A lovely kangaroo plush doll carrying the national flags of Australia and China on its back sits quietly on the bar counter. On a shelf behind the counter, a multitude of bottles of wine, whiskey and vodka stand close to each other, waiting to be picked. The smell of yummy chicken pies lingers in the room, mixing with mellow music to create a sense of relaxation. This is Imperial Inn, a small but cozy bar nestled in Shekou, owned by Australian David Jacobs.
Having been a Shenzhener since 2003, the 72-year-old has extensive experience in the local hospitality industry, first running a wine import business between 2004 and 2008, and then opening three bars in 2008, 2013 and 2019.
Interestingly, neither his education background nor his career before retirement was associated with hospitality — a law graduate from the University of Melbourne, he was first in the housewares audio business division of General Electric, then helped Australian retail giant Coles Myer to establish its consumer credit card business, and finally consulted for a firm for years before retirement.
When he and a compatriot opened a bar in Futian CBD in 2008, there were no other Western bar options in the district.
As young people kept pouring into the city, the market for Western bars, which provides a channel of experiencing Western lifestyles, kept expanding. Competition, of course, is also becoming more intense.
He also remembered how complicated the procedures were and how strict the requirements were when he opened the wine import company in 2004. “I had to have a Chinese majority shareholder in order to open the company,” said Jacobs.
Things were easier in 2008 when he and his business partner set up a new company for the Xpats bar, as the mandatory requirement on a Chinese shareholder was lifted. And in January this year, it only took four days for him and his partner to complete the transfer of ownership of a company.
A 17-year resident of Shenzhen, Jacobs said he loves the city with a passion. He enumerated to Shenzhen Daily the aspects that he likes most about Shenzhen, among which is the city’s transport system, which according to him leads the globe.
“Shenzhen’s Metro system is fantastic and well-integrated with the above-ground public transport and private road system. The road network continues to be improved. And the city has a world-leading plan for adding bicycle lanes and building an integrated biking system.”
He also applauded the city’s decision to replace all fuel-powered taxis and buses with electric counterparts in steps, saying that the efforts will help to cut air pollution.
As a retiree, health care is an aspect Jacobs values. For him, the health care system in Shenzhen is convenient, accessible and affordable.
“In many places of the world, unless you’re in a hospital, you have to go to one place for the doctor, one place for treatment and another place for the medicine,” explained Jacobs. “But in Shenzhen, usually in one place you can get diagnosis, treatment and medication. The combination of hospitals and supporting medical centers makes general health care accessible, for example in Shekou and surrounding areas you can find four major hospitals and dozens of medical centers. And the services are affordable even for foreigners. For me, because I’m over 65, I get many of them for free.”
The increasing availability of English services in medical centers and hospitals in recent years, he said, also helps to improve foreigners’ health care experiences in the city.
Just like many Chinese people, Jacobs likes the inclusiveness of Shenzhen. He appreciates how the local government encourages foreigners to integrate with local people. “There is no ghetto, so you don’t have all of the Irish people living here, all of the Australians living here and all of the Americans living there. They spread within the communities. This is probably because Shenzhen is made up of people of different ethnicities from every part of China, so people are more tolerant of the cultural differences of other people.”