The Most Expensive Tea in the World (and knowing Right from Wong)

Sunday 25th April.  I guess any large city in the world has its fair share of scams for tourists to enjoy (except for the ones where they skip the formalities and rob you at gun point), and how wonderfully, culturally appropriate that in Beijing it involves overcharging for tea. Overcharging for tea has been a defining characteristic of Britain's relationship with China since before the opium wars, so at least this feels in keeping with history.

It all started when I was standing in Tienanmen Square thinking about going to get some breakfast when a man came up to me and introduced himself as "Wong", a trainee doctor from Shang Hai, who was like me, doing some sight seeing in a strange new city. He seemed like a honest looking chap, and just the kind of person to learn Mandarin from, explore the hutongs with, wander round a 3 story Chinese medicine shop, and ultimately follow to an upstairs private room in a small tea house and share 9 different kinds of tea with. Until I got the bill.

£90!!??@##~@%%??  They even itemise out the individual teas at about £6 a pop, along with various other costs ("service" £20, and "snacks" £3). As stupid as it sounds it didn't occur to me at the time that "Wong" was the key architect of this scam and the tea house was just his choice of tool. It felt like we were both being ripped off, which is maybe why I dumbly handed over the cash. Should have got angry, should have thrown a nominal amount on the table and walked out... ah well live and learn, I'm not the first one anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJjcoQlp8JE (my story is so similar to the other 10,000 on the internet that it hardly seems to be worth me writing it).

After that I swore that that was the last the Beijing would see of my RMB, they had had their lot out of me and the wallet was staying shut until I got out of here. Then I realised it was nearly 1pm and I still hadn't had breakfast, wandered into a busy restaurant with a MENU (yes that's important): order fillet of beef stir fried with chilies, bowl of rice and pot of Chinese tea (1 kind of tea, no tea ceremony) £2.50 the lot. Got to love this country...