Some people say, “to visit Hangzhou without entering a teahouse is like not visiting Hangzhou at all.” Over 80% of the managers of Hangzhou’s teahouses are female, and they use their womanly intuition yo create their own little words. The teahouses are decorated with small flourishes, such as a few stones here or there, pressed leaves, a pair of sandals or a small bridge over a little running brook. These touches seem to transport you into another realm. You get the feeling that the teahouses were created; not to make money, but because their owners are obsessed with tea.
The people of Hangzhou value the quality of the tea and experience of drinking it. The people of Hangzhou love tea, most especially Longjing tea when it is brewed with fresh spring water from the mountains. It’s said that the water from the Hupao Spring is the excellent match for Longjing tea leaves when picked before Qingming. A small glass is used as the teacup so the drinker can enjoy “the tea dance” as they watch the tea leaves turning, steeping and unfurling in the hot water.