Symbiotic Relationship and Influencing Factors of the Entertainment Industry in Xi’an: A Case of Cafés and Gyms

Abstract

This paper explores the café–gym symbiosis mode in Xi’an and its key influencing factors. Taking 63 sub-districts in the seven main urban districts of Xi’an as an example, based on the Dianping.com data of 753 cafés and 335 gyms and survey data from 492 questionnaires, this paper uses methods such as the symbiotic degree, symbiotic coefficient, and binary logistic regression model. On the basis of evaluating the symbiotic model between cafés and fitness centers, it explores the key factors influencing the symbiotic model of cafés and fitness centers. The results showed that cafés and gyms in Xi’an have a variety of characteristics, including agglomeration, correlation, complementarity, and combination, laying the foundation for a symbiosis between them. Among the subject symbiosis modes in Xi’an, point symbiosis was the main symbiotic organization mode. Simultaneously, the proportion of the point symbiosis mode was higher in the urban–rural transitional area than in other areas (traditional inner-city areas, mature built-up areas, emerging expansion areas). An asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode dominated the symbiotic behavior mode of entertainment industry objects in Xi’an. In terms of the total weekly entertainment consumer and the additional entertainment consumer dimensions, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of cafés having a large impact on gyms was the highest: 60.00% and 62.86%, respectively. However, from the composite index dimension, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of gyms having a large impact on cafés was the highest: 39.13%. From the symbiotic interface, the physical space within urban residential areas, office areas, commercial areas, and other main material spaces was the important basic support force for the symbiotic development of urban culture and the entertainment industry. The influence of the symbiosis mode of the culture and entertainment industry has stability. From the perspective of the symbiotic environment, cultural and creative elements, government policies, and consumer spending on entertainment foster the formation of an asymmetrical mutualistic symbiosis model between cafés and gyms. Conversely, factors such as marketization, globalization, and demographic factors inhibit its development. These findings offer valuable insights for urban planners and businesses, which help optimize the layout of the urban entertainment industry.

1. Introduction

As a new industry, -cultural industry has a high social and cultural significance and a high economic position in the global economy [1]. As a vital category within the cultural industry, the entertainment industry has attracted attention and favor from people across all sectors. In its Global Entertainment and Media Industry Outlook, PwC states that total global entertainment and media revenues reached USD 2.34 trillion in 2021 and are expected to rise to USD 2.93 trillion in 2026 [2]. The General Office of the State Council proposes to increase the supply of indoor cultural and entertainment products such as entertainment complexes, e-sports, recreational gaming, handmade crafts, and fitness activities in its “Measures to Further Cultivate New Growth Points and Boost Cultural and Tourism Consumption”. To promote the high-quality development of urban cultural industry, Xi’an’s government departments have successively formulated policies such as the “Xi’an Cultural Industry Doubling Plan” and “Xi’an’s 14th Five-Year Cultural and Tourism Development Plan”, effectively facilitating the value transformation of cultural resources and the sustainable development of the cultural industry. In 2021, Xi’an’s per capita consumption expenditure on education, culture, and entertainment was CNY 2862, accounting for 11.53% of the per capita total consumption expenditure. It is obvious that the entertainment industry has become a significant engine for Xi’an’s urban economic growth. In the process of promoting the modernization drive of Xi’an, achieving the business format combination and symbiotic development of the entertainment industry in urban spaces, enabling the city’s entertainment industry to better integrate into the overall layout and target framework of high-quality economic development, and contributing to economic and social transformation as well as high-quality development are urgent scientific and practical propositions.

Academia has conducted extensive research on topics such as research on the cultural industry focused primarily on defining the concept and classifying the types [3,4], spatial distribution [5], industry correlation [6], traditional cultural industry, creative industry development models [7], how consumer demand shapes the cultural industry [8], and the integrated development of culture and tourism [9]. The results indicate that the cultural industry increases employment rates and boosts economic growth [10]. Cultural industries show various characteristics in their layout, such as an obvious spatial agglomeration [5], strong correlation [5], and complementarity [11]. Current research on the entertainment industry primarily focuses on spatial patterns [12], agglomeration models [13], influencing factors [14], the integrated development of the entertainment industry and tourism industry [15], the spatial correlation between the entertainment industry and street network characteristics [16], and the relationship between the entertainment industry and the economy [17]. The study showed that the entertainment industry can benefit from economic growth [17], its number and size are growing progressively [18]. It also exhibits characteristics such as spatial agglomeration [13] and symbiosis with the hotel industry [19]. From the perspectives of cafés and gyms, current academic research primarily focuses on the influencing factors of site selection. Café site selection is influenced by multiple factors, such as the location of the commercial district, transport accessibility [20], the degree of connection between office buildings and cafés [21], population density, the consumption potential of residents, and the level of economic development [22,23]. Gym site selection is closely linked to exogenous triggers such as traffic accessibility and population size, as well as endogenous stimuli such as residents’ consumption potential, income level, and education level [18,24]. It is obvious that cafés and gyms exhibit significant environmental similarities in site selection. However, the existing studies have paid insufficient attention to the interrelationships between entertainment formats with environmental similarities and product complementarity and have lacked a systematic consideration of the factors contributing to their formation, which has made the research on the inherent symbiotic relationships in the spatial organization of the entertainment industry relatively weak. Given this research gap, this study introduces symbiosis theory and aims to clarify the symbiotic units, identify the symbiotic modes, and reveal the influences of the symbiotic interface and environment on these modes. This will provide an effective analytical framework for scientifically identifying the symbiotic relationships between business formats and their causes of formation.

Xi’an has unique historical and cultural resources and is representative of a typical cultural city in China. The entertainment industry, as an essential component of the cultural industry and a necessary support for urban residents’ daily recreational activities, is the foundation for the healthy and sustainable development of the entertainment industry through a mutually beneficial symbiosis among its formats; it is also the best model for the spatial organization of the entertainment industry. In addition, due to the improvement of residents’ living standards, the degree of residents’ demand for a variety of recreational activities, such as relaxation and entertainment, business offices, and weight loss and slimming, has been increasing annually. Simultaneously, residents’ demand for convenience and various services has gradually increased. This has contributed to the development of various entertainment industries in Xi’an. In particular, cafés and gyms have developed different degrees of spatial agglomeration and diffusion, exhibiting a high degree of spatial proximity to the spatial combination phenomena. Therefore, this study is based on the fundamentals of symbiosis theory and establishes a theoretical framework for studying café–gym symbiosis in the entertainment industry using Dianping.com data and questionnaire survey data, utilizing methods such as the symbiosis degree, symbiosis coefficient, and binary logistic model to identify the organizational models and behavioral models of symbiosis among formats in the urban entertainment industry and reveal its symbiosis mode and key causes. This study aims to deepen the theory of the spatial layout of urban cultural industry, provide support for urban economic growth, and provide a scientific basis and reference for the optimal allocation and location selection in the urban entertainment industry.

2. Theoretical Framework

The term “symbiosis” was coined by the German biologist Anton de Bary and is defined as the correlation between individuals of different species in a mutually beneficial relationship [25]. Symbiosis theory originated in biology, developed in ecology, and was carried forward in sociology [25,26]. The existence of a symbiotic relationship should fulfill the following points: (1) There is a need for a main parameter capable of determining the intrinsic nature and relationships of the symbiotic units. Also, the main parameters between symbiosis units should be able to express each other [27]. (2) The symbiosis must satisfy the existence of certain complementarities between symbiosis units and compensate for the functional deficiencies of a particular symbiosis unit [26]. (3) Some kind of interface must provide temporal and spatial connections [26]. Therefore, symbiosis theory consists of three elements: the symbiosis unit, mode, and environment. Symbiotic units are the basic energy production and exchange units that constitute symbiotic relationships [27,28]. The symbiosis units are the basic elements of symbiosis [26]. The symbiotic environment includes all factors outside the symbiotic unit. A symbiotic environment is a necessary condition for symbiosis. Symbiosis modes describe how symbiotic units interact or combine. The symbiosis mode is key to symbiosis. It includes the organization model (point symbiosis, intermittent symbiosis, continuous symbiosis, and integrated symbiosis) and the behavior model (parasitism, partial symbiosis, asymmetry, and symmetric reciprocal symbiosis) [27].

This theory has been applied to industry. This theory achieves the effect of no damage to the economy of each party through the sharing of resources between industries [29]. It also positively affects the economy, environment, and society [30,31]. Consequently, industrial symbiosis has been widely used in scientific practice to provide a new perspective on symbiosis in the entertainment industry. The first law of geography holds that everything is related to everything else, but nearby things are more closely related. This is more typical of the spatial organization of the entertainment industry, where symbiosis between hotels and restaurants is common [19]. It shows obvious correlation, agglomeration, and proximity, which are conducive to customer source-sharing and resource-sharing formation. Regarding geographical space, cafés belong to the spatial layout model of “large agglomeration and small dispersion,” and gyms belong to the spatial layout model of “small agglomeration and large dispersion” [32].

This study draws on the three elements of symbiosis theory to construct a theoretical framework for café–gym symbiosis. First, the basis of the café–gym symbiosis is the café–gym symbiosis unit. Therefore, both café and gym premises are café–gym symbiotic units. Second, the supporting role of the café–gym symbiosis is the café–gym symbiotic interface. When a café–gym is laid out in commercial, office, and residential spaces, information and materials can be transferred and exchanged through entertainment consumption information, consumers, and product elements. Thus, integrated shopping malls, residential neighborhoods, and office spaces form a symbiotic interface. Third, the peripheral, subject, and object systems have an impact on the development direction of cafés–gyms. The peripheral system includes specialization, marketability localization, cultural and creative elements, and globalization. The subject system consists of government policies. The object system includes visual accessibility, land rent, income, and entertainment consumption expenditure. Therefore, the peripheral, subject, and object systems constitute the café–gym symbiosis environment, which is the necessary condition for café–gym symbiosis. In addition, symbiosis environments have positive (E > 0), negative (E < 0), and neutral (E = 0) effects on the development of cafés–gyms. It can be seen that the symbiosis mode of cafés–gyms is not immutable and frozen. As the reciprocal symbiosis mode of cafés–gyms is the goal of the high-quality development of cafés–gyms, it is also the best state of the café–gym symbiosis mode. Therefore, this study defines café–gym symbiosis as a mutual independence or mutual influence of interests, possessing common and complementary characteristics. Simultaneously, two or more symbiotic units can exist for a long time, achieving a mutual relationship with positive benefits for at least one party and no detriment to all parties (Figure 1).

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Overview of the Study Area

Xi’an is the only national center city in Northwest China and is a necessary educational, scientific research, and high-tech industrial agglomeration base. Xi’an’s cultural resources are rich in type, significant in scale, and high in grade [13]. Cultural tourism has become a pillar of the industry, with core competitiveness in Xi’an. The number of legal entities in the entertainment industry has multiplied from 258 in 2011 to 3118 in 2021, with an increase of 1108.53%. In 2021, expenditures on education, culture, and recreation in Xi’an increased by 3.7% compared to the previous year; the GDP per capita was CNY 83,689 and the per capita disposable income of urban residents was CNY 46,931, an increase of 7.4% compared to the previous year; the resident population was 13.163 million, with an urbanization rate of 79.49%. In recent years, Xi’an’s local coffee culture has become more and more distinctive, resulting in the lifestyle of drinking coffee changing gradually from a “temporary intention” to an “inelastic demand.” At the same time, the management model of “coffee+” light food and “coffee+” business has led to the development of the “coffee+” economy, which has led to the distribution of “blossoming” cafés in Xi’an. In addition, with the popularity of healthy lifestyles, the number of gyms in Xi’an has increased, with large-chain gyms occupying a certain market share, and many personal training studios are emerging. It can be seen that the entertainment industry has developed rapidly in Xi’an.

This study included seven districts in the central city of Xi’an, namely the Yanta, Baqiao, Weiyang, Beilin, Xincheng, Lianhu, and Chang’an districts (including only ten streets, such as Guodu and Weiqu), with a total of 63 street offices. The study area covered 1239.24 km², which can be divided into four layers of an “annual cycle” structure: traditional inner area, mature built-up area, emerging expansion area, and urban–rural transition area [33] (Figure 2).

3.2. Data Sources

The data for this study consisted of three parts: Dianping data, questionnaire survey data, and socioeconomic data. Among them, Dianping data refer to the users’ experience evaluations of the entertainment industries on the Dianping website. The Dianping data were obtained from Dianping.com (https://www.dianping.com/). The website provides information such as names, addresses, star ratings, per capita spending, and reviews of the business venue content. First, the Dianping data were collected in May 2022. The research objects included all cafés and fitness centers with star ratings on the website. Among them, the star rating of a gym refers to the comprehensive score of the store’s facility score, environment score, and service score, while the star rating of a café refers to the comprehensive score of the store’s taste score, environment score, and service score. Second, 759 cafés and 337 gyms were identified by obtaining geographic coordinates and converting them to WGS84 coordinates using the API interface of the Gaode Developer platform to build a spatial database. Finally, the data were re-screened using statistical methods, and star rating outliers were removed using a box plot. Among them, 6 outliers were removed from the cafés, and 2 outliers were excluded from the gyms, resulting in 753 cafés and 335 gyms (Figure 3).

The established spatial database was connected to a grid map of the study area, with an area of 1 km². Two adjacent fields with different business formats within the same grid as the study subjects were selected. Second, owing to the significant differences in the number of entertainment industries within each grid, a certain proportion of establishments within the same grid should therefore be surveyed. If there are a relatively large number of similar business types in close proximity within the same grid, a survey of approximately 20% should be conducted. This phenomenon is slightly more common in traditional inner-city areas. In the case of noncooperation or business closure during the research process, neighboring businesses of the same type were temporarily selected for replacement research. Third, before the formal survey, the comments and suggestions raised by respondents during the pre-survey process were further revised to form a survey questionnaire on café–gym symbiosis. Finally, we conducted a formal survey between June and July 2023. The research locations included the traditional inner area, mature built-up area, emerging expansion area, and urban–rural transition area. Each survey lasted 20–40 min. A total of 495 surveys were administered. A total of 163 café consumer questionnaires were submitted, of which 161 were valid. A total of 114 café worker questionnaires were submitted, all valid; 116 gym consumer questionnaires were submitted, and all questionnaires were valid; 102 gym worker questionnaires were submitted, and 101 were valid. Socioeconomic data were obtained from the Xi’an Statistical Yearbook 2022 and the Xi’an National Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin 2021.

The contents of the questionnaire mainly included (1) basic information on entertainment workers, including age, gender, education level, years of work experience, etc., and basic information on entertainment consumers, including age, gender, monthly income, and consumption expenditure on entertainment. (2) The entertainment industry object symbiotic mode data were obtained by asking gym/café workers about “the size of additional customers brought to your business by nearby café/gym.”, “Number of weekly consumers”, and the Dianping score of the gym/café. The entertainment industry subject symbiotic mode data were obtained by asking gym/café consumers, “Is it likely that you will use the café during the time before or after your gym session?”. (3) The symbiotic interface data was obtained by asking gym/café workers, “When the business layout is located near certain areas, the stability of the business’s revenue or the number of consumers will be enhanced?”. (4) Data on the marketization, specialization, localization, globalization, and cultural and creative elements in the peripheral system were obtained by asking gym/café workers, “Does commercial financing provide significant support for stores?”, “Are there many local Shaanxi elements injected into the business?”, “Are there many internationalization elements injected into the business?”, and “Are there many cultural and creative elements injected into the business?”. Data on policy support in the subject system were obtained by asking gym/café workers, “Is the business well supported by government policy?”. Data on the land rent, visual accessibility, and ease of access to entertainment venues in the object system were obtained by asking gym/café workers, “Is the business in the area with high rent prices?”, “How easy is it for consumers to find the location of the business?”. (

Table 1. The model variable description of entertainment industrial symbiosis.

Variables	Dimensions	Coded Values
Peripheral system	Marketability (x1)	Does commercial financing provide significant support for businesses? Very big = 5; relatively big = 4; general = 3; relatively small = 2; very small = 1.
	Localization (x2)	Are there many local Shaanxi elements injected into the business? Very much = 5; more = 4; general = 3; less = 2; very little = 1.
	Cultural and creative elements (x3)	Are there many cultural and creative elements injected into the business? Very much = 5; more = 4; general = 3; less = 2; very little = 1.
	Globalization (x4)	Are there many internationalization elements injected into the business? Very much = 5; more = 4; general = 3; less = 2; very little = 1.
Subject system	Policy support (x5)	Is the business well supported by government policy? Very big = 5; relatively big = 4; general = 3; relatively small = 2; very small = 1.
Object system	Land rent (x6)	Is the business in the area with expensive rent prices? Very expensive = 5; more expensive = 4; general = 3; cheaper = 2; very cheap = 1.
	Visual accessibility (x7)	How easy is it for consumers to find the location of the business? Very easy = 5; fairly easy = 4; general = 3; difficult = 2; very difficult = 1.
	Educational level (x8)	Elementary school = 1; junior middle school = 2; high school or technical = 3; junior college and undergraduate = 4; postgraduate and above = 5.
	Age (x9)
	Consumption expenditure on entertainment (CNY/month) (x10)	[200, 700) is assigned value 1; [700, 1150) is assigned value 2; [1150, 1400) is assigned value 3; [1400, 2250) is assigned value 4; [2250, 5900) is assigned value 5.

).

To ensure the accuracy and scientific nature of the questionnaire survey results, we first used SPSS22.0 software to test the reliability of the questionnaire data. The results showed that the Cronbach’s α values of each latent variable were all greater than 0.6. This indicates that the questionnaire has good reliability. The KMO value of all independent variables was greater than 0.6, and the value of Bartlett’s sphere test was 0.000 < 0.01. This indicates that the variable has good structural validity. In terms of convergent validity, the factor loadings for all scales exceeded 0.5, indicating that the convergent validity of each variable was satisfactory.

3.3. Method

3.3.1. Creating Fishnet

The creation of a fishing net generates a regular grid to cover the entire study area. First, cafés–gyms generally have a strong resource dependency, and their spatial requirements are characterized by miniaturization and dependency. Second, cafés–gyms consume products through face-to-face services between consumers and entertainment venues. Therefore, accessibility is a significant factor in consumer choice, and the physical distance between entertainment venues with symbiotic relationships must be considered. Third, the spatial pattern of Xi’an belongs to the “Nine Palace pattern, chessboard road network,” which is the industrial layout structure of the Nine Palace grid and the chessboard road network structure. Grid units have become some of the best physical units for studying industrial symbioses [34]. Therefore, to reveal the symbiosis problems of the entertainment industry at a fine scale, this study selected a 1 km × 1 km grid unit as the physical scope of research and analyzed the spatial combination characteristics of the entertainment industry. The study area was divided into 1364 1 km × 1 km regular grids.

3.3.2. Symbiosis Degree Model

The degree of symbiosis is the degree of correlation between changes in the parameters of two symbiotic units; that is, it reflects the extent to which the parameters of the units interact [27]. In a café–gym symbiosis, consumer satisfaction with the products offered by each café–gym influences whether the café–gym can develop over the long term. Therefore, the Dianping score of the symbiosis unit is a primary parameter ($v_C$ and $v_G$ are the parameters of the café and gym, respectively; λ and μ are slopes; η and ρ are intercepts; ${\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_C}{v_C}}$ and ${\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_G}{v_G}}$ are the changes in the parameters of the café and gym, respectively), and has a decisive influence on the existence and development of symbiotic unit. The Dianping score for gyms includes the facility, environment, and service scores. A café’s Dianping score includes flavor, environment, and service scores. The linear formula is as follows:

$$\left\{\begin{array}{c}{V}_C=\lambda V_G+\eta \\ V_G=\mu V_C+\rho \end{array}\right.$$

(1)

Then, the symbiosis degree of the two can be expressed as follows:

$${\delta }_{GC}={\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_G/v_G}{d{v}_C/v_C}}={\displaystyle \frac{v_C}{v_G}}{\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_G}{d{v}_C}}$$

(2)

$${\delta }_{CG}={\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_C/v_C}{d{v}_G/v_G}}={\displaystyle \frac{v_G}{v_C}}{\displaystyle \frac{d{v}_C}{d{v}_G}}$$

(3)

In the formula, ${\delta }_{GC}$ is the symbiosis degree of the gym to the café, ${\delta }_{CG}$ is the symbiosis degree of the café to the gym. If ${\delta }_{GC}$=${ \delta }_{CG}$ > 0, it indicates that the gym and café are in a symmetric, reciprocal symbiosis; if ${\delta }_{GC}$≠${\delta }_{CG}$ > 0, it indicates that the gym and café are in an asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis. If ${\delta }_{GC}$=${ \delta }_{CG}$ < 0, it indicates that the gym and café are in a reverse symmetric symbiosis. If ${\delta }_{GC}$≠${ \delta }_{CG}$ < 0, it indicates that the gym and café are in a reverse asymmetric symbiosis. If ${\delta }_{GC}$=${ \delta }_{CG}$= 0, it indicates that the gym and café are in independent development. If ${\delta }_{GC }$= 0, ${\delta }_{CG}$ > 0 or ${\delta }_{GC}$ > 0, ${\delta }_{CG}$= 0, it indicates that only one side of the gym and café is positively affected, which is then called commensalism. If ${\delta }_{GC}$= 0, ${\delta }_{CG}$ < 0 or ${\delta }_{GC}$ < 0, ${\delta }_{CG}$= 0, it indicates that only one side of the gym and café is negatively affected, which is called prejudicial symbiosis.

3.3.3. Symbiosis Coefficient

The basic meaning of the symbiosis coefficient is the degree of interaction between symbiotic units. This study reflects how the main parameters of the gym and café interact. The formula is as follows:

$${\theta }_G^M={\displaystyle \frac{\left|{\delta }_{GC}^m\right|}{\left|{\delta }_{GC}^m\right|+\left|{\delta }_{CG}^m\right|}}$$

(4)

$${\theta }_C^M={\displaystyle \frac{{\delta }_{CG}^m}{\left|{\delta }_{GC}^m\right|+{\delta }_{CG}^m}}$$

(5)

$${\theta }_C^M+{\theta }_G^M=1$$

(6)

In the formula, c and g represent the “café” and “gym”, respectively. M and m represent the degree of influence between the two and the symbiosis degree between the two, respectively. ${\theta }_G^M$ indicates the degree of impact of the gym on the café, ${\delta }_{GC}^m$ is the symbiosis degree of the gym to the café, ${\delta }_{CG}^m$ is the symbiosis degree of the café to the gym, and ${\theta }_C^M$ indicates the degree of impact of the café on the gym. If ${\theta }_G^M$= 0, it indicates that the gym does not have any impact on the café. If ${\theta }_G^M$= 1, it indicates that the café does not have any impact on the gym; only the gym has an impact on the café. If 0 < ${\theta }_G^M$ < 0.5, it indicates that the café has a relatively high impact on the gym. If ${\theta }_G^M$= 0.5, it indicates that the café and the gym affect each other to the same degree of influence. If 0.5 < ${\theta }_G^M$ < 1, it indicates that the gym has a relatively high impact on the café.

3.3.4. Binary Logistic Model

A binary logistic model was used to analyze the impact of the symbiotic environment on the café–gym symbiosis mode. The café–gym symbiosis mode was used as the dependent variable, defined as y = (0,1). If it is a symbiosis mode of this type, then y = 1; if it is not a symbiosis mode of this type, then y = 0. The ten independent variables (x₁–x₁₀), defined in Table 1, showed no multicollinearity, with all tolerance values > 0.1 and all variance inflation factors (VIF) < 5. The regression mode is as follows:

$$\ln \left({\displaystyle \frac{P\left(y=1\right)}{1-P\left(y=1\right)}}\right)=\alpha +{\sum }_{i=1}^k{\beta }_i{x}_i$$

(7)

The probability of a café–gym asymmetric symbiosis model is the following:

$$P\left(y=1\left|x\right.\right)={\displaystyle \frac{e^{\alpha +\sum _{i=1}^k{\beta }_i{x}_i}}{1+e^{\alpha +\sum _{i=1}^k{\beta }_i{x}_i}}}$$

(8)

In the formula, $x_i$ is the explanatory variable affecting café–gym symbiosis, k is the number of explanatory variables, and α is for the intercept term. ${\beta }_i$ is the coefficient of the explanatory variable $x_i$; it reflects the direction and magnitude of the variable’s influence on the asymmetric symbiosis model, which is obtained using a maximum likelihood estimation.

4. Results

4.1. Café–Gym Subject Symbiosis Mode

From the perspective of café consumers in Xi’an (Figure 4a), the likelihood of café consumers forming a café–gym consumption chain is “relatively small”, “very small”, “relatively big”, “general”, and “very big”, with proportions of 27.33%, 23.60%, 19.88%, 19.25%, and 9.94%, respectively. This indicates that café consumers mainly rely on the point symbiosis mode, followed by the intermittent symbiosis mode, whereas the continuous symbiosis mode is the lowest reliance. In terms of different areas (Figure 4a), in the traditional inner area, 35.29% of café consumers had a “general” likelihood of forming a café–gym consumption chain, which was higher than in the mature built-up area, emerging expansion area, and urban–rural transition area. In the mature built-up area, 17.65% of café consumers had a “very big” likelihood of forming a café–gym consumption chain, which is higher than in other areas. In the urban–rural transition area, 22.73% and 54.55% of café consumers had a “relatively big” and “relatively small” likelihood of forming a café–gym consumption chain, which is higher than in other areas.

From the perspective of gym consumers in Xi’an (Figure 4b), The likelihood of gym consumers forming a café–gym consumption chain was “relatively small”, “general”, “very small”, “relatively big”, and “very big”, with proportions of 27.59%, 25.86%, 19.83%, 13.79%, and 12.93%, respectively. Overall, more than 40% of café–gym consumers formed a point symbiosis mode, nearly 40% of café–gym consumers formed an intermittent symbiosis mode, and a very small proportion of café–gym consumers formed a continuous symbiosis mode. In terms of different areas (Figure 4b), in the traditional inner area, 66.67% and 33.33% of gym consumers had a “general” and “very small” likelihood of forming a café–gym consumption chain, which is higher than in other areas. In the mature built-up area, the likelihood of gym consumers forming a café–gym consumption chain was both “very big” and “relatively big” for 19.23% of consumers, with both accounting for a higher proportion than the other areas. In the urban–rural transition area, 46.15% of gym consumers had a “relatively small” likelihood of forming a café–gym consumption chain, which is higher than in other areas.

It can be seen that the traditional inner area is dominated by the intermittent symbiosis mode, with an average of 59.80%; the continuous symbiosis mode in the mature built-up area was higher than the other areas, and the point symbiosis mode was more prominent in the urban–rural transition area. Since the consumption level and entertainment consumption ability of the residents from the traditional inner area and the urban–rural transitional area were decreasing, the urban–rural transitional area is in the point symbiosis mode for the café–gym subject symbiosis mode. The café–gym subject symbiosis mode generally develops from a point to a continuous symbiosis mode. The southern part of the urban–rural transition area had more young consumers because it is a university town; therefore, the zone may be more favorable for the development of café–gym symbiosis in the future.

4.2. Spatial Distribution of Café–Gym Object Symbiosis Relationship

4.2.1. Spatial Distribution of Café–Gym Object Symbiosis Mode

Based on the combined distribution of cafés and gyms, the number of weekly consumers, the Dianping score, the number of additional consumers, and the composite index were used as the main parameters of café–gym symbiosis, and the symbiosis degree method was used to measure the café–gym symbiosis mode (Figure 5). In addition, the comprehensive score is calculated as the average of the weekly passenger flow, star rating, and added value. Since the quantity of the weekly passenger flow cannot be directly calculated with the star rating and added value, the natural breaks method is used to divide the weekly passenger flow into five levels. Specifically, for cafés, a weekly passenger flow of [0, 340] is assigned a value of 1, (340, 1150] is assigned 2, (1150, 2600] is assigned 3, (2600, 5600] is assigned 4, and (5600, 13,075] is assigned 5. For gyms, a weekly passenger flow of [0, 300] is assigned a value of 1, (300, 1023.75] is assigned 2, (1023.75, 1800] is assigned 3, (1800, 3000] is assigned 4, and (3000, 4500] is assigned 5. Based on the number of weekly consumer dimensions (Figure 5a), the symbiotic mode of the entertainment industry was dominated by an asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis. There is a grid unit with a café–gym symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode distributed on Hansenzhai Street. From the Dianping score dimension (Figure 5b), the café–gym symbiosis mode is bounded by the north–south axis. There is a grid unit between metro lines two and four to the west of the axis, forming a symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode. Nearly half of the proportion east of the axis was in a symmetrical reciprocal symbiosis mode and nearly half an asymmetrical reciprocal symbiosis mode. From the number of additional consumer dimensions (Figure 5c), both the west and east of the north–south axis of Xi’an were dominated by an asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode and supplemented by a symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode. From the composite index dimension (Figure 5d), the distribution of the café–gym symbiosis mode in Xi’an is more evenly distributed relative to the above single-listed main parameter, but is still dominated by asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis modes.

4.2.2. Spatial Distribution of Café–Gym Object Symbiosis Coefficient

Based on the calculated café–gym symbiosis degree, the symbiosis coefficient was used to measure the degree of influence of the café–gym symbiosis mode (Figure 6). From the number of weekly consumers dimension (Figure 6a), the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the café has a relatively greater impact on the gym, had the highest share of 58.70%, mainly in the northern part of the city of Xi’an. This was followed by the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, in which the gym had a relatively high impact on the café, mainly in the southern part of Xi’an. The symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode with an equal degree of café–gym interaction was only 2.17%, distributed in Hansenzhai Street in the Xincheng District. The traditional inner area, mature built-up area, and emerging expansion area are dominated by an asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, in which the gym has a relatively greater impact on the café. However, the urban–rural transition area was dominated by an asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the café had a relatively greater impact on the gym. Overall, the café–gym mode dominated the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode at 97.83%. The asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode was dominated by the relatively high impact of cafés on gyms at 60.00%.

From the Dianping score dimension (Figure 6b), the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, in which the gym had a relatively greater impact on the café, had the highest share of 39.13%, mainly in the west of the north–south axis of Xi’an. This is followed by the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the café had a relatively high impact on the gym, and the symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, with an equal degree of café–gym interaction, both accounting for 30.43%, mainly in the emerging expansion area and near the subway line east of the north–south axis. From different areas in the traditional inner area, the proportion of the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the gym had a relatively high impact on the café, and the proportion of the symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, with an equal degree of café–gym interaction, both accounted for 50.00%. In the mature built-up area and urban–rural transition area, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of gyms with a large impact on cafés was relatively high, mainly in the southern part of the city of Xi’an. In the emerging expansion area, the symmetric reciprocal symbiotic mode with an equal degree of café–gym interaction had the highest proportion, mainly in the west of the north–south axis of the city of Xi’an. Overall, the café–gym mode dominated the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode at 69.57%. The asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode was dominated by the relatively high impact of gyms on cafés, at 56.25%.

From the number of additional consumer dimensions (Figure 6c), the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the café had a relatively greater impact on the gym, had the highest share, at 47.83%. This was followed by the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, in which the gym had a relatively high impact on the café. The symmetric reciprocal symbiotic mode with an equal degree of café–gym interaction ranked third. From different areas in the traditional inner area, the proportions of the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode where the gym had a relatively high impact on the café and where the café had a relatively high impact on the gym were equally weighted, both at 50.00%. In the mature built-up area and urban–rural transition area, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of cafés having a large impact on gyms was relatively high. At the same time, mainly in the southern part of the mature built-up area, the urban–rural transition area, and the northern part of the emerging expansion area, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of cafés having a large impact on gyms was the highest. This is mainly located in the northern part of the area. Overall, the café–gym mode dominates the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode at 76.09%. The asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode was dominated by the relatively high impact of cafés on gyms, at 62.86%.

From the composite index dimension (Figure 6d), the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, in which the gym had a relatively greater impact on the café, had the highest share, at 39.13%. This was followed by the symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, with an equal degree of café–gym interaction, having a share of 34.78%. In the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the gym had a relatively high impact on the café and ranked third. From different areas in traditional inner area, the proportion of the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the gym had a relatively high impact on the café, and the proportion of the symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, with an equal degree of café–gym interaction, both accounted for 50.00%. In the mature built-up area, in the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, the proportion of gyms with a large impact on cafés was relatively high, mainly in the south and east of the area. The highest proportion of the symmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode with an equal degree of café–gym interaction was mainly in the south and north of the area. In the urban–rural transition area, the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, where the gym had a relatively greater impact on the café, had the highest share of 66.67%, mainly in the vicinity of university towns. Overall, the café–gym mode dominated the asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode, at 65.22%. The asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode was dominated by the relatively high impact of gyms on cafés, at 60.00%.

4.3. Analysis of Key Factors in Café–Gym Symbiosis

Economists generally assume in their models that economic agents are rational, intelligent, and selfish and can be regarded as individuals, enterprises, or countries. Therefore, to maximize profits, enterprises tend to design their enterprise layouts using algorithmic models that consider spatial availability, distance between associated enterprises, operating costs, and enterprise development [35]. As mentioned earlier, two factors affect café–gym symbiosis. On the one hand, the café–gym symbiosis interface supports café–gym symbiosis. This study analyzed the dimensions of residential neighborhoods, offices, integrated shopping mall spaces, etc. On the other hand, the café–gym symbiotic environment affects the café–gym symbiosis. This study mainly analyzed the peripheral, subject, and object systems. The peripheral system includes specialization, marketability and localization, cultural and creative elements, and globalization. The subject system consists of government policies. The object system includes visual accessibility, land rent, income, and entertainment expenditure.

4.3.1. Café–Gym Symbiosis Interface

At the level of symbiosis interfaces (

Table 2. The stability of the business’s revenue or number of consumers from the café–gym symbiosis interface (%).

	Symbiosis Interface	Residential Area	Office Area	Commercial Area	Universities/Research Institute Area	Near the Hotel	Near the Scenic Area	Bus Station	Metro Station	Near Other Areas
Symbiosis Unit	Café	63.04	69.57	73.91	43.48	19.57	28.26	13.04	30.43	4.35
	Gym	91.30	50.0	58.70	39.13	13.04	8.70	21.74	23.91	0.00
	Cafés–Gyms	77.35	59.79	66.31	41.31	16.31	18.48	17.39	27.17	2.18

), from the perspective of café workers, the stability of the business’s revenue or number of consumers were highest when the café was laid out near a commercial area, at 73.91%, followed by an office area; the third was the residential area. This indicates that the layout of the café in proximity to a commercial area has the highest impact on the development of cafés. From the perspective of gym workers, the stability of the business’s revenue and number of consumers were highest when the gym was laid out near a residential area, at 91.30%, followed by a commercial area, and the third was the office area. This indicates that the layout of the gym proximity to the residential area has the highest impact on the development of a gym. The perspective of café workers and gym workers was that the stability of the business’s revenue or number of consumers was higher when the café was located near subway stations than near bus stops. It can be seen that the gym and café have some similarities in their choice of location, which is the supporting force of the café–gym symbiosis. This is consistent with the existing research, where integrated shopping malls strongly influence the distribution of cafés [36], while the distribution of gyms is strongly influenced by residential neighborhoods [18]. An analysis of the mean values for café–gym symbiosis reveals that co-location near residential areas contributes most significantly to an enhanced stability in both revenue or customer flow for businesses. This was followed by commercial zones, with office districts ranking third. This indicates that a proximity to residential areas has the greatest impact on symbiotic development, surpassing that of commercial and office areas.

From different symbiotic perspectives, a higher proportion of gym workers than café workers and the cross-sector average perceive an enhanced stability in business revenue or customer flow when cafés and gyms are co-located near residential areas and bus stops. Conversely, a greater proportion of café workers hold this perception compared to gym workers and the average when the two business types are situated near office districts, commercial areas, universities or research institutions, hotels, and subway stations.

The main reasons are as follows. First, entertainment consumption has become a common phenomenon among urban residents, and the demand for differentiated consumption has become increasingly significant. As an important place for residents to live to meet the demand of a 15 min living circle, diversified recreational venues have become a key development direction for the recreational industry. Second, the entertainment industry in Xi’an has developed mainly on the basis of the major commercial districts within the city. The commercial atmosphere of integrated shopping malls tends to be relatively strong, while the entertainment consumption potential is huge, which is conducive to the development of different categories of different grades of entertainment business [25]. Third, the main reason for this is that the metro is one of the leading public transport tools in Xi’an, and the increase in pedestrian flow at metro stations promotes more opportunities for all types of economic activities, further strengthening the traffic directionality of the layout of entertainment venues [25]. Fourth, the degree of connection between the office building and a portion of the café is also high, which is suitable for office workers as well as business people’s consumption concepts. Simultaneously, with the increasing concern for body management and health among office workers, working out in a gym near the office area to save time has become a blessing for office workers.

4.3.2. Café–Gym Symbiosis Environment

A binary logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the key factors influencing the formation of the asymmetrical mutualistic symbiosis pattern between cafés and gyms. The results showed that the prediction accuracy was 80.6%, and the Hosmer–Lemeshow chi-square value was 3.909 (<15.507), with a significance level of 0.865 (>0.05), indicating a good fit (

Table 3. Test results of key factors affecting café–gym asymmetric reciprocal symbiosis mode in Xi’an.

Dimensions	Variable Name	B	S.E	Wald	Sig.	Exp(B)
Peripheral system	Marketization	−1.268	0.639	3.942	0.047 **	0.281
	Localization	−0.792	0.556	2.030	0.154	0.453
	Cultural and creative elements	1.241	0.557	4.961	0.026 **	3.460
	Globalization	−1.990	0.576	11.955	0.001 ***	0.137
Subject system	Government policies	1.427	0.626	5.195	0.023 **	4.165
Object system	Land rent	0.719	0.798	0.812	0.367	2.053
	Visual accessibility	0.818	0.596	1.881	0.170	2.256
	Education level	−1.466	0.761	3.704	0.054 *	0.231
	Age	−0.232	0.062	13.959	0.000 ***	0.793
	Consumption expenditure on entertainment	0.615	0.264	5.433	0.020 **	1.849
Constant		9.771	5.357	3.326	0.068 *	1.75 × 104
Hosmer–Lemeshow				3.909
Sig. value				0.865
Prediction accuracy/%				80.6

Notes:*, **, ***, indicate statistical significance at the 1%, 5%, and 10% levels, respectively.

).

In the peripheral system, marketization (B = −1.268, p = 0.047 < 0.05, OR = 0.281 < 1) and globalization (B = −1.990, p = 0.001 < 0.01, OR = 0.137 < 1) all demonstrate a significant negative impact on the formation of the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode. This indicates that the higher the degree of marketization and globalization, the lower the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode. However, cultural and creative elements (B = 1.241, p = 0.026 < 0.05, OR = 3.460 > 1) have a significantly positive impact at the 5% level. This indicates that, for each additional unit of cultural and creative elements, the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode increases by 3.460 times. In the subject system, government policies (B = 1.427, p = 0.023 < 0.05, OR = 4.165 > 1) demonstrate a significant positive impact on the formation of the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode; for each additional unit of government policies, the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode increases by 4.165 times. In the object system, consumption expenditure on entertainment (B = 0.615, p = 0.020 < 0.05, OR = 1.849 > 1) demonstrates a significant positive impact on the formation of the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode. This indicates that, for each additional unit of consumption expenditure on entertainment, the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode increases by 1.849 times. Research has found that, the higher the income level, the greater the number of gyms located near the neighborhood [37]. Since there is a positive correlation between income and consumption expenditure on entertainment [38], consumption expenditure on entertainment has therefore promoted the development of cafés and gyms. Age (B = −0.232, p = 0.000 < 0.01, OR = 0.793 < 1) showed a significant negative impact on the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode. This indicates that, for each additional unit increase in the age of the entertainment consumer group, the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode decreases by 0.793 times. The higher the education level (B = −1.466, p = 0.054 < 0.1, OR = 0.231 < 1), the lower the probability of forming the café–gym asymmetric mutually beneficial symbiosis mode.

5. Discussion and Conclusions

5.1. Discussion

First, residential communities exert the greatest influence on the development of Xi’an’s café–gym symbiosis model. This is primarily because service venues like cafés–gyms primarily serve surrounding neighborhoods [37], which are characterized by a high population density. Coupled with rising living standards, residents increasingly demand environments conducive to healthy lifestyles, leisure relaxation, and business discussions—all of which drive the growth of cafés–gyms and facilitate the formation of café–gym customer traffic [39,40]; second, one-stop shopping experiences (integrated malls) are increasingly favored by consumers. Statistics show that, in modern commercial formats, the ratio of shopping, entertainment, and dining is 52:18:30, with entertainment and dining proportions sometimes reaching 60% or even over 70% [41]. This makes the entertainment industry pivotal in commercial development, providing crucial support for the symbiosis of entertainment sectors. Finally, transportation accessibility serves as the link between consumers and cafés–gyms [20], with convenient transit facilitating consumer engagement with these venues. Subway stations demonstrate a greater potential for developing café–gym symbiosis than bus stations. This stems from urban subway systems being a vital transportation infrastructure for residents. Compared to other urban transport modes, subways offer advantages like speed and reduced weather disruption, making them highly favored by city dwellers and a key manifestation of the core support capacity for entertainment industries [34].

This study analyzes the symbiosis model between cafés and fitness centers in Xi’an solely at the micro-scale, adopting the symbiosis degree, symbiosis coefficient, and binary logistic model methods, revealing key factors of the asymmetric mutualistic coexistence. However, café–gym symbiosis is influenced not only by scale effects but also by the density, scale, and connectivity of symbiotic units, as well as the interactions between symbiotic interfaces and environments. Therefore, future research should simulate the symbiotic patterns and functional relationships of the entertainment industry across different scale units—such as city-wide, regional, street-level, community, and grid—to deeply reveal the evolutionary dynamics and symbiotic mechanisms of urban entertainment systems. This will help summarize and distill universal laws governing the symbiotic development of the entertainment industry in large cities, representing a crucial direction for future studies. Furthermore, as two distinct formats within the entertainment industry system, cafés–gyms exemplify the sector’s complexity, integration, and dynamism. Future research on symbiosis among entertainment formats should holistically examine the symbiotic relationships between entertainment businesses (e.g., cinemas, cafés, gyms, and KTV venues) and related industries (such as restaurants and bubble tea shops), thereby advancing the high-quality development of the entertainment sector.

5.2. Conclusions

Xi’an’s establishments exhibit characteristics of clustering, complementarity, interdependence, and symbiosis. Simultaneously, these establishments demonstrate a functional interdependence in service offerings. In the future, some fitness centers may begin providing products typically served by cafés, confirming the existence of symbiotic relationships within the café–gym sector. Currently, examining the symbiosis patterns among café–gym entities in Xi’an reveals that point symbiosis is most prevalent among consumers, followed by intermittent symbiosis. Compared to other zones, the transitional zone exhibits a higher proportion of point symbiosis than the traditional, mature, and expansion zones; conversely, the traditional zone shows a higher proportion of intermittent symbiosis than the other three zones. Regarding the symbiosis patterns among café–gym customers in Xi’an, the overall trend is dominated by asymmetric mutualistic symbiosis. Furthermore, the similarity of locational environments and spatial proximity are crucial conditions for the formation of symbiotic patterns among entertainment businesses [42]. When cafés–gyms are located adjacent to residential areas, the impact on café–gym symbiotic development is the greatest, followed by the proximity to commercial districts, with the proximity to office areas ranking third. Further analysis reveals that cultural and creative elements and entertainment expenditure promote the formation of this asymmetric mutualistic symbiosis. Conversely, marketization and age act as inhibiting factors. Thus, the development of café–gym symbiosis is driven by the combined effects of their shared interface and symbiotic patterns. It should be noted that the generalizability of this study requires cautious interpretation. The spatial pattern of Xi’an belongs to the “Nine Palace pattern, chessboard road network”; its urban spatial structure, level of economic development, and characteristics of entertainment consumption differ from those of other cities. Therefore, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the café–gym symbiosis within a specific urban context. Nevertheless, the analytical framework and mechanistic explanation in this study retain significant theoretical and practical implications. At present, China’s major cities are in a stage of rapid economic growth and consumption structure upgrading. The scientific layout of entertainment enterprises has become a key link in meeting consumers’ diverse demands and enhancing corporate efficiency. Against this backdrop, this study provides a valuable analytical paradigm and theoretical reference for understanding the symbiotic principles governing the entertainment industry in cities across China and other emerging economies.

5.3. Recommendations

(1) Optimize spatial layout: Gyms and cafés should be located near residential areas. Simultaneously, cultural and entertainment-related businesses with a high synergy should be strategically placed around the community in different directions, based on mutually beneficial relationships within the entertainment sector. This layout not only facilitates residents’ access to entertainment consumption but also increases foot traffic, promotes the development of the entertainment industry, and enhances its overall operational efficiency. Integrating diverse entertainment formats near residential and commercial zones fosters sustainable industry growth. Deploying entertainment businesses along subway lines will create strip-like or continuous entertainment corridors, enhancing sector interactions and boosting urban economic vitality.

(2) Optimize symbiotic environments: Provide preferential policies such as tax incentives to encourage entertainment enterprises to establish healthy symbiotic relationships under supportive frameworks. Facilitate commercial loans for entertainment businesses. Actively construct symbiotic units aligned with consumer preferences through market research. Actively infuse cultural and creative elements to deliver desirable experiences for consumers, strengthen entertainment consumption motivation, and enhance the efficiency of symbiotic entertainment business models.

(3) Strengthen cross-industry alliances: The entertainment industry comprises business models with complementary service offerings. Establishing cross-industry alliances within the entertainment sector helps form complementary advantages and achieve coordinated development. First, non-substitutable entertainment enterprises should exchange consumer vouchers to increase mutual customer traffic. Second, joint promotional campaigns should be developed for entertainment enterprises. Third, incentive mechanisms should be established for entertainment enterprises engaged in cross-industry alliances to boost cooperation motivation and efficiency. By forming alliances with complementary entertainment enterprises, each business can achieve an economic effect where “1 + 1 > 2.”