites American artists to create cultural wall art that highlights each city’s unique features. For the Chongqing theme, Los Angeles graffiti artist Corie Mattie (aka LA HOPE DEALER) painted a striking mural of Hongyadong, quickly becoming a popular local photo spot. For sound, the venue features a “Sound Museum,” playing urban music and ambient sounds that let visitors hear the heartbeat of a city. In terms of taste, each month features a city-inspired coffee creation. For Chongqing, the special iced latte draws inspiration from local flavors such as rabbit head, ice jelly, and rice candy.

Interactive experiences add to the charm: any customer who can say one phrase in Chinese enjoys half-priced coffee, and each month two lucky winners will receive round-trip tickets to China plus a three-night stay in the featured city.

At the event, Jiao Jiao remarked: “Overseas, many people only think of Beijing and Shanghai when they hear about China, but the country’s vitality goes far beyond that. Through this café, we hope to show the world more young, modern, and dynamic Chinese cities. Our vision is simple: ‘Drink a cup of coffee, see a Chinese city.’ We hope to take this model to more places worldwide so that young people can experience the real China through a cup of coffee.”

Counselor Wang Taiyu noted in his speech: “The Chinese City Exhibition Hall combines online communication with an offline physical space, an innovative way to promote Chinese tourism and culture. The ‘one city per month’ design allows local audiences to experience each city’s unique character and flavor through the eyes of young people. I hope your success also encourages more people to visit and discover China.”

The event also screened a short documentary filmed by Jiao Jiao’s team, capturing artist Corie Mattie’s trip to Chongqing and her creative process. Together with partner “Xiao Tang,” Jiao Jiao demonstrated how to prepare the Chongqing-style iced coffee. The Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau sent city landmark models and local snacks to support the event. Corie Mattie and Jiao Jiao then introduced the massive Hongyadong mural and the “CHONG QING” art lettering adorned with peace doves, leaving audiences with a powerful sensory impression of the city.

Richard Ren, English Edition Director of LAPost, commented: “Jiao Jiao is a leading figure among local influencers. Nearly a hundred influencers attended today’s event, each with massive followings across platforms. Their participation will create a powerful network effect in promoting Chinese cities overseas.”

So far, more than 90 Chinese municipal cultural and tourism organizations have reached out to Jiao Jiao, hoping to collaborate on overseas promotions. Next month’s featured city will be Nanjing.

(By Staff Writer: Richard Ren / LAPost)