Chongqing — Children crowd around glass enclosures to watch bearded dragons. A young visitor carefully lets a corn snake rest along his arm as laughter and surprised shouts fill the room.
Even as the summer vacation drew to a close on Aug. 29, Pa Pet Park, a reptile pet experience center near Yunxiang Park in Chongqing's Jiangjin district, remained busy.
The Pa Pet Park draws large crowds of university students. (Photo/Interviewee)
The more than 300-square-meter venue has become a popular destination since opening in April, averaging more than 100 visitors a day, with weekend sessions often fully booked.
Behind the business are three young entrepreneurs from Jiangjin, Chongqing — Xie Yuhan, Zou Fuxing and Wu Lianxiong — whose average age is under 22. In six months, they expanded from a first location in a university district in Chongqing to five stores across Jiangjin, Yongchuan and Nan'an district, as well as Chengdu in neighboring Sichuan province.
For Xie, the venture began with a turtle he kept in his university dormitory.
Last November, while a fourth-year student at Chongqing Vocational College of Intelligent Engineering, he made a decision that many around him considered risky: Instead of taking an internship or looking for a job, he sold his motorcycle to help finance a reptile pet business.
As his interest in reptiles and other exotic pets grew, Xie connected with breeders across China and learned more about the industry. He saw an opportunity in Chongqing, where he found few professional venues offering visitors hands-on experiences with such animals.
He recruited his childhood friend Wu and classmate Zou, and the three each contributed 60,000 yuan toward the startup. Xie also sold a motorcycle that he had spent 40,000 yuan modifying to raise additional capital.
They chose a university district in Chongqing for their first location, believing its large student population would be receptive to something new.
To keep costs low, they rented a more than 180-square-meter storefront on a side street for just over 1,000 yuan a month and renovated it themselves. They carefully selected the animals from compliant breeding facilities in Guangdong and Shandong.
The venue features various pet snakes and more than 50 types of lizards, along with ferrets, chinchillas, and rabbits. Admission costs 30 to 40 yuan per person and includes explanations, hands-on interaction and photography.
"We didn't want to create a formal science education center," Wu said. "We wanted to build a fun place where college students could spend time on weekends."
When the first location opened in January, however, most visitors were friends, and few new customers arrived.
Xie turned to his training in digital media art and design. A short video showing a bearded dragon resting on his shoulder received more than 1,000 likes, with viewers asking where they could visit the animal. More than 20 subsequent videos, including clips of a corn snake shedding its skin and a blue-tongued skink sticking out its tongue, also attracted attention online.
The digital interest soon translated into visits. During its first month, the original store averaged more than 130 customers a day and generated 120,000 yuan in revenue. Monthly revenue rose to 130,000 yuan in the second month.
Xie said his academic background helped him understand how camera angles, posting times and headlines could affect audience engagement. While at university, he had also operated a printing shop and built a WeChat network of more than 2,000 contacts.
"That experience taught me that attention among students could be turned into business," he said.
A customer celebrates a birthday at the Pa Pet Park, a reptile pet experience center. (Photo/Interviewee)
After the first location gained traction, the partners reinvested their earnings into expansion.
Their second store opened in Jiangjin's Binjiang area in April. A Yongchuan location followed in May. In June, they opened their largest outlet in Chengdu after investing 400,000 yuan. In July, they acquired an existing reptile pet store in Nan'an district for 80,000 yuan, expanding into Chongqing's central urban area.
The rapid growth has brought considerable pressure.
Xie said he spends his nights reviewing reports from the different stores, responding to messages and coordinating the rotation of animals and supplies. The three partners also hold weekly online review meetings.
"None of us sleeps easily," Xie said. "The moment we close our eyes, we think about rent, utilities and salaries."
Despite the demands of running five stores, the three entrepreneurs say they do not regret their decision.
"We wanted to prove that a niche passion could become a career," Xie said. "We are still far from success, but at least we have given many people their first opportunity to get to know these little creatures."