A state-run cafe has opened in Beijing's Forbidden City on the premises where Starbucks closed down earlier this year amid charges the US chain sullied the site, state media said.
The new Forbidden City Cafe is managed by the authorities that oversee the historic imperial quarters and serves both coffee and traditional Chinese tea, the Xinhua news agency reported late on Sunday.
"We want to provide tourists with a package of products relating to the palace and Chinese culture," said Li Wenru (李文儒), deputy curator of the Forbidden City.
In July, Starbucks closed its coffee shop, which it had operated in the Forbidden City since 2000, after declining to offer other brands for sale to customers.
The Starbucks outlet had been controversial since it opened in the palace, the former home of China's emperors and one of the most important Chinese cultural heritage sites.
To be more discrete, two years ago Starbucks removed its sign from the cafe, which was one of its 190 shops in China.
In January, Chinese TV presenter Rui Chenggang (
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