A tea house in Chengdu. (Photo by unkle_sam via Flickr)

Guide books to Chengdu always mention the tea house culture. The famous teahouses provide a backdrop to a visit to an operetta, a trip to get your ears cleaned, or simply a midday break for a cup of good green tea. But such teahouses aren’t merely a quaint place to cool your heels. For locals, they perform a vital function: keeping Chengdu’s identity alive amid the galloping pace of change.

The guide books point visitors first and foremost to the Heming Teahouse, in the center of People’s Park, and rightfully so. Steeped in history and local culture, Heming has remained staunchly local despite the influx of tourists. As local as one can be in today’s China, anyway, where few bricks older than a generation or two haven’t been ground into dust. Today, “staunchly local” means Heming serves only local green teas made with hot water poured from long-spouted copper pots specific to Chengdu. Patrons wile away the day playing mahjong and nonchalantly getting their ears cleaned by a bewhiskered old man in Sichuan opera colors....Continue Reading

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