Chengdu

Chengdu, a city of 2,300-year history and capital of Sichuan Province, is a stopping off point for travelers heading to Tibet. Bustling side streets and allies lined with traditional wooden Chinese architecture, Chengdu is a perfect place to taste tongue-numbingly delicious spicy food and sip green tea in on one of thousands of teahouses.

Chengdu is one of few remaining cities in China still with authentic teahouse culture. Scattered in parks and roadside, most teahouses in Chengdu are simply equipped with wooden tables and bamboo chairs. ¢65 of a pot of green tea would buy a whole day laziness. Dinner served at teahouse costs ¢50.

On southwest of the city is E-mei Mountain, rich in historical relics. A popular green tea from there is Bamboo Leaf Green. A cup of Bamboo Leaf Green tea is priced at $3.50 at 'Seng Tao Sha', one of star-graded teahouse in the city. The cup would cost $23 If the tea is blended with Chinese caterpillar fungus, a Tibetan medicine claimed having tonic power.