The Tea House

116 West Xinglong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing — a short walk from Qianmen, beside the Mandarin Oriental.

Inside, there's a small room with a few tea trays, brush and inkstone props collected over the years, and whatever light comes through the window that afternoon. The room carries the spirit of 浮生若梦，人生如行云流水 — life is but a floating dream, passing like clouds and flowing water — the same line written on one of our two-cup tea sets. It's set against 一期一会, the line that opens this site. One says: stay fully in this moment. The other says: nothing stays. We try to hold both at once.

Tea is served — raw and ripe puerh, white, oolong, jasmine, green and black teas — chosen for the season and the conversation.

Most of what's in this room was chosen by the same question: what does a good day actually need?