#Hu Xijin Comments on Starbucks Driving Out Police##Starbucks # In 2001, Starbucks opened in the corner of an antique hall in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
As a world-renowned coffee shop, Starbucks seems to complement each other in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
The Forbidden City in Beijing is the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as the Forbidden City, and is one of the largest and best-preserved wooden structures in the world.
It is known as the first of the five major palaces in the world (the other four are the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia).
On the surface, Starbucks opened a branch in the Forbidden City in Beijing, which facilitated the convenience of Eating and Drinking for Chinese and Foreign tourists, and also enhanced the dignified atmosphere and heavy sense of the Starbucks brand. At the same time, it also reflects the openness and inclusiveness of the Forbidden City in Beijing with the times.
From the actual analysis, the number of tourists in the Forbidden City in Beijing has always been very large, including many foreign tourists. This is also an iron guarantee for Starbucks' revenue.
It seems that for both sides, this is a win-win situation. It can even become a model for cooperation between Chinese and foreign brands, traditional brands and modern brands.
Starbucks settled in the Forbidden City in Beijing for six years, establishing its image as a top beverage brand in the Chinese market.
Six years later, however, it all took a turn for the worse.
In January 2007, CCTV anchor Rui published an article on his blog titled "Please Starbucks Get Out of the Forbidden City", arguing that "Starbucks in the Forbidden City" was a waste of traditional Chinese culture, and personally issued a letter of protest to the president of Starbucks, demanding to move out of the Forbidden City.
As a result, it has aroused heated discussion in public opinion. There are voices that support moving out, and there are voices that support retention.
Starbucks headquarters, with a tough attitude, said it did not consider withdrawing from the Forbidden City in Beijing.
This matter has aroused widespread concern from all walks of life.
In addition to hundreds of domestic media, Reuters, CNN, BBC, Financial Times, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Time Magazine, Washington Post and many other foreign media have also reported.
Starbucks saw the wind and steered the rudder, turned low-key, took off the logo on the store window, and reduced the door logo again and again, trying to make people unrecognizable.
However, the storm of public opinion is getting stronger and stronger.
Some public opinion asked: Does Starbucks have branches in the Taj Mahal in India, the Palace of Versailles in France, and buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom?
Some public opinion believes that the modern brand connotation of Starbucks and its store image are not integrated and coordinated with the image and atmosphere of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which is incompatible.
There is also public opinion that Starbucks drinks can be bought for $4 in the United States, which is equivalent to spending 4 yuan in China to buy a drink. In the general concept of Westerners, Starbucks is a popular drink, a representative symbol of the food culture that is difficult to climb and elegance.
As a result, a foreign low-grade beverage brand, a high-end cultural brand in the world, and the styles of the two brands are difficult to be compatible, becoming the focus of public opinion.
Finally, under pressure from all sides, in July 2007, Starbucks officially withdrew from the Forbidden City, ending its seven-year operation here.
