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West Lake teahouses must offer 1 Yuan Tea
By Xu Wenwen |
July 17, 2012, Tuesday
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PRICES are soaring for everything, including teahouses where it's not always easy, especially for those with very modest incomes, to while away the hours sipping tea, chatting and maybe listening to some traditional Chinese music.
But a few teahouses do retain a decades-old tradition known as "1 Yuan Tea." Guests take their own tea leaves and tea cup; the house provides steady hot water but only for a few hours a day, say, 5am-9am. The 1 Yuan Tea hours vary with different establishments.
Sipping 1 Yuan Tea used to be very popular and common. It was initiated in the 1990s, and it gave many of the city's seniors a place to socialize. Now a relative few remain.
And in many cases they had spectacular view of West Lake, views that are accessible mainly through private restaurants and clubs.
Shanghai Daily visits some of the teahouses where 1 Yuan Tea is still served.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning, yet in the Greenrain Teahouse in Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park there were tens of people, mostly gray haired, sipping glasses of tea, fanning themselves and chatting with each other.
"I have retained the habit of taking 1 Yuan Tea each morning for almost 20 years. Good scenery, cheap tea and more friends," says Gao Qi, 81, a female Hangzhou resident.
Xu Xiaohong is the worker in charge of boiling water for around 30 customers each morning. "The teahouse is a business place, but I see human interest stories among those customers every day."
Not everyone comes for the cheap cup of tea - some play mahjong, some discuss recipes, some exchange gifts and some talk about news and politics.
"I feel lucky the tradition has been retained though the owner of the teahouse has changed a couple of times," Gao says.
The 1 Yuan Tea, though a traditional for around two decades, almost disappeared five years ago due to the rising costs of operating a teahouse. The custom only survived because of efforts by local media and the clamor of many customers.
Emerald Club in Taiziwan Park is another rendezvous for 1 Yuan Tea. In fact, this is a high-end club, but it opens in the early morning, exclusively for morning tea customers.
According to its manager, Jiang Chengxiang, the restaurant receives around 30 tea customers every day, which contributes 1,000 yuan (US$157), but the cost of staff, water, electricity and maintenance is around 5,000 for the early morning crowd.
Also, during regular hours at Greenrain Teahouse, its most inexpensive cup of tea sells for 58 yuan, so 1 Yuan Tea doesn't even make a dent.
Teahouses do not get government subsidies, but the leasing contracts of the teahouses, specially those in the spots with the best scenic views, such as Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park and Taiziwan Park, clearly state that they need to offer 1 Yuan Tea in the morning, says Lai Jian, an official of Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area.
"Local people's support helped West Lake become recognized as part of the world's cultural heritage, and it is necessary to make sure the lake does serve the people," says Liu Yin, director of Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area.
Juanxi Library offers free hot water, but the premise is that one has to read books there. Juanxi Library used to be a study of Ma Yifu, a modern scholar; it is a library open to all citizens. The capacity is around 40 people.
? Greenrain Teahouse (′?óêìü2è?￥)
Address: Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park, No. 5-1 Xishan Rd
? Emerald Club (′????á)
Address: Taiziwan Park, No. 5-1 Nanshan Rd
? Juanxi Library (???·êé?Y)
Address: Southeast of Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park and close to Su Causeway
But a few teahouses do retain a decades-old tradition known as "1 Yuan Tea." Guests take their own tea leaves and tea cup; the house provides steady hot water but only for a few hours a day, say, 5am-9am. The 1 Yuan Tea hours vary with different establishments.
Sipping 1 Yuan Tea used to be very popular and common. It was initiated in the 1990s, and it gave many of the city's seniors a place to socialize. Now a relative few remain.
And in many cases they had spectacular view of West Lake, views that are accessible mainly through private restaurants and clubs.
Shanghai Daily visits some of the teahouses where 1 Yuan Tea is still served.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning, yet in the Greenrain Teahouse in Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park there were tens of people, mostly gray haired, sipping glasses of tea, fanning themselves and chatting with each other.
"I have retained the habit of taking 1 Yuan Tea each morning for almost 20 years. Good scenery, cheap tea and more friends," says Gao Qi, 81, a female Hangzhou resident.
Xu Xiaohong is the worker in charge of boiling water for around 30 customers each morning. "The teahouse is a business place, but I see human interest stories among those customers every day."
Not everyone comes for the cheap cup of tea - some play mahjong, some discuss recipes, some exchange gifts and some talk about news and politics.
"I feel lucky the tradition has been retained though the owner of the teahouse has changed a couple of times," Gao says.
The 1 Yuan Tea, though a traditional for around two decades, almost disappeared five years ago due to the rising costs of operating a teahouse. The custom only survived because of efforts by local media and the clamor of many customers.
Emerald Club in Taiziwan Park is another rendezvous for 1 Yuan Tea. In fact, this is a high-end club, but it opens in the early morning, exclusively for morning tea customers.
According to its manager, Jiang Chengxiang, the restaurant receives around 30 tea customers every day, which contributes 1,000 yuan (US$157), but the cost of staff, water, electricity and maintenance is around 5,000 for the early morning crowd.
Also, during regular hours at Greenrain Teahouse, its most inexpensive cup of tea sells for 58 yuan, so 1 Yuan Tea doesn't even make a dent.
Teahouses do not get government subsidies, but the leasing contracts of the teahouses, specially those in the spots with the best scenic views, such as Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park and Taiziwan Park, clearly state that they need to offer 1 Yuan Tea in the morning, says Lai Jian, an official of Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area.
"Local people's support helped West Lake become recognized as part of the world's cultural heritage, and it is necessary to make sure the lake does serve the people," says Liu Yin, director of Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area.
Juanxi Library offers free hot water, but the premise is that one has to read books there. Juanxi Library used to be a study of Ma Yifu, a modern scholar; it is a library open to all citizens. The capacity is around 40 people.
? Greenrain Teahouse (′?óêìü2è?￥)
Address: Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park, No. 5-1 Xishan Rd
? Emerald Club (′????á)
Address: Taiziwan Park, No. 5-1 Nanshan Rd
? Juanxi Library (???·êé?Y)
Address: Southeast of Viewing Fish at Flower Pond Park and close to Su Causeway
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