A silent cafe speaks the language of love

On the counter of Yijiao Cafe, a prominent sign stands aside with two writing pads, indicating "We are hearing-impaired. Please write down your order. Thanks". Next to the humming coffee machine, baristas greet customers with smiles and make simple gestures to say, "Your order is received." This is a cafe opened for hearing-impaired baristas.

A regular customer passes the writing pad to the barista and uses sign langue to say thank you. [Photo/Guo Shuyu]

Zeng Zheng, the most senior barista here, used to be a colorist with great enthusiasm and passion for coffee. The intense aroma and subtle flavor of coffee have always fascinated him, "For instance, Ethiopian specialty coffee beans give notes of floral, citrus, and lemon. Awesome!" Zeng typed.

Winning two prizes in local contests for baristas with disabilities, Zeng hadn't had a chance to make a career as a barista. It seemed impossible for a cafe to accept a hearing-impaired barista, and he was short on funds to start his cafe. "I had a few jobs and used to work for a living, but now I work for love," Zeng typed.

Another barista Zhang Lingyun shares his love for the job. Zhang worked the night shift in a famous fast-food chain store. She can hardly connect with colleagues and fails to get other jobs due to her hearing impairment.

She finds it fulfilling working at Yijiao, where she enjoys coffee and communicates with colleagues and friends. "I feel warm and that my work means something when many customers draw heart shapes on the pad. I want to be a great barista and help my peers to get a job," Zhang typed.

The name Yijiao came from The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein. In the story, a circle journeys to find its missing pie-shaped corner. When finding the perfect match, it rolls too fast to enjoy daily pleasures. Eventually, it releases the piece and goes on its merry way.

Yijiao can be interpreted as a corner or 10 cents in Chinese. "I chose the name for three reasons. Firstly, everyone should accept the fact that we are imperfect. Secondly, people with disabilities should not be left in the ignored corner of society. Lastly, with every cup sold, we donate 10 cents to charity," Zhu Jiayun, initiator of the café, elaborated.

The image on Yijiao's cup means I love you. [Photo/Guo Shuyu]

The idea of helping people with disabilities can trace back to his army days when he participated in an earthquake rescue. "I saw people lost their lives and some disabled by the earthquake. I was shocked. Since then, I felt a strong urge to help them," Zhu recalled.

In 2022, Zhu opened the first Yijiao Cafe and started a free-of-charge barista training program for the hearing-impaired. It caught the attention of Li Jiayan, charity project manager of Songshan Hospital, "We share the same value of helping those in need. Plus, Yijiao can be self-sustained by combining charity and business. So, we decided to provide a rent-free venue for Yijiao to create more job vacancies for people with disabilities, " Li said.

The hospital sits in a CBD in Liangjiang New Area. Although there are 9 cafes within 500 meters, including some popular chain stores, Yijiao sells about 100 cups a day, which is beyond Zhu's expectations. Many medical workers become regular customers; some have learned to say thank you in sign language, and some are not coffee lovers but are willing to purchase to support the cafe and its donation plan. The cafe has donated 390.7 yuan ($55.09) to charity since it opened this January.

In the backyard of the cafe, a rosemary shrub is thriving. Baristas use it to make Yijiao's signature coffee, which is called Songshan Coffee, to show gratitude to the hospital. The sweet-smelling shrub is planted by kids from another charity project of Songshan.

"The kids come to the cafe for weekly events and care for the plants. It makes them see the minority group and learn to be loving, caring for those in need," said Li.