Young people find their calling at cultural park

She first went to wine tasting events across the country to choose the right products for the restaurant, eventually acquiring a certificate as a senior wine taster.

Yin then worked on developing the menu with her chef, focusing on serving authentic classic Chinese cuisine.

To ensure everything went smoothly, she bought the sesame and peanut butter from a time-honored brand in Beijing. Other ingredients such as Chinese prickly ash and chili are purchased from a well-known production area in Chongqing.

As Yin was choosing the site for the restaurant earlier this year, the soon-to-open Jintai 5Lmeet Cultural Industrial Park began receiving visitors in the city's Dongcheng district in March. 5L stands for livable, linked, liberal, lively and landscaped, and Yin's restaurant is situated in the park.

Located north of the ancient Bell and Drum towers next to Beijing's Central Axis, the park covers about 4,000 square meters. It was built on the site where a group of technology experts from Shanghai used to work in the 1950s.

Li Yan, an administrative official at the park, said, "The site was affectionately called Shanghailou, or Shanghai building." It later served as office space for a municipal public institute.

"We preserved the main historical features of these office buildings when they were restructured and renovated," Li said.

A magnolia tree more than 100 years old stands in the courtyard at the site, offering welcome shade in summer. Trendy shops offering cultural creative items, artworks, coffee and catering services surround the courtyard.

"Cultural activities are often hosted here, such as art and book exhibitions," Li said.