Volunteers keep famed Hangzhou herbal tea stall in service

(ECNS) -- A renowned herbal tea stall, located next to a bus station in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, which offers free tea to passengers, is fondly referred to as "the most beautiful herbal tea stall" by locals.

The stall attracted an international student to join in this year.

The stall owner, Gu Zhonggen, inherited his grandmother's tea stall, and has run this stall since 1977. This free tea stall also has a history of nearly a hundred years.

Every year, the free tea stall begins its service on the first day of the three 10-day periods during the hottest time of summer and closes on the last.

During the Covid-19 epidemic, the stall opened for the first time in winter. Gu and his volunteer team provided free brown sugar ginger tea to frontline staff who fought COVID-19.

In 2021, Gu passed away, but the tea stall remained operational. More volunteers from different backgrounds joined, transforming it from a family tradition into a communal legacy.

"This is my first time working as a volunteer here. I have known about this famous stall for a long time and always wanted to join in. When I heard they were recruiting, I came to help," Said Mila, a student from Zimbabwe.

"I have been drinking from tea at this stall for many years, and now that I have retired, I decided to lend a hand," Said Ruan Xiaoyu, an elderly volunteer.

"Hangzhou will host the 19th Asian Games this year. We hope Chinese tea culture could become more popular across the world," said a tea culture project manager in Hangzhou.