SHANGHAI Coffee Fortnight, organized by the Xuhui District Tourism Administration, got under way yesterday with an exhibition about the world's favorite drink-producing bean.

The show, held inside an old villa at 393 Wukang Road, tells the story of how coffee was introduced into Shanghai and how it became the preferred drink of the city‘s literati and politicians in the 1930s.

The exhibition includes lots of displays of coffee beans from around the world, including examples from Brazil and Costa Rica, and provides tips and advice on how to prepare the perfect brew. Visitors to the villa can also take part in daily tasting events, the organizers said.

A number of local cafes will stage related events over the course of the next two weeks, several of which are on Wukang, Hengshan and Fuxing roads in the former French concession.

Lots of other functions — including lectures and films — are planned, with one of the highlights being a walking tour of a selection of decades-old coffee shops situated along Wukang and Huaihai roads.

Full details are available from the tourism administration's "Shanghaicoffeelife" WeChat account.