Wenshu Monastery Teahouse

The teahouse in the courtyard of Wenshu Monastery is the most atmospheric in Chengdu — large bamboo chairs under old trees, the smell of incense from the temple halls, monks passing through, and trays of covered tea bowls circulating endlessly. It is the ideal place to spend a slow afternoon in the city.

Order jasmine or chrysanthemum tea; the snacks (melon seeds, dried fruit) are brought automatically. Ear-cleaners and palm readers circulate through the crowd offering their services. At weekends, the courtyards outside the teahouse fill with additional tables and the whole complex becomes a relaxed social scene. Entirely free to enter; tea costs a few yuan.

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A story
The teahouses of Chengdu serve gaiwan tea — a lidded bowl that serves as both vessel and filter. The technique for drinking is to use the lid to sweep floating leaves to one side before sipping. A gaiwan of good jasmine can be refilled indefinitely throughout an afternoon for a small initial payment. The Wenshu monastery teahouse has been doing business in approximately its current form since the Qing dynasty; the monks who originally ran it have been replaced by a commercial operator, but the bamboo chairs, the shade of ancient trees, and the complete absence of urgency remain unchanged.

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