Wu Yutai

Wu Yutai

　　The Wu Yutai Tea House was established in 1887 (the 13th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty), originally named “Wu Yutai Tea Warehouse.” Its founder was Wu Xiqing, from Changxi Village, She County, Anhui Province, who passed away in 1930.

　　The Wu family had been in the tea business for several generations. There were six Wu brothers, with Wu Xiqing being the fourth. He managed the Wu Yutai Tea House, and using it as a foundation, the family successively opened eight large and small tea houses both inside and outside the city, eventually expanding to 11. These included: inside Chongwenmen, the “Qian Tai Ju,” “Fu Sheng,” and “Wu Ding Yu” tea houses. “Wu Ding Yu” was located at the former site of today’s Chongwenmen Market, specializing in high-end tea for the elite and nobility.

　　Others included: “Xie Li” inside Guang’anmen, “Wu Xin Chang” on Xidan North Street, “Xin Da” on Dongdan, “1 Li” in Qinghe, and branch stores such as “Qian Tai Ju” and “Yu Sheng” tea houses in Tongxian and Tianjin. Wu Xiqing once served as the president of the Beijing Tea Dealers Association.

　　Since its establishment, the Wu Yutai Tea House has always been located at No. 44, Beidajie, Dongsi, covering an area of over 20 acres. It featured a grand courtyard that could accommodate three carts at once, with eight courtyards and more than 100 rooms. It was built in a garden style, consisting of guest rooms, warehouses, blending and processing rooms, and sales halls.

　　In those days, the tea house mainly sourced tea from Anhui, Fujian, Zhejiang, and other regions. Tea was typically transported via the Grand Canal to Tongxian, then delivered by cart through Dongzhimen to Beixinqiao. The telephone number for Wu Yutai Tea Warehouse back then was: Beiju, 1928. It is now 64041928. After a century, the main number remains unchanged. At the Wangfujing Wu Yutai Tea Culture Museum, there is an old tea canister donated by a loyal customer, which serves as proof.

　　The Wu family was devoutly Buddhist and generous in charity. Every winter for three months, the family would set up porridge sheds to aid the poor. For generations, the Wu family were Confucian merchants from Anhui, valuing both commerce and scholarship, with no shortage of educated individuals. They treated their servants well—reportedly, none of the staff who worked for the Wu family ever left for another job.

　　The earliest signboard of Wu Yutai was written by Wu Xiqing, who commissioned it for five silver dollars from Zhu Chunnian, a late Qing Dynasty scholar. It was called “Wu Yutai Tea Warehouse” and featured notable calligraphy. This signboard hung in Beijing for decades. During the public-private partnership period, Wu Yutai Tea Warehouse was renamed “Wu Yutai Tea House” (without a signboard). During the Cultural Revolution, when Beixinqiao was renamed Hongri Road, Wu Yutai was also renamed “Hongri Tea Shop” (with a vertical sign). It wasn’t until 1985 that the historic name was restored, with the new black-background, gold-character horizontal signboard inscribed by Feng Yiwu, a member of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang. This sign is still in use today.

　　In 1994, the tea house underwent renovation and expansion. The sales area increased from 50 square meters to over 80 square meters, making the shop bright and spacious. Inside, a large traditional Chinese painting titled “Lu Yu Tasting Tea,” gifted by the Tianjin Yanhuang Painting Academy, was displayed. The following year, the “Wu Yutai Tea House” was built right next door to the tea shop. The renowned calligrapher Liu Bingsen happily inscribed the signboard. In the golden autumn of 1995, the tea house hosted a calligraphy gathering, where Liu Bingsen, Hu Jiaqing, Li Binsheng, Su Shi, and Mi Nanyang all left behind their works.

　　In its early days, Wu Yutai Tea Warehouse distinguished itself by blending scented teas. Initially, the blending was done in-house, but later it was all done at the source. Anhui is home to many famous teas, such as Qimen Black Tea, Tunlu Green Tea, Huangshan Maofeng, Liuan Guapian, and Taiping Houkui, all of which are renowned both in China and abroad. However, at that time, ordinary people in Beijing couldn’t afford these premium teas and mostly drank scented tea. The blends made by Wu Yutai were largely aimed at the general public, which contributed to its sustained success and unique standing in Beijing’s tea industry. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, this century-old shop was revitalized. By the end of 1955, after the public-private partnership, it was renamed “Wu Yutai Tea House.” In 1995, it was awarded the title of “China Time-Honored Brand” by the Ministry of Domestic Trade.

　　Contact number: 64041928

　　Address: (Wangfujing Branch) No. 44, Beidajie, Dongcheng District