Drinking Tea in a Town out of Literature

Essay and photos by LIU TINGCHUN

Black felt caps like this one have a century-old history in the province, and are still worn by locals today.	Many people became familiar with village theatrical performance through Lu Xun's writing.

"Ahoy! The boat is coming!" The call of boatmen echoes across the waterside Luzhen Township. A fictitious place featured in several works of Lu Xun (or Lu Hsun, 1881-1936), father of China's modern literature, Luzhen was brought into reality this year. A tourist site modeled on the literary township was built near Jianhu Lake in scenic and historic Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

Like the ancient towns in the lower reaches of the lake, Luzhen follows the pattern where streets parallel rivers, stone bridges span from south to north, front rooms serve as stores and those behind are residences. The patrons of local teahouses are farmers from neighboring villages and visitors who have spent the night at local inns. On the table are pots of Pingshui Pearl Tea made with water from the Jianhu Lake, paper-thin dried bean curd, mint-flavored shortcake, and beans pickled with fennel -- all distinct local specialties.

Recreating scenarios from Lu Xun's works.

The town is shrouded in a tranquil amenity. Taking a dark-awning boat along the river or a drink at an old-fashioned pub gives the feeling of being a part of Lu Xun's literary world.