Laura: It's quite busy here. It's true that Chinese people love tea.
Benjamin: That's for sure. You know that tea is China's national drink and an indispensable part of the life a Chinese person.
Laura: Just like coffee for us, I suppose. So what do people do in these teahouses?
Benjamin: Many things. You can meet friends, play cards, or just relax here. It's a good place for entertainment.
Laura: Oh, yes. It's an ideal place for those things, largely because the atmosphere here is very comfortable.
Benjamin: You can get to know traditional Chinese lifestyles here. In old times, you can find teahouses everywhere.
Laura: What about this one? When did it come into being?
Benjamin: It must have a long history. You see that its decoration is very old and delicate.
Laura: Yeah. Almost everything here is wooden. I like all these carvings on them. I noticed there are many pictures of opera stars here. Do you know why?
Benjamin: There used to be an opera stage here.
Laura: An opera stage in a teahouse? What for?
Benjamin: This way, you could also watch the operas when you were having tea. That was a good way to make the customers stay longer.
Laura: Oh, I love operas. I watched the “Drunken Beauty” with Aunt Shirley days ago. And it's really amazing.
Benjamin: That's a real classic. Oh, I almost forgot one thing. Do you want to eat something?
Laura: Do they serve anything good to go with tea?
Benjamin: Sure. There should be a variety of choices.
Laura: I heard tea is China's national drink and Chinese people love tea. The teahouse is a good place for entertainment. You can do many things there, such as meeting friends, playing cards, and so on. The atmosphere there is usually very comfortable. In old times, there would be an opera stage in the teahouse. I thought it would be great to watch operas while you were having tea.
生词小结
indispensable adj. 不可缺少的
largely adv. 主要的
atmosphere n. 气氛
wooden adj. 木制的
stage n. 舞台
语素 Material
The Teahouse
The famous play called the Teahouse by famous Chinese writer Lao She vividly describes the rise and fall of a teahouse. The play is set entirely around a teahouse, but it provides us with an insightful picture of all the dimensions in old Beijing society. The play shows how the teahouse is not just a place for people to enjoy tea, but an information center for the community, or even a witness to a changing society and ups and downs of daily life.
Finally there's a drink that's fun to eat! The pearl milk tea has become the favorite of the young girls, not only for its unique ingredient—tapioca pearl, but also for its striking appearance. The tea is sweet but it has less sugar than a typical soft drink. It's usually served in large see-through plastic containers with an extra-wide straw to sip these jumbo pearls. Isn't it fun?
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