The old Lao She Teahouse has just finished a revamp. After half a year's renovation, the three-storey teahouse has made major changes to the ground floor entrance, part of the 2nd floor, and the restaurant on the 3rd floor. A brand new facade of the teahouse is said to feature a carving resembling the Zhengyang Gate at Qianmen of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The new shiny staircase wooden handrails are bright red and gold while on the first floor a small exhibition showcases old Beijing. A bronze statue next to stairs represents a historical moment when the teahouse's late founder Yin Zhixi hosted former US president George Bush Sr.

The shopping area on the 2nd floor has been expanded. There are different teas, tea cups, pots, and related products. Besides that there are Beijing style souvenirs, kites, clay figurines with bottom affixed with bristles, ironware palace lanterns, and Peking Opera dolls made of silk.

Pin Zhen Lou (品珍楼), the restaurant on the 3rd floor, used to serve a la carte in a public dining area. Now it is a high-end dining restaurant with beautiful, dazzling traditional Chinese decorations. Each of the five private rooms also offer tea ceremonies.

The restaurant's cuisine is a combination of Chinese imperial banquet, and dishes comprising Chinese tea. For example, pu'er tea is used to cook baby pigeon with honey (普洱蜜胶乳鸽), which helps make the dish less greasy. Longjing (dragon well) tea is used in a steamed bean curd soup (龙井豆腐).

The restaurant offers set menus that cost for 800 yuan to 3,000 yuan per person. Each room can seat up to ten people. The menus feature six cold dishes, two dim sums, and 8 hot dishes. Each dish is presented on one plate, but then separated to single plates and served to each guest. There is abalone, shark fin soup and bird's nest soup, as well as ginseng, sea cucumber, fish, and Beijing style dim sum. The 3rd floor still stages evening shows for an hour starting at 7:50 pm. Performances include Peking Opera, acrobatics, magician show, and face change stunts. Ticket to the show includes light dim sum and tea. On the 2nd floor, there is a Courtyard Teahouse (四合茶院), where you can take part in a tea ceremony. On the ground floor, there is a restaurant to the left side of the entrance, where there is Beijing style foods and traditional shadow play.

6302-1717 (tickets), 6303-6506 (Courtyard Teahouse). 6303-5427 (Pin Zhen Lou Restaurant). Bldg 3, Zhengyang Market, Qianmen Xidajie, Xuanwu District. 宣武区前门西大街正阳市场3号楼

Photo by Lu Zhongqiu

(China Daily 05/10/2008 page5)