Steping back in time

飲茶 - or Yum cha is a traditional Chinese late morning/afternoon tea - Its basically the Chinese equivalent of high tea - and its super yummy! If you have never been to Yum cha, I suggest you go. It is very popular in Western countries and often found at many Chinese restaurants. Yum cha is traditionally more Cantonese and can be found more prominently around the southern areas of China and also Hong Kong.

We are in Shanghai's 'Old Town'. As the name implies it is an old part of the city that is encased in a somewhat circular wall and is home to some impressive architecture dating to the Ming and the Qing dynasty. Inside you will find a bustling commercial hub of market and food stalls. It buzzes with atmosphere, and while some tourist do not like this area, I found it to be sensory stimulating and taste bud tantalizing.


We had yum cha in a local restaurant over looking the water in the centre of the small city. Everything is in Chinese characters - so If your happy to point and eat, then go for it! Lucky for us, out friend, Emma, was able to communicate for us - ordering me some vegetarian dishes and Rani and Jarreth some steam soup pork buns (pictured with the straw below) It was very inexpensive for 4 of use our total Yum cha bill was well under 100 RMB ($15AUD total. If you love shopping and love a bargain - then you will also love this area! The markets are full of trinkets and souvenirs for you to purchase and barter for.


Getting there is easy - there are plenty of buses that go past here. The red tourist sight seeing bus goes through this area also. Taxis - CHEAP! To get a taxi from East Nanjing Road was about 15 RMB ($2.30AUD) I recommend a Taxi purely because we came here towards the end of our stay in Shanghai and I was tired - Lazy I know!