An inside view of the "Pigsty Coffee" store in Yulin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Jimu News

A coffee shop converted from an old pigsty in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has gone viral online, drawing praise for its unusual design and jokes from netizens who said they could almost smell the "barnyard atmosphere" through their screens.

The shop, called "Pigsty Coffee," is located at a rural tourism site in Kuishan village, Xingye county, Yulin. Videos posted online show old rammed-earth walls, low cement partitions and visible cracks from the original pig pens, while tables and chairs have been placed inside the former stalls, Jimu News reported.

The unusual setting quickly caught attention. One related video received more than 60,000 likes and was shared over 740,000 times.

One visitor who went there about a month ago said the shop had indeed been converted from an old pigsty, but was clean and no longer smelled of pigs. She said quite a few people were there taking photos, although she herself did not order any coffee.

A staff member at the scenic area said the former pigsty had been washed and disinfected multiple times, while several layers of sealant were applied to the walls to prevent lingering odors.

The coffee shop opened around May and initially received little promotion. According to the staff member, it became popular only after visitors began posting videos online and a blogger later filmed the site, drawing even more attention. Some visitors now come specifically for coffee, while others are there mainly for the photos.

Global Times