Traditional morning tea in Guangzhou

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Having Zao Cha, a traditional breakfast tea, is a typical morning activity of Guangdong residents. Rich or poor, young or old, locals will go to a morning tea house to drink tea or to have dim sum for breakfast. For them, Zao Cha is not only a deeply-rooted daily habit but also an import way of social communication.

Guangdong morning tea can be traced back to over 150 years ago during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a small restaurant in Guangzhou called “Yi Li Pavilion,” which served tea and dim sum. Later, more and more tea houses appeared, and the scale became larger. Since then, the Cantonese have formed the habit of drinking morning tea in a tea house.

Steamed pork ribs /VCG Photo

Durian crisp /VCG Photo

Turnip cakes /VCG Photo

Steamed dumplings /VCG Photo

Wonton /VCG Photo

Shrimp dumplings /VCG Photo

Rice noodle rolls /VCG Photo

Egg tarts /VCG Photo

Today, morning tea in Guangdong has taken on a supporting role, but dim sum have become more delicate and diverse. Classical dim sum usually include buns, dumplings and rice rolls in a variety of ingredients such as beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or vegetable. They are usually small and served in 3 or 4 pieces in one portion.

The traditional culture of having morning tea has now become a trend in other provinces, mainly in southern China.

(Cover: Dim sum in traditional Guangdong morning tea. /VCG Photo)