As many of you know, Macau is now the gambling capital of the world, having taken over Las Vegas for the number one spot a few years ago and now with a very sizable lead. I recently went, but not to gamble. One benefit to a city built on gaming revenue is that there often are things that are built around it because the city wants to attract tourists who (like me) don’t gamble – make them attractive enough so that their friends who might won’t get vetoed. Among these things in Macau, aside from the great food and the historical buildings, is a beautiful art museum. There’s a current show on teawares, with half of the items from the imperial palace, and the other half from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Some of the items there are stunning. There’s a supposed 150 years old ball of tribute puerh, a 400 years old yixing pot, and my favourite, a number of tea canisters for imperial use. I took a snap.
This isn’t even for the highest grade of tribute tea, but rather the second highest. It’s not clear what’s actually inside though.
Or, take this charming box
Being emperor seems like a good idea.
I did end up gambling a little – not by sitting at the blackjack table, but rather, buying some tea. There are a few older teashops in Macau in the more residential neighbourhoods. I ended up at one and bought a cake of what I think is 2003 Xiaguan.
Not too expensive at all, and not too bad. Better than risking some scary looking thing on Taobao, although admittedly some of them are cheaper and maybe even better gambles. Then again, the store was so old looking and so run down, it was half the fun of shopping there. The female proprietor (I dealt with her husband) was sleeping on the bench in the shop, but covered herself in such a way that I didn’t even notice her until she woke up halfway through our exchange, giving me a bit of a startle. Who can beat that for excitement in a tea store?
Anyway, if you ever come by Macau, I heartily recommend a visit to the museum. It’s certainly worth the trouble.
2 responses so far ↓
Tomáš Ãrva // January 26, 2014 at 8:09 am |
i remember that beeng – it was sold on Yunnan Sourcing back in 2007 as 2003 Xiaguan – Iron Cake “Te Ji” – actually I liked it, too, so I got a tong of it. For record, it was $43 back in those days.
Reader // March 28, 2014 at 10:42 pm |
Never saw any tea shops in Macau, I guess I got to look harder next time.
The Grand Lisboa also has some nice jade carvings and the ruins of St. Paul are always worth a visit.