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Siang Ming: A Chinese tea oasis in Jakarta
Staying true to its Chinese roots, Siang Ming Tea House is probably the oldest surviving Chinese tea house in Jakarta.
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Hidden gem: Tucked away in the basement of Mangga Dua Square in Jakarta's Chinatown area, Siang Ming Tea House turned 25 early this month, making it the oldest surviving Chinese tea house in Jakarta. (Courtesy of Siang Ming/-)
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iang Ming Tea House may look like a simple, unassuming eatery in the basement of Mangga Dua Square in Jakarta’s Chinatown area, but it is one of a kind in the truest sense of the word.
The tea house is the only spot in Jakarta that offers exquisite Yixing (purple clay) teapots hand-crafted by different artists at different price points, ranging from industrial artists to officially state-recognized grand master industrial artists.
Its collection of teapots includes those made by famous grand master Gu Shao Bei’s third daughter Gu Ding and his apprentice Zhu Ye. Every year, it introduces new Chinese teapots and tea drinking wares.
As such, to welcome the Chinese Year of the Rat on Jan. 25 this year, it has come up with two rat-motif decorated teapots hand-crafted by Yu Jien Chong, a master artisanal teapot maker from Jiangsu province.
Made from dicaoqing – a type of clay found at the di (bottom) of a cao (trench) of purple clay known in former times as qing (green) ni (clay or mud) – the special edition teapots were exclusively made for the 13 members of Siang Ming’s arisan (rotating savings scheme).
The clay that owner and Chinese tea expert Suwarni Widjaja initially chose for the teapots is zhuni, which, after firing, will result in red earth-colored teapots favored by most Siang Ming customers. Dicaoqing was finally chosen, however, because the fragile structure of zhuni ore leads to a high breakage rate.
