Leaving Fudan University’s Center for American Studies after my first day of class last summer, I was exhausted–most likely the result of my brain operating in Chinese for the past three hours and Shanghai’s notoriously humid summers. But at only half past noon, my day was not nearly over. Like any good American, I knew the solution: I needed coffee.

Relying on my phone as navigator, I set out in search of the nearest Starbucks (known locally as Xingbake). A decade ago, this might have proven a challenge. But lucky for me, international chains like Starbucks have recently come to see the potential in China’s coffee market. The country is now home to 1,500 Starbucks stores in 90 cities. Other brands have followed