Coffee and quacks served up at Chengdu duck cafe

CHENGDU, China - Crowds in a Chinese eatery ignore their drinks to gather adoringly around four fluffy white ducks, phones poised ready for pictures, at the latest addition to the country's growing list of popular animal cafes.

"Hey! We Go", a business in the centre of the south-western city of Chengdu, is proving perfect fodder for the social media-savvy generation.

The four call ducks - a domesticated breed imported from Europe - can retail for the hefty price of 10,000 yuan (S$1,900) per duck.

But the cafe's star attractions are not for sale, and waddle around from table to table to the delight of customers.

For 78 yuan, patrons can spend up to 90 minutes with the ducks, which appear unruffled as they are held up in front of cameras and smartphones for duck-selfies.

"They're really fun and very obedient - not like those swimming ducks, they're not obedient," said customer BBQ Suen, a university student who said she came immediately to visit the cafe after reading about it online.

The 26-year-old Luo Yaochi co-founded the popular duck cafe with three others, and said the idea sparked when he recently raised his own pet duck.

"Everyone loves ducks," he told AFP.

Visitors to the cafe can also spend time with the newest arrivals - two miniature "teacup pigs", who are also residents of the cafe, and fit neatly inside a pink miniature shopping trolley.