Posted by Lisa | Posted in General Travel | Posted on 17-07-2009
Tags: acrobatics, Beijing, China, cross-talk, face-changing, folk art, Forbidden City, Kung Fu, Lao She, Peking opera, quaintessentially chinese, shopping, teahouse, Tian'anmen Square, travel, ventriloquism
Lao She Teahouse, sitting at the center of Beijing not far from the Hwa Apartment Hotel, is where tourists get a taste of old Beijing life while sitting down for a good cup of tea.
Former U.S. president George H. and Jordanian queen Rania.
It, indeed, has much to offer.
The building itself is a Qing dynasty-style loft structure, so the establishment really brings you back in time at your first sight! The waiters are all dressed in ancient outfits, and greet you in an interesting tone that immediately invoke the feel of old Beijing teahouses.
Despite being called a teahouse, Lao She is more like an entertainment venue, where some of China’s finest traditional performing arts are staged every night. In addition to drinking tea, you can also watch acrobatics, Kung Fu shows, Peking opera, ventriloquism, cross-talk, and the renowned face-changing dance on its third floor.
One of the most welcomed performances is the face-changing dance that originated in Sichuan province. By simply waving his arms and twisting head, a perform can change his mask in less than a second. The best dancers can bring up 30 different masks at one go. Today only a small number of artists in China can perform this old dance owning to the difficulty of changing masks in a time span shorter than the eyes blink. There are also occasionally such performances around the Haige International Hotel.
Another program that also amazes many is the ‘Han Deng Da Gu.Singers of this ancient folk art don’t sing in the normal way. They mount a holder with a few of burning candles, then sign with the holder in their mouths.
They need to somehow keep the balance of the holder using the muscles in their face, otherwise the candles will fall. Singers of Han Deng Da Gu at the Lao She Teahouse are all masters. They sing so skillfully that their sound is hardly comprised by the holder in their mouths. All around China, only a few of singers are able to perform this ancient art because it is simply too difficult to master.
But that’s not all they offer at the Lao She teahouse. Here waiters perform a kind of acrobatics to pour tea. The pot they use to pour tea is pretty bizarre: it has a long spout that can measure up to 1.5 meters. When serving, the waiter will first flip the pot around his body for a while, and then pour tea from the long and thin spot without splashing a drop. This is a task requiring years of training, and is always met by much applause.
You can also enjoy a variety of Beijing snacks as you enjoy the shows. Rolling Donkey, known as Lv Da Gun in Chinese, is actually a dish of glutinous rice balls stuffed with bean paste. Millet Much, or Mian Cha in Chinese, is porridge with sesame and peanut butter. For your sweet tooth, Wan Dou Huang-small cakes made of beans-is always a good try.
Prices are reasonable; an average of 50-60 dollars should be enough to cover the fare of the shows, tea and a couple of snacks. The teahouse remains open from 14:00 to 22:00.
The Lao She Teahouse’s location in central Beijing is very convenient, and you can book a Beijing hotel here.
