Tea and tales at the Peace Hotel

Updated: 2011-12-25 08:07

By Shi Yingying(China Daily)

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Tea and tales at the Peace Hotel

The British are famous for dropping everything to enjoy their famous afternoon cuppa. It is a tradition they have carried wherever they go, and even in China, the ritual lingers.

High Tea and Tales at the Fairmont Peace Hotel may not be the most luxurious or popular of the decadent delights in Shanghai, but it is definitely the most elegant with its fringe offerings of heritage, culture and fascinating stories.

For many of its patrons, the attractions are not just jam and cream scones, but also the reading of literary classics.

"I used to read for my children before they went to bed while they were little and it's nice to have the roles reversed and to have somebody read to me - especially during this time of the year, Christmas," says Olivia Hardie, after her first time at the afternoon reading.

Hardie is Filipino, and lives at the five-star Le Royal Meridien next door. She's been here for three years, accompanying her husband who works in the hotel industry.

"I think having these two elements together is actually a very good idea because the tea here is famous and on top of that, they get someone to read for you," says Mustaq Missouri, one of the most frequent readers for the sessions because of his beautiful voice.

"Being part of it has been wonderful for me because it's a way of reaching out to people with the history of this city and country," says Missouri, an actor from the local expatriate theater community. He says the readings are usually from books related to Chinese history and heritage or with a connection, such as Sarah Rose's For All the Tea in China or Peking Story: The Last Days of Old China.

For the Christmas reading on Dec 9, classics such The Wind in the Willows, O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi and Christmas poems such as King John's Christmas were chosen.

Participants sit in a circle like a book club, and Jenny Laing-Peach, the organizer of High Tea and Tales, would start off the session: "Now we're in the original lobby lounge of the Cathay Hotel (original name of the Peace Hotel during the 30s to 50s). It was a tea lounge rather than coffee lounge because Victor Sassoon himself, the first owner of the hotel, was British and the family behind him was Indian. The Indians and British were very serious about tea "

Nothing interrupts the readings by Laing-Peach and Missouri, for the service is prompt and within minutes, you have tea before you in a silver service. Apart from British classics such as Earl Grey and Assam, traditional Chinese teas like jasmine and pu'er are also among the 20-odd varieties to choose from.

There are also finger sandwiches and mini Panetonnes to choose from, as well as the hotel's signature macaroons.

You may contact the writer at shiyingying@chinadaily.com.cn.

China Daily

Tea and tales at the Peace Hotel

(China Daily 12/25/2011 page15)