Nanhu Café, the first coffee shop in Nanjing City that opened in 1985, reopened on January 15 at its original location bordering the Nanhu Road and Nanhu East Road in the city's Jianye District following the conclusion of an urban renewal project.

Among the customers waiting in a long queue was Wang Yuping and her grandchildren. Wang, 67, said she wants to have a taste of her memories back in the 1980s.

Nanhu is both a landmark in Nanjing and central to people's memories. Wang and her colleagues at Nanjing Steel Rolling Plant couldn't wait to visit the store on its opening after work. In the early 1990s, Nanhu Café was closed and the site was then used as a supermarket, a fruit store, a vegetables store and other purposes. The reopening has really struck a chord with many people in Nanjing.

The urban renewal project along Nanhu East Road, a key street in the area, started in 2021 and adopted a micro and gradual approach after listening to the opinions of residents and businesses. The regeneration called Nanhu Memory Phase II aimed to preserve the area's unique characteristics, restore economic viability, and bring back an active community life.

Huang Feng, chairman of Jianye Urban Construction Group, said the project in an area of 600 meters long includes one square, two small parks, 46 stores, one food zone and infrastructure upgrading and environmental improvement along the road.

(Photo/Lu Lin)

Nanhu East Road attracted many residents and tourists on its first day after renovation. Nanhu Café now features a nostalgic green hue and uses tables, chairs and decorative items like the radio and toys reminiscent of the life in the past. A mural depicting the modern youth in the 1980s has covered a wall of the Suguo convenience store, turning it into an instagrammable spot. Visitors can also find street food brands that are internet sensations, often in creative settings such as a vintage bus.