But the heart of the tea house is always the tea. The menu offers all the staples of Chinese tea: Keemun black tea, Jasmine, Lung Ching and Tie Kuan Yin. An elaborate tabletop presentation of making tea is also available. Called a gong fu service, it involves a handful of procedures before taking a sip including smelling the aroma of the tea.

"This is my first time here, but I've been going to tea houses with my father and grandfather since childhood. This place is truly one of a kind. I don't think you will find a tea house like this anywhere else in Shanghai," says a visitor.

As a collector of old things, the owner has a wide array of items for selection to be placed in the tea house. He is also constantly adding new items to his collection. Perhaps it is this interesting combination of the old, yet new treasures, that is so alluring about the Old Shanghai tea house.

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