Refresh Life with Some Sugar

Chinese universities have witnessed a wild growth of students’ obsession with milk tea — a new-style of tea drinks with added milk, cheese, cream or fruits. It’s hard not to notice its popularity and the aroma that whets every bit of your appetite. Luckily the cafes on campus can offer you a nice cup of milk tea whenever you feel like one.

In teaching building 6, CLoft, one of the busiest spots on campus, meets the needs of teachers and students for a quick beverage before class starts. We spoke to a Chinese student named Echo there. Echo, a big fan of milk tea, treats herself with a cup of milk tea every two days and never refuses to queue up for it. Like many others, she loves CLoft for its fast service and large selection. She also recommended YunShan Hub and Global Lounge, where GDUFSers frequently spend hours drinking a cup of nice milk tea.

A corner of peace at Global Lounge with the scent of milk tea sending out

Although visiting milk tea places on campus and drinking milk tea has become a trend among Chinese students, do foreigners at GDUFS know the charm of it? A foreign teacher, Kyle Muntz, has been impressed by people’s craziness for milk tea. When talking about people queuing up for it, he says, “I’m not that much of a milk tea fanatic so I seldom get involved in crowds waiting for a cup of milk tea. But once you get into the atmosphere, it just becomes a quite normal scene.” Another foreign student Luke Hemnell comes from England, where milk tea also enjoys great popularity. He has heard about the milk tea trend on campus. But when asked about the milk tea places on campus, he shook his head and said he wasn’t familiar with them.

With blossoming flowers at the front door, tempting slices of bread on the shelves and the fresh fragrance of a cup of Rosy milk tea, Global Lounge is always filled with those who would like to treat themselves with a nice, leisure afternoon. “The cafe is pretty popular among students and teachers — especially girls. And we’re literally always kept busy.” A contented smile was revealed as the owner of Global Lounge told us about his daily routine at the store. “I mean, just look around you — the answer is obvious.” When asked about the reason of such popularity, the owner grinned with confidence. With such a comfortable atmosphere, the tempting fragrance of milk tea and fresh flowers for sale, it is indeed a paradise for both work and leisure.

Blossoming flowers in the breeze of fall

A place for milk tea, a place for inner peace

Walking along the campus road down to the 6^th teaching building, CLoft is a must-visit during any campus tour. And even though it was already five minutes passed the ringing class ting, there were still a few students waiting anxiously yet persistently for their order. “Always busy, always crowded — especially between classes.” Consisting purely of students, the staff of CLoft claimed to be a family with bonds of love consistently supporting the shop. CLoft is not only convenient to reach, but the cordial vibe encourages friends to come around for a little chat with the staff. Mentioning the creative menu, the staff uttered proudly: “We’ve got a selection of drinks especially for every season, ad those herbal, healthy drinks are also a huge attraction.”

Loving decorations filled the shop with hugging atmosphere

The secret of pleasure was upcoming for curious foodies

“Welcome to YunShan Hub, what can I do for you?” With greeting as such from the uniformed staff, we were guided thoughtfully to a cozy seat in the mysterious YunShan Hub hidden secretly in the library. “We are known for our conside rate service, and we’re proud indeed to mention that.” One of the staff told us that each of them receive systematic training lessons for a higher level of service and management. Hiding inside of the library, the perfect location has attracted curious foodies and diligent learners on campus.

Walking about the campus with students rushing in so many different destinations, we might wonder whether it is all just to reach that next cup of milk tea. “People are trying to find a place for a minute of self-kindness, and a nice place for a cup of milk tea will make a great run-away from a messy day,” the owner of Global Lounge calmly explained as he picked out a bouquet of flowers. Indeed, living in a society screaming for efficiency and busy struggling to balance work and life, we may find it hard to resist a place to refresh ourselves with some sugar in life, where we can regain our courage and strength for yet another morning.