Kuanzhai Teahouse
×Gaiwan tea (covered-bowl tea)
Why you must eat itA gaiwan — saucer, bowl and lid as one set — is filled with leaves, hot water poured, and served. You sip nudging the lid to hold back the leaves, and the water is topped up many times. Sitting on a bamboo chair, spending a whole afternoon on one cup is the Chengdu way. Jasmine (huacha) is the standard, and you simply watch time pass beside the ear-cleaners and chess players.
Gaiwan tea and teahouse culture are the core of Chengdu life, and Kuanzhai is lined with tourist-facing teahouses. For a more local feel, the famous He Ming teahouse in People's Park — bamboo chairs along the water, ear-cleaners making their rounds. If Chongqing is a city driven by heat, Chengdu is one that slows to a stop in the teahouse. You usually pay per seat for one bowl.
- Nearest
- Tonghuimen Stn
- Hours
- 09:00-22:00
- Price
- 20–40 CNY per seat