Herbal tea shop facts for kids
Herbal tea shops (called 涼茶舖 in Chinese) are special stores that sell Chinese herbal tea. You'll find most of them in cities across southern China.
Herbal Tea Shops in Hong Kong
A Look at Their History
Early Days Before the 1940s
Before the 1940s, herbal tea shops weren't very common. You would mostly find a few street vendors selling herbal tea from carts.
Growing Popularity: 1940s to Early 1960s
In the 1940s, more people started to realize that herbal tea could help them feel better. Because of this, special shops just for herbal tea began to open. These shops were often small and located in residential areas, close to where people lived. They quickly became very popular all over Hong Kong. The people who owned or worked in these shops often knew their customers well, like friends.
Until the late 1960s, herbal tea shops were also places where people could relax and have fun. Many shops had jukeboxes, so people would spend their free time there, chatting with friends or just enjoying the music. Some shops even opened near cinemas to attract movie-goers with tasty snacks like fish balls.
Changes from the Late 1960s to 1970s
In the late 1960s, new ideas about being modern and scientific became popular in Hong Kong. People wanted to build a new, modern city. Herbal tea shops were seen as old-fashioned Chinese symbols, so they became less popular as the city tried to become more modern and international.
During the 1970s, herbal tea shops also became less important as places for people to meet up. More people had better homes, so they didn't need public spaces like these shops as much. This is why the number of herbal tea shops started to drop a lot from the late 1960s into the 1970s.
A Wave of Nostalgia: Late 1980s to 1990s
From the 1980s to the 1990s, many people in Hong Kong started to feel nostalgic, looking back fondly at the past. This was partly because of the upcoming handover of Hong Kong. During this time, many new herbal tea shops opened. These shops helped people feel connected to their Hong Kong identity and deal with changes happening in the city.
Modern Times: 2000s and Beyond
Herbal Tea as Special Heritage
In 2006, herbal tea shops became popular again. This happened after herbal tea recipes and shop names were added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This list, created by UNESCO, focuses on important cultural traditions that are not physical buildings or sites. Herbal tea traditions fit the rules because they are old, still used today, well-known, and important to the community. To be called "herbal tea," the recipes must be over eighty years old and passed down carefully. Nineteen herbal tea shop brands, including some in Hong Kong, were also added to this special list.
Modernizing the Shops
Today, people's tastes and habits are changing. So, herbal tea shops have started to offer more than just herbal tea. They now sell other snacks and drinks, like desserts, fruit juice, and more. Many of their new products mix traditional Chinese medicine ingredients with Western desserts or snacks. This helps them stay current and meet the growing demand for healthy food and drinks.
Special Features of Herbal Tea Shops
Containers for Storing Tea
Calabash Gourds
For a long time, Calabash gourds, also called Golden Gourds (金葫蘆), were a symbol of herbal tea shops. This is because bottles shaped like calabashes were used to hold the herbal tea. This idea comes from an old Chinese story where a liquid in a calabash-shaped bottle healed sick people. In the 1940s, most herbal tea shops had two or three golden gourds with taps to store their tea.
Thermo Flasks and Metal Tanks
Later, in the 1950s, shops started using thermo flasks and large metal tanks. These containers helped keep the herbal tea warm. When a customer wanted tea, the staff would pour it into small porcelain bowls or cups.
Containers for Making Tea
Before the 1970s, many shops used traditional clay pots to boil their herbal tea. After the 1970s, shops began using bigger copper tanks. These larger tanks allowed them to make much more herbal tea at once.
Shop Setting
At the front of old herbal tea shops, you would often see a table with several bowls of herbal tea. These bowls were covered with a glass lid. This kept the tea warm and protected it from dust. This setup made it easy for customers to stand outside the shop and quickly drink their herbal tea.
Popular Items Sold
Well-Known Herbal Teas
- Twenty-four flavors tea
- Canton love-pes vine tea (雞骨草)
- Chrysanthemum tea (銀菊露/菊花茶)
- Dampness expelling tea (去濕荼)
- Five flowers tea (五花茶)
- Flu tea (感冒茶)
- Hemp seed tea (火麻仁)
- Self-heal spike tea (夏枯草)
Other Drinks and Snacks
- Plum soup
- Sugar cane and lalang grass rhizoma tea (竹蔗茅根水)
- Tea egg
- Tortoise jelly
Famous Herbal Tea Shops
- Healthworks (健康工房)
- Hui Lau Shan Healthy Dessert (許留山)
- Hoi Tin Tong (海天堂)
- Hung Fook Tong (鴻福堂)
- Wong Lo Kat (王老吉)
- Yeung Wo Tong (養和堂)
- Kung Wo Tong (恭和堂)
Herbal Tea Shops in Movies and TV
TV Shows
TVB Dramas
- Steps (2007)
- Suspects in Love (2010)
Movies
- Young Dreams (涼茶‧馬尾‧飛機頭) (1982)
- Tricky Brains (1991)
- Echoes of the Rainbow (2010)
