Variety of topics

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.

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

"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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

"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.