"Redevelopment like this is better than everything being knocked down. It keeps the vitality of the area. If you treat it as a human, it's like keeping the life of the human and the character."

Ma says the space now occupied by the coffee shop has been variously a printing house, a public bathroom and a jewelry shop, among other things, his business just the most recent in a long line of reinvention.

Parts of Qianmen have been redeveloped beyond recognition, while others retain original character. In an area where vast extremes of Beijing's history and big international brands sit next door to each other, perhaps places like Ma's coffee shop sit in the middle -- an example of the city opening up to international tastes and introducing new experiences.

If Goubuli should prove to be a lesson in Chinese chains expanding globally, Soloist could be a lesson in small businesses engaging in cultural exchange.

For his part, Ma Kaimin is clear on his personal hopes and motivations. "When someone comes in, first of all we have to get the guy a good coffee. And in terms of our expectations for them, we are ambitious -- we hope this environment will encourage some people, give them a totally different environment from their regular life. Give them a different approach to life."