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ChaYanYueSe, Once "Cursed" to Never Leave Changsha, Officially Announces Expansion to Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai Region!

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, ChaYanYueSe, once criticized by industry analysts as being unable to expand beyond Changsha, has made significant moves in recent months! In April, they announced opening stores in Chongqing, and in June, they announced opening stores in Nanjing! Last December, multiple internal employees of ChaYanYueSe revealed online that the company's employees' monthly take-home pay was less than 3,000 yuan

From Local Criticism to National Expansion: Cha Yan Yue Se's Remarkable Journey

Cha Yan Yue Se, once criticized by industry analysts as unlikely to expand beyond the Changsha region, has made significant moves in recent months! In April, they announced opening stores in Chongqing, followed by June's announcement of stores in Nanjing!

Internal Controversy and Public Scrutiny

Last December, several internal employees of Cha Yan Yue Se revealed online that their monthly salaries were less than 3,000 yuan. Company founder Liang Li responded that wages were paid based on work performance, and took the unusual public relations measure of directly contacting some employees to ask them to leave, further inflaming employee sentiments. This triggered a series of internal "disputes" that repeatedly trended on social media platforms.

As more employees joined the dispute, concerned about brand reputation, Cha Yan Yue Se issued an emergency response stating that some employees' low wages were due to adjustments in the salary calculation algorithm. Liang Li subsequently issued an internal apology letter. Although he apologized, it also indirectly revealed that Cha Yan Yue Se was facing significant operational difficulties.

Expansion Challenges and Strategic Concerns

Following these incidents, industry analysts believed that Cha Yan Yue Se's problems might be related to its high-density store placement strategy in Changsha. They suggested that the company's salary levels, management shortcomings, and supply chain limitations would constrain national expansion, making it difficult to move beyond Changsha. Company founder Liang Li had also stated at the FBI 2020 Food & Beverage Innovation Forum that Cha Yan Yue Se didn't want to expand nationally because doing so would likely lead to failure.

Although Cha Yan Yue Se had already opened stores outside Changsha before this, they were limited to nearby cities like Wuhan and Changde. Their furthest expansion was in Shenzhen, but only in pop-up store format, which closed after three months. This showed that leaving Changsha for national expansion presented significant pressure for Cha Yan Yue Se, explaining their lack of major breakthroughs.

Breaking Boundaries: Chongqing and Beyond

Just when everyone thought Cha Yan Yue Se's development had reached its limit, on April 2nd this year, they officially announced: "Next stop: Chongqing," opening not just one but four stores simultaneously, with these locations set to open successively after June 1st. The news brought joy to many Cha Yan Yue Se enthusiasts from Chongqing! Through these actions, Cha Yan Yue Se began to challenge the industry analysts' predictions about its limitations.

Regarding this true "long-distance venture," everyone speculated whether Cha Yan Yue Se would expand even further. At that time, Cha Yan Yue Se stated that such plans were still under consideration, not ruling out possibilities in other provinces like Sichuan and Jiangsu, but would first assess team capabilities and comprehensively consider public suggestions.

The Nanjing Surprise

It turns out there was more to that statement! On June 15th, Cha Yan Yue Se officially announced that they would launch in Nanjing this August, marking their first entry into the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region. Shanghai residents nearby expressed their excitement!! Many urged Cha Yan Yue Se to accelerate their plans, especially since Nanjing is only a 2-hour journey from Shanghai.

Cha Yan Yue Se Nanjing expansion announcement

Strategic Reflection and Future Outlook

Previously, Cha Yan Yue Se had reflected on blindly opening stores in Changsha and indicated they would make adjustments to their early store opening strategy. "Decisions made during expansion were as foolish as having water in the brain - truly stupid. We're closing some stores in Changsha that were too densely placed and unreasonable, entering new cities with a lighter approach."