Gu Jianlin says the teahouse he manages near Zhabei Park plays an important role in keeping alive important Chinese traditions, both those related to tea and those with no clear relation to the beverage.

"Tea is essential to revitalizing the nation's traditions, its modest taste and delicate ceremony embodies the profound cultural and reminds people of the past," said Gu, manager of the Song Garden Chinese Tea Ceremony and Teahouse, a storied dark-red house that sits beside Zhabei Park.

As a teahouse manager, Gu has a great love for tea culture.

"The culture of tea has lasted for 5,000 years and people drink different kinds of tea in different seasons or occasions," Gu said.

Green tea, is usually prepared in the hot season for people to cool down, while black tea is enjoyed in the winter to warm up the body. Oolong is top-end tea, which is enjoyed on special occasions.

Tea was first discovered in the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan in southwest China. The drinking art of tea flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when the country enjoyed its economic heyday and spread its cultural influence around the world.

At that time, artistic tea ceremonies were greatly enjoyed by up-class scholars.

The ceremonies are becoming popular again, according to Gu, as the county's economy develops.

"When a country is enjoying prosperity, traditional culture will probably be picked up, and tea culture is one of those traditions," said the middle-aged Gu, whose work has been tied with tea for about 10 years.

His family, like most of the former Chinese villagers living near the Yangtze River Delta, has a deep relation with tea. Gu's hometown is near Taihu Lake, in Jiangsu Province, where tea plants cover acres of land. Both his grandfather and father made their living planting tea.

The two men gave up their land and moved to Shanghai to open factories when the city's manufacturing industries boomed after the Opium Wars in the middle of the 19th century.

Having worked in the district's cultural bureau before taking charge of the teahouse, Gu realizes the difference between managing and administrating. Instead of being aggressive and shrewd, Gu's management style at the teahouse is benign and modest, similar to his beloved Chinese teas, with faint scent but special taste.

In Gu's opinion, to support a tea house, one should of course earn enough money. "But a teahouse's purpose is not just to make profits, it is a place to make friends, as many as possible."

Some artists, calligraphers and businessmen became regular visitors to the teahouse when it first opened in 1991. The teahouse provided them an enjoyable environment based on their favorite cultural taste.

To express their appreciation, the customers sent presents to Gu, including calligraphies, artistic works and even museum relics. They also donated to the teahouse to help pay for a renovating last year.

Last year, Gu spent more than 400,000 yuan (US$48,192), almost equivalent to the teahouse's annual revenue, redecorating the house.

"I hope the tea house can show a high cultural taste," said Gu.

But one shouldn't hesitate to step in the delicately decorated teahouse, where the price of each cup of tea ranges from 10 yuan to 40 yuan, which is affordable to most of ordinary Chinese.

Retirees usually stop by for a cup of tea after they visit the neighboring park every morning. To cater to those seniors, Gu invited a group of Pingtan performers to put the endangered story-telling art on the stage.

"The teahouse can not save the old art from dying out. But as our customers love it, we will keep on putting it on."

Pingtan is a traditional Chinese art, which became popular in Southeast China. However, these days, the art is facing a severe threat of extinction as more and more young people lack interest in it.

To ensure the teahouse doesn't face the same fate as Pingtan, Gu is trying to make tea culture attractive to youngsters and working to spread it worldwide.

(Shanghai Daily February 28, 2005)