为知识“干杯”，这届年轻人真会整活儿！

Dubbed "academic bars", drinking holes that quench an intellectual thirst for enlightening lectures and lively exchanges are mushrooming across China's big cities.

一类被称为“学术酒吧”的场所在中国各大城市如雨后春笋般涌现，为渴望聆听启发性讲座和进行热烈交流的知识分子提供了“解渴”之地。

On lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, topics related to academic bars have garnered millions of views, with their popularity in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, accelerating over the summer.

在小红书上，与学术酒吧相关的话题浏览量超百万，相关活动在上海、北京和广州的受欢迎程度在夏季显著提升。

Typically lasting one hour, the lectures are generally free of charge or can be listened to for the price of a drink.

这种活动时长通常为一个小时，一般是免费或仅需支付一杯饮品的费用就能参与。

"Bars or pubs, which provide an informal setting, naturally bridge the psychological distance between the general public and serious academic content," said Bai Anke, a 27-year-old manager of Bunker, a popular academic pub in Shanghai.

27岁的白安可（音译），是上海一家备受欢迎学术酒吧“BUNKER街垒”的经理，她介绍道：“酒吧营造了一种非正式的氛围，自然而然地拉近了普通公众与严肃学术内容之间的心理距离。”

"We've noticed that there is a large group of young people in Shanghai who have received higher or overseas education and still pursue serious knowledge after leaving campus."

“我们在上海发现，有这样一群接受过高等教育或者有海外留学经历的年轻人，他们在离开校园之后仍然在追求深度的知识。”

"Being in an informal setting can be more relaxing, and provides a free environment while learning," she said, adding that the availability of alcohol, or other beverages, complements this scenario.

她说：“在非正式的环境中学习会让人更轻松，同时提供一个自由的学习环境。”她还补充，酒精以及其他饮料也对“学术酒吧”的氛围起到了补充作用。

Shanghai is believed to be the first city in China to pioneer academic lectures in bars and pubs.

上海被认为是中国第一个在酒吧中举办学术讲座的城市。

Two years ago, lectures to popularize biomedical knowledge started in The Tiny Bar in Huangpu district. In May this year, Bunker in Jing'an district, started hosting academic lectures, which unexpectedly sparked interest in the trend among young people on social media platforms.

两年前，黄浦区的“小酒吧”开始举办普及生物医学知识的讲座。今年五月，位于静安区的“BUNKER街垒”开始举办学术讲座，这一趋势在社交媒体平台上意外地引起了年轻人的兴趣。

Bai said they never promoted Bunker as an "academic pub".

白安可表示他们此前从未将“BUNKER街垒”以“学术酒吧”的名义进行推广。

"Discussions about work, life or even academic subjects in a pub or cafe are nothing new worldwide. Our lectures were at first inspired and given by the friends of Bunker's previous manager, who is a PhD candidate at Yale University.

“在酒吧或咖啡馆里讨论工作、生活甚至是学术话题，这在世界上并不罕见。我们的讲座最初是由店铺前经理，一位耶鲁大学博士生的朋友们发起和主持。”

"Since Bunker opened in April last year, we have always expected it to be a public space focusing on public values, and a friendly community where people can talk, communicate, share and grow. We have diverse cultural activities, and the academic content is only part of our vision," Bai said.

“自去年4月开业以来，我们一直期望能成为一个以公共价值为导向的公共空间，以及一个人们可以交流、沟通、分享和成长的友好社交空间。我们有丰富的文化活动，而学术内容只是我们期望里的一部分。”白安可说道。

Although the origins of the Chinese term "academic bar" are unclear, Bunker earned the sobriquet over the summer.

虽然“学术酒吧”这个词组的起源尚不清楚，但“BUNKER街垒”却是在今年夏天获得了这个称号。

"Since May, we have held 19 academic lectures in our first summer 'season', and three others after that. About 700 audience members have been to our lectures, with around 30 attending each one-hour lecture due to our limited space," Bai said.

“从五月开始，我们在第一个夏季就举办了19场学术讲座，之后又举办了另外三场。由于场地有限，每次讲座的观众人数约为30人，因此共有约700人参加了我们的讲座。”白安可表示。

Bunker's academic lectures require no reservations or advance bookings, with seats secured on a first-come-first-served basis. Bai said sometimes the 30 available seats are all occupied before the staff arrive.

白安可介绍，学术酒吧的讲座无需预订或提前预约，座位按先到先得的原则分配。她表示，有时甚至在工作人员到达前，30个座位就已经全部被占满了。

Consumption of drinks is not obligatory, she added.

她补充说，场所里的饮料并非强制消费。

"We were deeply impressed by a girl standing 31st in the line for one lecture," Bai recalled.

“有一个排队第31位的女孩，我们印象非常深刻。”白安可说。

"She had just flown back from America and headed directly to our lecture from the airport. She was tearful as we could only have 30 people in the audience.

“她刚从美国飞回来，从机场直接就赶来听我们的讲座。由于我们只能容纳30名听众，她非常难过无法参加。”

"But, lucky for her one audience member gave up their seat, which allowed us to welcome her inside. She was very active in listening, discussing and sharing on that day, giving us enormous positive feedback," said Bai.

“但是，幸运的是，一位观众主动让出了自己的座位，这让我们得以让她进来。那天她非常活跃，积极参与讨论和分享，给我们带来了极大的正面反馈。”白安可分享说。

The enthusiastic woman characterizes many attendees of academic bar lectures. They are mainly undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD candidates, researchers, and young office workers, who all share an eagerness for knowledge and are curious about people, culture, life, science, society and the world, Bunker staff said.

这位热情洋溢的女孩也代表了很多参与学术酒吧讲座的人。他们有的是本科生、研究生、博士生，有的是研究人员和年轻的上班族，无一不对知识充满渴望，对人、文化、生活、科学、社会和世界都充满好奇，“BUNKER街垒”相关工作人员表示。

Increasing popularity

热度提升

Academic bars have gained in popularity through word-of-mouth and the algorithms of social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

通过口口相传以及小红书和抖音等社交媒体平台的算法推荐，学术酒吧变得越来越受欢迎。

Working with a venue in Jing'an district, Xiaohongshu launched a pop-up academic bar in Shanghai on Sept 7 and 8, featuring more than 10 lectures on topics including philosophy, reading, critical thinking, life experiences, anti-aging technology, and language learning.

今年9月7日至8日，小红书于上海静安区一地推出了一家快闪学术酒吧，涵盖了哲学、阅读、批判性思维、生活经验、抗衰老技术和语言学习等多个主题，并举办了十多场讲座。

As the closing event for Xiaohongshu's summer school program, the pop-up bar had attracted 1,500 participants, who were randomly selected online, said Sun Qiyao, head of the Xiaohongshu project.

小红书项目负责人孙琪瑶（音译）表示，作为该平台夏季课程项目的闭幕活动，这家快闪学术酒吧吸引了1500名网上随机挑选的参与者。

"This year, we have been focusing more on knowledge that is related to and helpful for individuals, as we found out that young people are actually well-educated. In the fast-paced daily hustle and bustle, they are in need of more knowledge to navigate, safeguard and enrich their lives, such as information and experience on careers, finance, laws, health, psychology and culture," Sun said.

“今年，我们更加关注与个人息息相关且有益的知识，因为我们发现年轻人受教育程度很高。在快节奏的日常生活中，他们需要更多知识来指导、保护和丰富自己的生活，比如关于职业、金融、法律、健康、心理学和文化等方面的信息和经验。”孙琪瑶表示。

She said they were surprised by young people's huge demand for learning and knowledge. The program garnered about 2 billion online views, and 120,000 posts on the platform.

她表示，年轻人对学习和知识的巨大需求让他们感到惊讶。夏季课程项目相关发帖量达12万条，网络浏览量约20亿次。

With the concept of "learning while relaxing", Xiaohongshu's academic bar's speakers included an editor, writer, debater, science educator, and a stand-up comedian.

以“边放松边学习”的概念为指导，小红书学术酒吧的演讲者包括一位编辑、一位作家、一位辩论家、一位科学教育家和一位脱口秀演员。

The venue can only host 60 to 80 people, and Sun said that the lectures were so popular they had to turn up the speakers so people gathering outside could hear them.

孙琪瑶表示，因为酒吧场地只能容纳60至80人，但讲座非常受欢迎，他们不得不把音量调大，这样聚集在门外的人也能听到。

Also, the free drinks offered at the partner bar were tailored to echo the lecture themes. Light alcohol was offered to help audiences relax and feel freer to interact.

此外，合作伙伴酒吧提供的免费饮料也旨在与讲座主题相呼应。提供少量酒精饮料有助于让听众放松，让他们更自由地互动。

Both Bai and Sun agreed that to some extent, drinks can make the audience members relaxed and "merry enough", which sets academic bars apart from class settings, seminar rooms or cafes. The social lubricant also encourages attendees to be braver in raising questions, joining in discussions, and making new friends.

白安可和孙琪瑶都认为，在某种程度上，饮料可以让观众成员放松并“足够愉快”，这就让学术酒吧与课堂、研讨会或咖啡馆等其他场合有所区别。这种社交润滑剂还可以鼓励参与者在提出问题、加入讨论和结交新朋友时更加勇敢。

Variety of topics

话题多样

Topics involved at academic bars can vary widely. One topic that was popular was anti-aging technologies. The lecture was presented by Ji Shisan, founder and CEO of Guokr, a popular science website in China.

学术酒吧所探讨的话题极为广泛。其中，抗衰老技术便是一个热门话题。演讲者为姬十三，他是中国著名科学网站果壳网的创始人兼首席执行官。

"I was surprised because the audience members were young — mostly university graduates and office workers under the age of 35," Sun said.

“我很惊讶，因为观众都是年轻人——主要是35岁以下的大学毕业生和上班族。”孙琪瑶说道。

"Ji is not a popular entertainer, and his lecture informed the audience how to face the aging process with advanced technology and equipment, which was showcased on-site.

“虽然姬十三不是一位受欢迎的表演者，但他的演讲向观众展示了如何借助先进的技术和设备来应对衰老的过程，并且现场展示了相关设备。”

"It (the lecture) was very interactive and popular," she said.

“这场讲座互动性极强，备受欢迎。”她讲道。

Another popular lecture was given by Gao Xiang, a 36-year-old visually impaired stand-up comedian more widely known as Dyingsight. Known for sharing details about his barrier-free daily life in a humorous and inspiring way, his lecture attracted about 5,000 online applicants.

另一场颇受欢迎的讲座由36岁的盲人脱口秀演员高翔（又名“黑灯”）主讲。他以幽默且鼓舞人心的方式分享了自己无障碍日常生活细节，吸引了约5000名网上报名者。

A psychology major, Gao said he had been curious about academic bars since hearing the term from his wife.

高翔表示，他是心理学专业出身，在妻子那里首次听到“学术酒吧”这个词后，便对其产生了好奇。

"It sounds like a place with novelty and diversity, which will pretty much attract artistic people like me," he said.

“它听起来就像是一个充满新奇与多样性的地方，肯定会吸引像我这样带有艺术气质的人。”他说道。

"Lectures at a bar are light in form, rich in content, and more flexible when it comes to time and place."

“在酒吧举办的讲座形式轻松，内容丰富，在时间和地点安排上也更为灵活。”

Sun said that posts on Xiaohongshu indicate the ongoing expansion of academic bars — especially outside big cities.

孙琪瑶表示，小红书上的帖子表明，学术酒吧仍然在继续扩张——特别是在大城市以外的地区。

"I see the essence of the academic bar as a proper space for a certain group of audiences to share and discuss certain topics. So I would say that the 'academic bar' should actually be called the 'knowledge bar'," Sun said.

“在我看来，学术酒吧的本质是为特定群体提供一个适宜的空间，用于分享和探讨某些话题。所以，我觉得‘学术酒吧’实际上应当被称作‘知识酒吧’。”孙琪瑶表示。

Two-way street

双向并行

Academic bar organizers, hosts and lecturers are also benefiting from the gatherings.

学术酒吧的组织者、主办方以及演讲者也从中获得了益处。

Gao said sharing his life experiences through lectures boosts his efforts to make the visually impaired better understood by the wider public.

高翔表示，通过讲座来分享自己的人生经历，有助于让盲人能够被更多公众所了解。

Diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration at the age of 13, Gao went through many struggles and challenges before he found new hope in stand-up comedy.

高翔在13岁时就被诊断出患有青少年黄斑变性，在经历众多挣扎与挑战之后，他在单口喜剧中找到了新的希望。

With humorous accounts of his experiences, he has brought greater public attention to the rare disease and offered newfound confidence to those who have the condition.

他用诙谐的口吻讲述了自己的经历，让这种罕见的疾病获得了更多公众的关注，也为患有该疾病的人增添了新的信心。

"The public and society must see and know us first to do something further," he said.

他表示：“大众和社会必须先认识和了解我们，然后才能够去做更多的事情。”

"Xiaohongshu is a big platform with extensive influence, particularly among young people who have the desire to acquire and share knowledge. They represent the future and will soon be the backbone of society. The academic bar is a good chance, and platform, to make them see us."

“小红书是一个具有广泛影响力的大平台，特别是在那些渴望获取并分享知识的年轻人当中。年轻人代表着未来，很快就会成为社会的中流砥柱。学术酒吧是一个很棒的机会和平台，能够让他们看到我们。”

Li Chenghao, a 25-year-old PhD candidate in applied economics who attends Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gave a lecture on financial analysis at an academic bar on Sept 20.

25岁的应用经济学博士生李承浩（音译），目前就读于上海交通大学安泰经济与管理学院。今年9月20日，他在一家学术酒吧做了一场有关金融分析的演讲。

"The lecture was about a published paper of mine. It was still a challenge for me to explain the academic content in simple and brief words to an audience outside the field. Although I was unsure if such a topic would be accessible to them, it turned out quite positive and interactive," Li said.

“讲座的内容是我发表的一篇论文。要用简单明晰的语言向非本领域的听众阐释学术内容于我而言是一个挑战。尽管我不确定这样的主题对于他们来说是否易于理解，但结果却是非常好，而且互动性很好。”李承浩说道。

"I even received some really good and valuable advice from them, as they could see things from different views and aspects based on their various work experiences."

“我甚至从他们那里获取到了一些极为出色且极有价值的建议，因为他们基于各自不同的工作经验，能够从不同的角度和方面去看待问题。”

Liu Qingge, a 31-year-old marketing consultant, frequently attends the academic lectures at Bunker. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in criminology and values the diverse perspectives and learning atmosphere at these lectures.

31岁的刘青格（音译）是一位市场顾问，常常参加“BUNKER街垒”的学术讲座。她拥有社会学学士学位和犯罪学硕士学位，十分看重这些讲座中多元化的观点和学习氛围。

"The audiences at the lectures are kind of 'self-selected' ones," she said. "They usually share similar knowledge, interests or curiosity about the same topic, and are willing to learn and be open for discussion.

“讲座的听众可以说是‘自我选择’的，”她说道。“他们通常对于同一主题有着相似的知识、兴趣或者好奇心，愿意学习并且乐于参与讨论。”

"For me, it is interesting to learn from them, expand my horizons and better understand society and the world," said Liu, noting such lectures can offer the public a broad "general education" on various aspects of life.

“对我而言，向他们学习很有意思，可以拓宽我的视野，更好地了解社会和世界。” 刘青格指出，这样的讲座能够为公众提供关于生活各个方面的广泛“通识教育”。

Shot in the arm

活力赋能

The booming trend is also injecting new vitality into the hospitality industry. Many people have a negative impression of bars and pubs, but the academic lectures are changing the stereotype. More patrons, especially those who don't drink, are stepping into bars for the very first time.

学术酒吧的兴起也为酒店行业注入了新的活力。许多人对酒吧有着负面的印象，但学术讲座正在改变这种刻板印象。越来越多的顾客，尤其是那些不喝酒的人，第一次走进了酒吧。

"I think academic bars have found a new path for bars and pubs in China. Actually, bars have an innate cultural quality. These small public cultural spaces for talks and discussions are what we are missing now," said Gao, the stand-up comedian.

“我认为学术酒吧为中国的酒吧找到了一条新的发展路径。实际上，酒吧本身就具有一定的文化特质。这些供人们交流和讨论的小型公共文化空间正是我们现在所缺失的。”脱口秀演员高翔说。

However, debate on the worth of academic bars has also accompanied the boom. Some critics have questioned the value of such lectures and the seeming contradiction of "serious" academic issues being discussed in a commercial bar.

然而，伴随学术酒吧的蓬勃发展，有关其价值的争论也接踵而至。一些批判人士对这类讲座的价值提出了质疑，也对在商业酒吧中探讨“严肃”学术问题的这种矛盾情形表示疑惑。

Many wonder whether audiences can really learn something in one hour, or just regard it as a way of showing off as being part of an "elite".

很多人会疑惑，观众在短短一个小时内是否真能学到东西，还是仅仅将其视作一种作为“精英”的炫耀手段。

Organizers, lecturers, audiences and bar staff were unperturbed by the controversy, and view it as a way to publicize the trend.

相关组织者、讲师、听众和酒吧工作人员并未被这一争议所困扰，反而将其视为一种推广潮流的方式。

Sun, head of the Xiaohongshu project, said it is normal for a new trend to gradually find the right direction to head in.

小红书项目负责人孙琪瑶表示，一种新的潮流趋势在逐步摸索中找准正确的方向是很正常的一件事。

Li, the doctoral candidate, sees the debate as a catalyst to make academic bars more widely known among the public.

博士生李承浩认为这场舆论争议是促使学术酒吧更为公众知晓的催化剂。

Bai said that Bunker will stick to its original goal to create a public space for the community to help the spread of knowledge.

白安可表示，“BUNKER街垒”会坚守其最初的目标，即为社区打造一个公共空间，以推动知识的传播。

Liu, the frequenter of the lectures, said academic bars are part of new business forms that represent change, development and fresh opportunities in society.

作为讲座常客的刘青格表示，学术酒吧是新型商业形式的一部分，代表社会变革、发展和新的机遇。

Instead of being overly criticized or having too great expectations placed on them, they should be encouraged, even though they may be viewed as a marketing gimmick, she said.

她表示，与其对学术酒吧过度批评或寄予过高期望，不如给予鼓励，即便这种做法可能会被看作是一种营销手段。