Huxinting Teahouse

The Huxinting Teahouse, also known as the Huxin Pavilion, stands on the pond just outside Yu Garden and is reached by the zigzag Nine-turn Bridge. The city government describes it as the first teahouse in Shanghai and gives the building an age of more than 240 years. It has been serving tea since the mid-nineteenth century, and its position in the middle of the pond makes it one of the best-known sights of the Old City.

In July 2025 the teahouse reopened after nearly two years of restoration. The work was carried out by the architectural heritage centre of the Shanghai Arts and Design Academy, which used historical photographs and measurements of surviving fabric to guide the repairs. The ground floor now holds a tea hall with seating and a bar, along with stone inscriptions and historical objects. Upstairs there is a storytelling area, a tea ceremony room, private rooms and a space displaying tea ware.

A visit is less about the tea itself than about the setting: sitting by a window above the pond, watching the crowds cross the zigzag bridge below while you drink. The upstairs rooms make it possible to watch a formal tea ceremony or listen to storytelling.

The teahouse suits couples, families and anyone wanting a quiet break from the crowds of the Yu Garden bazaar. Go early in the day, when the bridge and the surrounding lanes are calmer. Allow about an hour.

The garden behind it was begun in 1559 and covers about two hectares of rockeries, ponds and halls, so a pot of tea here works well before or after a walk round it. Yu Garden also runs a seasonal night tour, launched in August 2025, with light-and-shadow shows on selected evenings and timed entry, booked through the official Shanghai Yuyuan WeChat account or at the South Gate.

Yuyuan Garden station on Lines 10 and 14 is the nearest metro. The teahouse is beside the Yu Garden and the Yuyuan Bazaar, so it combines naturally with a tour of the garden and a plate of xiaolongbao at the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant nearby. Yu Garden's South Gate ticket office on Yuyuan Old Street is a few minutes' walk away.