Yangzhou morning tea, and the slow breakfast that begins with three provinces in one pot

In Yangzhou, breakfast is not something you eat on the way to somewhere else. Retirees take tables at the old teahouses early in the morning, order one pot of tea, and spend the next hour working slowly through steamed buns no bigger than a palm.

Tea first, then the tofu threads

The house tea at Fuchun Teahouse (富春茶社, Fuchun Chashe) is kuilongzhu (魁龙珠). It is a blend of Longjing from Zhejiang, Kuizhen from Anhui and pearl orchid grown around Yangzhou, all steeped together in one pot. Before any dumplings come, most tables order tang gansi (烫干丝): pressed tofu cut into threads finer than noodles, scalded in hot water, then dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil and slivers of ginger.

Reading the steamer basket

Sanding bao (三丁包), the three-dice bun, is filled with diced chicken, pork and bamboo shoot under a pleated top. Wuding bao (五丁包) adds sea cucumber and shrimp, and its price is higher to match. Qianceng yougao (千层油糕) is a thousand-layer steamed cake streaked with lard and candied fruit. It is cut into diamonds and usually shared. Order a few dishes at a time, because the kitchen sends each basket as soon as it is ready.

Where locals sit

Fuchun, in the lanes off Desheng Bridge (得胜桥, Desheng Qiao), has the oldest name and the longest queues. Yechun (冶春) sits on the north moat beside the boat landing for Slender West Lake. Its open windows look over the water, and the room moves at a slower pace. Weekday mornings are calmer than weekends, when families arrive by high-speed rail from Nanjing and Shanghai.

早上皮包水，晚上水包皮。

The old saying, zaoshang pi bao shui, wanshang shui bao pi, means "in the morning skin wraps water, at night water wraps skin." The water in the morning is tea in the belly, and the water at night is a soak in a bathhouse. The city still keeps both habits, so a morning at the teahouse can end that evening in one of its public baths.