Tea
Sep 24th, 2006 by Michael Max
Bus, subway, bus, wander through the enormous West Beijing train station to the south lot catch the other bus, then down the street. It’s a long way from south of the Temple of Heaven to the tea market streets on the west side of town.
Both China and Taiwan have this curious commercial habit of jamming business of the same feather together. Want books in Taipei? Chongqing street is the place to go. It’s a parade of bookstores that goes on for blocks. Electronics? Just south of the train station are multistoried malls with hundreds of stalls all selling the same thing. It’s a shoppers paradise.
If it is tea in Beijing that you are after, head to south of the mudixi subway station to maliandao. There are 3000 stores in specialize in China’s most famous export.
I’m not used to traveling with such a large group of foreigners. Five of us, all studied in Chinese medicine and in Beijing for different reasons, but held together by that common glue of not being from around here, gather ourselves around a tea table made from an old mill stone.
The owner of the shop where we are sampling pu’er teas, and the mainland version of the “tea of the iron goddess of mercy”, is 24 years old and from the southern Fujian province. I comment on his youth and the fact he already has a business of his own. “oh, well, I was a lousy student, lot’s of people where I’m from sell tea, what else was I do but this?”
To me, it is still impressive. I wish I had his confidence when I was that age.