A coffee shop in a commercial area in Shenzhen in China's Guangdong Province has distinguished itself from most cafes by being a venue for discussions on gender issues.
Aidai Cafe, located in the city's ancient military camp Dapeng Fort, is owned by activist Xiaodai, who advocates gender equality and is a staunch critic of domestic violence, abuse of women, unfair treatment based on gender and other injustices suffered by members of the female gender.
"Gender is like air. You cannot touch it, but it is everywhere, and you cannot live without it," Xiaodai said.
"The air keeps us alive, but it can be polluted, and so can gender. But you cannot ignore it just because of that. By promoting gender-friendly concept, I can help more people develop a correct, healthy understanding of sex gender," the owner continued.
The cafe, which features regular cafe interior designs but holds talks, movie screenings and other such media on gender issues, is her contribution to the cause of gender equality, said Xiaodai, who took up gender studies in graduate school and had worked on gender issues and charity.
The activist said that she is looking forward to welcoming organizations to her cafe, where they can share their experiences as well as insights on the advocacy of sex and gender equality.