It was around 7 p.m., in the midst of the cafe’s regular silent hours. “No talk!” proclaimed the chalkboard in the corner that listed the times when speaking was forbidden. On the walls, cartoon illustrations demonstrated how to sign phrases such as “What would you like to drink?” and “Check, please” in Chinese Sign Language (CSL).
Behind the counter, proprietor Zhang Long, who is deaf, smiled with pride as he cleaned the cafe’s shiny espresso machine. When his business partner, Liu Jing, walked in, Zhang spoke to her using only his hands.
Although Liu can hear, she grew up speaking CSL with her deaf parents. She bakes desserts for the cafe and helps translate for Zhang.
One of their goals for the cafe is to increase awareness of deaf culture. Liu said they plan to teach weekly sign language classes and give talks about the deaf community.
The cafe was the dream of both Zhang and Liu, but it is also indicative of a larger trend in China in which deaf people have grown more assertive about achieving more-ambitious goals. Over the last 10 years, “the deaf community has become much more empowered,” said professor Yang Junhui, a senior lecturer in deaf studies at the University of Central Lancashire in England.