Coffee performs an indispensable role in the daily lives of Westerners. Its global popularity is attributed to its unique flavour and frequent presence in stories, TV series and movies. For instance, the cafe Central Perk becomes part of the memories of numerous fans who are crazy about the TV series Friends. Surprisingly, Friends’ cafe is started by a huge fan of the play Du Xin in Beijing in 2009. It is almost identical with Central Perk where the six friends hang around with each other. Nowadays, Friends’ Cafe enjoys high reputation among young people who earn their lives in Beijing. If you are crazy about the play Friends and curious about what the Beijing Central Perk looks like, please come here on your Beijing tours. You won’t be disappointed.
Du Xin and His Friends’ Cafe
Du Xin was born in Heilongjiang Province and used to study in Holland for several years. After he returned back to China, he came up with the idea of opening a cafe identical with Central Perk due to his strong love towards the play. But it was always difficult to start a business all by oneself. In order to make the cafe exactly identical with Central Perk, he watched the TV series again and again. He spent hours and hours looking for similar desk lamps and tablewares. The most difficult part dealt with the furnitures. He asked people to draw pictures first, and then he paid manufacturing workshops to produce them accordingly.
Friends’ Cafe is located in Chaowai Soho complex. It looks extremely like the original Central Perk, including the color of the walls, the handwritten menu on the blackboard, the high stools with printing flowers, and the famous orange couch. Sitting on the orange couch, you can pretend to be anyone of them depending on who is your favourate one.
When asked about the reasons to start such a cafe, Du Xin expressed his love for the play series. When he finished watching it, he dreamed of sitting on the orange couch and drinking coffee. So he decided to create one himself.
TV Series Friends and Central Perk
Friends is an American TV show, centering on the lives of six good friends living in Manhattan. The whole play consists of ten seasons which are produced every year. Actually, the show stretches from 1994 to 2004 and attracts numerous viewers across the world. The six protagonists are Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Ross Geller. Among them, Rachel has worked as a waitress in Central Perk for almost three years. She makes a lot of mistakes at the very beginning. They spend most of their leisure time drinking coffee together in Central Perk. So the cafe becomes the important scene second to their apartments.
Central Perk sounds similar to its location central park in New York. The word “perk” means to gain vigor or cheerfulness. It also refers to a kind of coffee machine.
The TV show is famous for its humourous characters, warm stories and unique setting. Most of the episodes are cast indoor, which is very challenging. And the stories are usually concerned with the sorrows and happiness in daily lives.
Apart from Friends’Cafe in Beijing, there are many other cafes similar to Central Perk across the world, including Paris, Dubai, and Geneva. The following picture is Central Perk in Dubai.
Finally, don’t forget to come to Beijing in your China travel if you are a huge fan of Friends. It is the most similar one to Central Perk.