In Japan during the Edo period, the term "teahouse" came to refer to the place where geisha would entertain their clients or as a place where couples seeking privacy could go. The architectural space called chashitsu was created for aesthetic and intellectual fulfillment.
This structure and specifically the room in it where the tea ceremony takes place is called chashitsu ( 茶室, literally "tea room"). In Japanese tradition, a teahouse ordinarily refers to a private structure designed for holding Japanese tea ceremonies.
Soon after that, tea was popularized as a commonplace beverage, replacing the previously consumed milk- and water-based beverages and Chinese teahouses provided a new kind of social life for the Chinese during the 8th-9th centuries C.E. It was then evolved to assist Buddhist monks in their meditation by providing the energy needed to stay awake (likely via the effects of caffeine as a stimulant on the brain). and 850 C.E., tea was introduced as a medicinal herb. During the Chinese adaptation of Buddhism between 200 C.E. These teahouses, called chálou ( 茶樓) serve dim sum ( 點心), and these small plates of food are enjoyed alongside tea.īefore tea was used as a social drink, Buddhist monks drank it to aid their meditation. The Guangdong (Cantonese) style teahouse is particularly famous outside of China, especially in Nepal's Himalayas. People gather at teahouses to chat, socialize and enjoy tea, and young people often meet at teahouses for dates. In China, Japan, and Nepal, a teahouse ( Chinese: 茶館, cháguăn or 茶屋, cháwū Japanese: chaya ( 茶屋) Standard Nepali: चिया घर) is traditionally a place which offers tea to its customers. See also: Chinese tea culture, Hong Kong tea culture, Taiwanese tea culture, Chashitsu, and Ochaya