Jiaotong Teahouse | Chongqing Delicacies Animation Series

Chongqing - Chongqing locals love to drink tea, an indispensable companion over meals, conversation, and breaks. In this episode of Chongqing Delicacies, we walk into an old style teahouse. The Huangjueping Area of Chongqing is home to the well-preserved old style teahouse - Jiaotong Teahouse. Customers here are mostly retirees from nearby residential areas, who retain the tea drinking habits going back decades. The decor of the teahouse remains how it was last century, as if frozen in time. Seniors gather around a table to play chess and cards over a cup of tea and plate of sunflower seeds. When they feel hungry, a bowl of authentic Chongqing noodles goes down well. The secrets of health lie in the popular beverages of this old style teahouse. Over the long, hot summer months in Chongqing, one of the most frequent orders here is chrysanthemum tea, a great health drink for its cooling and calming bodily effect. Zhuyeqing is a kind of green tea, considered to go well with the typical, oily dishes of Chongqing cuisine to balance the taste, promote digestion, and help clear the fats out of the body. Customers here are so integrated into the old style teahouse, they are part of the furniture. Looking at each one of them is like reading a story. The unique energy of this place has attracted many artists and photographers to produce touching pieces of artworks here. In this modern day, a place like Jiaotong Teahouse retains the memories of old, reminding people to look back and comprehend the value of antiquity.