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Where tea and warrior legends come together
By Zhang Qian |
June 5, 2009, Friday
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THE Jin Yong Tea House in Hangzhou is a unique place, an idyllic getaway for people seeking a quiet contemplative time, and a place dedicated to the warriors and legends of a famous author. Zhang Qian tastes it all.
As you walk to the Yanggong Causeway along charming Beishan Road, you will certainly notice a striking white house partly hidden behind trees. With mountains in the distance, the house looks over the water and seems to exist in an imaginary world far from everyday worries.
But don't take this to be an ordinary tea house that helps people escape their busy worlds temporarily. The 18 traditional weapons in two lines by the door immediately suggest this is a different territory - the world of wuxia (martial arts and chivalry). That's right. You are at the famous Jin Yong Tea House in Hangzhou, where the "heroes" of jianghu (literally meaning "rivers and lakes," it is the milieu in which many Chinese classical martial art stories are set) gathered.
Louis Cha, known with the pen name Jin Yong, is one of the most influential modern Chinese novelists. His wuxia books have a widespread following in China, Southeast Asia and the United States - in fact anywhere Chinese is read. His 14 novels which include "The Book and the Sword," "The Return of the Condor Heroes," "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and "The Deer and the Cauldron" were written from 1955 to 1972 and earned him the title as the best-selling Chinese author alive. More than 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide. And his works have been turned into films, TV series, comic books and video games.
The Jin Yong Tea House is located at Cha's villa in Hangzhou which was given to him by the local government when he was the dean of Humanities and Social Science School of Zhejiang University from 1999 to 2005. It was later turned into a tea house by the Jin Yong Book Club which was authorized by Cha himself. It is said that Cha visits the tea house every year and always enjoys a pot of good Longjing tea here.
Walls lined with swords, bows, arrows, coir coats and bamboo hats invite visitors to the mysterious world of wuxia. And if this doesn't satisfy your wuxia dream, you can simply take a book off the old wooden shelves and discover some new heroes.
As well as the tables on the ground floor, visitors can also book rooms on the second floor for privacy. The six rooms there are all named after Cha's famous books. Visitors can book the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" for two people; close friends could choose the "Ode to Gallantry" for six to eight people; and if you have a classmates' reunion it is suggested you sit on the "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain," a large balcony capable of holding 20 people.
Longjing tea, of course, is always the most popular drink in Hangzhou tea houses. By ordering a cup of Longjing tea for 88 yuan (US$12.88), visitors can enjoy free snacks and performances such as guzheng (zither) and chan cha (zen tea).
Zen tea is not a particular kind of tea, but a way to make and enjoy tea, and is closely related to Buddhist culture in China. Just like the famous kung fu tea, drinking zen tea also requires 18 quite complicated steps. These involve adding incense, regulating breathing, listening to the boiling water and observing the tea leaves. Every step signifies an approach to zen, teaching people to be grateful, tolerant, willing to share and being friendly. The performance has to be carried out by three practitioners, a tea master, an assistant and a tutor to help the audience follow the steps and explore zen while watching.
The tea house also provides jianghu cuisines at lunch or dinner time. One of the most popular dishes is "Hong Qigong grilled chicken." (Hong Qigong is a senior kungfu master in Cha's fiction "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," who is a big fan of grilled chicken.) Queshan chicken and Longjing tea leaves are the two main ingredients of the dish. After the chicken, the leaves and spices are cooked together for more than two hours, an unforgettable and delicious aroma will greet you when you lift the lid of the serving dish.
Address: 30 Yanggong Causeway
Tel: (0571) 8799-6612
As you walk to the Yanggong Causeway along charming Beishan Road, you will certainly notice a striking white house partly hidden behind trees. With mountains in the distance, the house looks over the water and seems to exist in an imaginary world far from everyday worries.
But don't take this to be an ordinary tea house that helps people escape their busy worlds temporarily. The 18 traditional weapons in two lines by the door immediately suggest this is a different territory - the world of wuxia (martial arts and chivalry). That's right. You are at the famous Jin Yong Tea House in Hangzhou, where the "heroes" of jianghu (literally meaning "rivers and lakes," it is the milieu in which many Chinese classical martial art stories are set) gathered.
Louis Cha, known with the pen name Jin Yong, is one of the most influential modern Chinese novelists. His wuxia books have a widespread following in China, Southeast Asia and the United States - in fact anywhere Chinese is read. His 14 novels which include "The Book and the Sword," "The Return of the Condor Heroes," "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and "The Deer and the Cauldron" were written from 1955 to 1972 and earned him the title as the best-selling Chinese author alive. More than 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide. And his works have been turned into films, TV series, comic books and video games.
The Jin Yong Tea House is located at Cha's villa in Hangzhou which was given to him by the local government when he was the dean of Humanities and Social Science School of Zhejiang University from 1999 to 2005. It was later turned into a tea house by the Jin Yong Book Club which was authorized by Cha himself. It is said that Cha visits the tea house every year and always enjoys a pot of good Longjing tea here.
Walls lined with swords, bows, arrows, coir coats and bamboo hats invite visitors to the mysterious world of wuxia. And if this doesn't satisfy your wuxia dream, you can simply take a book off the old wooden shelves and discover some new heroes.
As well as the tables on the ground floor, visitors can also book rooms on the second floor for privacy. The six rooms there are all named after Cha's famous books. Visitors can book the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" for two people; close friends could choose the "Ode to Gallantry" for six to eight people; and if you have a classmates' reunion it is suggested you sit on the "Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain," a large balcony capable of holding 20 people.
Longjing tea, of course, is always the most popular drink in Hangzhou tea houses. By ordering a cup of Longjing tea for 88 yuan (US$12.88), visitors can enjoy free snacks and performances such as guzheng (zither) and chan cha (zen tea).
Zen tea is not a particular kind of tea, but a way to make and enjoy tea, and is closely related to Buddhist culture in China. Just like the famous kung fu tea, drinking zen tea also requires 18 quite complicated steps. These involve adding incense, regulating breathing, listening to the boiling water and observing the tea leaves. Every step signifies an approach to zen, teaching people to be grateful, tolerant, willing to share and being friendly. The performance has to be carried out by three practitioners, a tea master, an assistant and a tutor to help the audience follow the steps and explore zen while watching.
The tea house also provides jianghu cuisines at lunch or dinner time. One of the most popular dishes is "Hong Qigong grilled chicken." (Hong Qigong is a senior kungfu master in Cha's fiction "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," who is a big fan of grilled chicken.) Queshan chicken and Longjing tea leaves are the two main ingredients of the dish. After the chicken, the leaves and spices are cooked together for more than two hours, an unforgettable and delicious aroma will greet you when you lift the lid of the serving dish.
Address: 30 Yanggong Causeway
Tel: (0571) 8799-6612
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