Piggybacking the rise of a new trend

While cafes that let customers play with adorable puppies and kittens have proved to be a hit in major Chinese cities, a new creature has been stealing the limelight in Shanghai.

At the Daydream Piglets Patting Commune, which first opened in Shanghai's Super Brand Mall on Aug 13, customers get to pat and feed tiny piglets called mini-musk swines. There are currently five outlets across the city, each featuring eight piglets for customers to interact with.

The store, which is currently undergoing trial operations, charges 69 yuan for a two-hour session. Some outlets also have hamsters.

"I've been in the leisure and entertainment business for a long time. Patting cats, dogs, rabbits, and ducks are becoming common in the market so I thought it might be interesting to open a piglet patting store," said Yang Yi, founder of Daydream Piglets Patting Commune, who noted that the pet experience industry is developing rapidly in China.

According to Gao Hong, the operation director of the company, all their piglets come from two farms in Henan and Guangdong provinces which train them to be sociable with humans.

"The piglets have been raised to be comfortable with human interaction. They also eat foods like bread and cucumber that customers can easily feed, instead of pig fodder," he said.

"All piglets in our stores are given nine vaccinations, six more than as stipulated in national regulations. We do this because the piglets are in frequent contact with people," he added.

Yang said that she will be looking to introduce new animals, such as other species of piglets and ducks, to the stores in the future.

"We will continue to expand our presence and are hoping to gradually enter other cities where we can provide customers with a better stress-relieving experience," she said.