Lao She Teahouse, sitting at the center of Beijing not far from the Hwa Apartment Hotel, is where tourists get a taste of old Beijing life while sitting down for a good cup of tea.

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It, indeed, has much to offer.

The building itself is a Qing dynasty-style loft structure, so the establishment really brings you back in time at your first sight! The waiters are all in ancient outfits, and welcome you in with an old-time greeting that seasoned Beijingers say invoke the feel of old Beijing teahouses.

Despite being called a teahouse, Lao She is more like an entertainment venue, where some of China’s finest traditional performing arts are staged every night. In addition to drinking tea, you can also watch acrobatics, Kung Fu shows, Peking opera, ventriloquism, cross-talk, and the renowned face-changing dance on its third floor.

One of the most welcomed performances is the face-changing dance that originated in Sichuan province. By simply waving his arms and twisting head, a perform can change his mask in less than a second. The top performers can go through up to 30 different masks with the flick of a wrist. Due to difficulty of changing masks faster than the eyes blink, only a small number of artists can perform this old dance today. There are also occasionally such performances around the Haige International Hotel.

Another program that also amazes many is the ‘Han Deng Da Gu.Singers of this art of show don’t sing the way we are familiar with. They mount a holder with a few of burning candles, then sign with the holder in their mouths.

They need to somehow keep the balance of the holder using the muscles in their face, otherwise the candles will fall. Han Deng Da Gu signers of the Lao She Teahouse are all masters. Their sound is so great that without watching the show, you wouldn’t know there is a holder in their mouth. Around China, there are only a very limited number of singers who are able to perform this ancient art because of the difficulty.

But that’s not all they offer at the Lao She teahouse. Here waiters pour tea in a procession that looks more like an acrobatic show. The pot they use to pour tea is pretty bizarre: it has a long spout that can measure up to 1.5 meters. When serving, the waiter tosses the pot around before pouring your tea from the long spout without splashing even a drop. This is a task requiring years of training, and is always met by much applause.

You can also enjoy a variety of Beijing snacks as you enjoy the shows. Lv Da Gun, or rolling donkey, is a dish of glutinous rice balls rolled with bean paste. Millet Much, or Mian Cha in Chinese, is porridge with sesame and peanut butter. Wan Dou Huang is a serving of small bean cakes that is always popular with those sweet tooth.

Prices are reasonable; an average of 50-60 dollars should be enough to cover the fare of the shows, tea and a couple of snacks. The teahouse remains open from 14:00 to 22:00.

The Lao She Teahouse’s location in central Beijing is very convenient, and you can book a Beijing hotel here.