A trip to savor tea around a stove in Shanghai's suburbs
A TRIP FOR TEA
The steaming water, the lovely aroma from the tea, the sound of cracking peanuts on the stove, and the delicate scenery in the teahouse. Enjoying such a cup of tea around a stove with friends has become popular in Shanghai in winter.
热气腾腾的水，扑鼻而来的茶香，炉子上的花生噼啪作响，精致的风景萦绕身旁。约三五好友一起围炉煮茶，已经成为了今年冬天，上海顶时髦的事情。
Especially, a trip to just such a teahouse on the outskirts of Shanghai, escaping the hustle and bustle of urban life as well as the fears over COVID-19, to enjoy local country life and the traditional Chinese tea culture is nothing but agreeable.
Located in Maoqiao Village, suburban Jiading District, Heqin Garden is attracting visitors with its beautiful garden, as well as different kinds of Chinese teas.
The gate of Heqin Garden in suburban Jiading District.
▲
The garden was designed with the idea of “people in the grass and trees.” The inspiration comes from the Chinese character cha (tea), which is made up of three radicals, cao (grass), ren (people) and mu (tree), with people in the middle of the grass and tree. Li She, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), once wrote in his poem“to find a moment of leisure in a busy life” is just something that a cup of tea can bring you.
花园以“人在草木间”为设计理念，寓意为汉字“茶”，由三个偏旁部首组成，草、人和木，人在草和木的中间。唐代著名诗人李涉曾经写道，“偷得浮生半日闲”，恰恰好是一杯茶能带给你的最佳体验。
A snapshot of the garden
▲
Tea culture has been an important part of life in China since ancient times. And, everyone has his own idea of the best tea, or the best way to enjoy a cup of tea.
从古至今，茶文化都是中国人生活中不可或缺的一部分，而每一个人，也都有自己对于茶的不同观感。正所谓，千人千茶，千茶千味。
Heqin Garden integrates the rural experience of Maoqiao and the traditional Chinese tea culture.
The gate of Heqin Garden represents the rural style of Maoqiao Village.
▲
Stepping into the garden, a couple of chickens would immediately catch your eyes – they are stars of the garden.
走进茶馆花园，第一眼看到的不是茶，而是两只鸡——据说它们已经成为了这个园子里的“网红”。
"The two chickens are gifts from my neighbor in the village. They grew up here, and have become my pets, and the guests like them. If you take a picture, they even pose in front of the camera," said Xu Li, the owner of the teahouse.
Fiona poses with the "star pet" of Heqin Garden.
▲
The traditional Chinese-style garden is delicate. There are red koi fish swimming in the pond, flowers and bonsai plants everywhere.
Bonsai in the garden
▲
The guestroom has a unique window of ancient Chinese buildings, which is covered with a white silk curtain. When the light changes, the shadows of the bamboos in the garden create a vivid Chinese ink painting on it.
茶室中最特别的要数一扇古色古香的“影窗”。当光线变幻时，竹林的光影投射在窗上，仿若一幅生动的中国水墨画。
The shadows of the bamboos in the garden create a vivid Chinese ink painting on the window.
▲
"Enjoying the charm of Chinese culture is a must when you are in a teahouse," said Xu, who was born in Xinyang, Henan Province, and learned tea culture in Fujian Province when she was young. She built the garden three years ago, inviting people to enjoy the culture behind tea. "Different kinds of tea bring us different cultures," she said.
The hand-made menu of the teahouse
▲
One of her favorite teas is Yunnan Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea. "People always think tea tastes bitter. But this kind of tea has a light sweet flavor, which is very gentle," Xu introduced.
She recommended the Fuding White Tea for the winter period. "It's a different kind compared to the Anji White Tea, as it's nature-dried. In ancient times, it served as a TCM remedy to treat flu."
Fuding White Tea | 福鼎白茶
▲
Yunnan Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea | 古树滇红
"These days, boiling tea around the stove is popular. Ancient people said that the water cannot be boiled more than twice," Xu opined, adding that the advantage of the stove is that it can keep the water above 90 degrees centigrade, so that the sweetness, freshness and fragrance of the tea will stay pure. The warmth also makes people feel good in the winter.
最近，围炉煮茶非常火。古人云，茶不可沸三次。和沁园主徐丽认为，泥炉可以让水的温度保持在九十度左右，最好地激发出了茶叶本身的甜、鲜、香。火炉的温度也能够让人们获得冬日的温暖。
Baking nuts and fruits on the stove while boiling tea is an iconic tea culture in Yunnan Province.
▲
Boiling tea on a stove used to be a tradition in Yunnan Province, the birthplace of Chinese tea. Local people would carry a stove when they went to the forest to pick tea. They boiled tea, as well as baked rice cakes, nuts and fruits on the stove for their meals during the day. This later became a custom in the region.
据说，围炉煮茶源自中国茶的发源地云南省。当地人去森林采茶时总是会生一个小火炉。他们在火炉上煮茶，烤年糕、坚果和水果作为旅途中的餐食。这后来成为该地区的一种习俗“火塘烤茶“。
The baked orange tastes sweeter than before.
▲
It has spread all over China nowadays, as the new style of making the traditional tea seems more interesting and attractive to many, especially the young generation. Combining the new style and the tradition has sparked a renaissance for Chinese teahouses in the city. If you want to know more, why not plan a trip and get your first-hand experience on what I've tried and liked.
今年，这种新的传统泡茶方式似乎更加有趣，吸引了许多年轻一代重新加入了饮茶的行列。新的风格和传统的结合让中国茶馆在这座城市里重新时髦起来。如果你想了解更多，那就计划一次茶馆之行，亲自去感受吧。
Address: 120 Maoqiao Village, Huating Town
华亭镇毛桥村和沁园（霜竹公路沪唐公交总站西北100米）
Opening hours: 9am-5pm
Reservation number: 13817686934 (reservation prior to visit is recommended and required on holidays)
There are more distinctive teahouses in Jiading District, here is a list.
1
\ 松茗园 /
Songming Garden
"Songming" is named after the five-needle pine as the main plant grown in the garden, and "Songming" itself happens to be the name of a Chinese tea. The garden is designed in the countryside style with several cottages. It's an ideal place to enjoy traditional Chinese tea culture.
Address: 600 Changxu Rd, Juyuan New Area
菊园新区昌徐路600号
Opening hours: 9:30am-9:30pm (reservation required)
2
\ 阅洱居 /
Yue'erju Teahouse
It's a teahouse focusing on Yunnan tea culture. All the names of tea rooms refer to famous tea mountains in the southwestern province. The signature tea of Yue'erju is the original ecological tea, such as the Ancient Tree Pu'er, which has a smooth taste with a clear and amber color.
Address: Bldg 15, 66 Xinyuan Rd, Anting Town
安亭镇新源路66弄15号
Opening hours: 10am-10pm
3
\ 龙源茶坊 /
Longyuan Teahouse
Neighboring Yuanxiang Lake, Poly Grand Theater and Jiading Library, the teahouse is hidden behind a green wall full of blooming Chinese trumpet creeper. Different kinds of tea pots are displayed in the teahouse, where it would be nice to spend an afternoon immersed in the tea culture and Chinese calligraphy.
Address: Bldg 55-8, Lane 333, Baiyin Rd, Malu Town
嘉定新城（马陆镇）白银路333弄55号-8
Opening hours: 9am-11pm
Click the pictures to read past stories ↓
Editor: Cao Qian
Designer/Writer: Fiona Li
Photo: Yan Jingyang