Paid study lounges make the grade in China
Paid study room owners in Beijing offering independent quiet spaces to help young white-collar workers quickly immerse themselves in a state of learning said they planned to expand the business as demand for studying spaces has surged with limited public sources.
The paid study lounge, firstly booming in Japan and Korea in 2011, became popular in Beijing and other Chinese megacities since last October after it was featured in a popular Korean TV series Reply 1988.
With free coffee and refreshments offered, young white-collar workers used to stay in the study room for an entire day to read books or prepare for exams. More than 30 paid study rooms are scattered throughout the capital in the Zhongguancun tech hub, Chaoyangmen and central business district areas.
Learners in the study lounge, ages 20 to 35, stare at books or laptop screens on each desk, occasionally stretching themselves or standing up to pour some coffee in silence. The lounge managers take orders online, handle problems and introduce new facilities such as an air purifier to meet the customers' studying demands.
