Lao She Teahouse - Chinese culture in bite-size pieces

The Lao She Teahouse, located in the heart of Beijing, offers tourists a big helping of Chinese culture in easily digestible, bite-size pieces. The teahouse, established in 1988, is named after "The Teahouse," a play by the famous novelist and dramatist Lao She.

Despite being called a teahouse, this place is definitely not about sitting down in a refined manner and sipping tea in a serene setting. Quite the contrary. The nightly shows at the Lao She Teahouse are a potpourri of the most colorful and flamboyant pearls of the Chinese culture, including acrobatics, music, magic, as well as quintessentially Chinese Beijing opera and kung fu.

The audience can enjoy a variety of local snacks and as many cups of tea as they can muster throughout the show, while seated comfortably around tables accommodating about six people. The hall, furnished in the late Qing dynasty style, is decorated with beautiful Chinese lanterns, paintings and calligraphy works, which make for a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The snacks on offer include delicious candied hawthorn berries, melon seeds, bean cakes (wan dou huang) and glutinous rice balls with sweet bean paste filling (lüdagun), among others. About halfway through the show, a bowlful of sweet hawthorn berry soup is also served. Other food and beverages can be ordered from a menu for a separate charge.

The two-hour show starts off with a healthy serving of music. The group of about 20 colorfully clad musicians plays Chinese music on a range of traditional instruments. The names of the performances and at least part of the lyrics to songs scroll in English on screens located on both sides of the stage. But for the most part, you don't need any language to appreciate the highly visual and talented performances of the Lao She Teahouse's entertainment troupe.

The spectacular performances designed to easily initiate novices to the long tradition of Chinese performing arts are sure to please even the most demanding of customers.

One of the most eccentric acts has to be the "candle song," performed by two women holding small metal racks with two burning candles on top in their mouths. In addition, the Beijing opera face-changing act and the traditional long-spout tea pouring routine are sure to draw gasps and excited cheers from the crowd.

The warm atmosphere in the teahouse makes the show even more enjoyable. (Image: Radio86)The teahouse is conveniently located in the busy shopping area to the west of the Qianmen Gate Arrow Tower, on the southern edge of Tian'anmen Square. Tickets to the show cost from 40 yuan upwards, depending on your selected menu and how far you are seated from the stage. If you go there on a group visit arranged by a travel agency, different prices will apply.

The Lao She Teahouse is a unique preservatory of traditional Chinese culture, which serves a hearty mix of top entertainment and culinary enjoyment in a very pleasant setting. This is the place to go if you are in Beijing for the first time and want to get the full lowdown on Chinese traditional culture in one sitting.

Address: 3 Qianmen Xidajie, Xuanwu District, Beijing
Shows start at 14.30 and 19.30 (subject to change)
Tickets: from 40 yuan