As the mercury gradually rises this month, the good news for tea connoisseurs is the annual season for harvesting the finest tea is just around the corner.

The ancient Chinese placed particular value on tea leaves harvested in the spring, especially in the case of green teas. Spring teas served to the imperial family were divided into three categories based on their harvest periods: sheqian cha harvested before the Spring Equinox (March 21); mingqian cha harvested before Qingming Festival (April 5) and yuqian cha harvested before Guyu (Grain Rain, April 20).

Over thousands of years of tea-imbibing history in China, having a cup of cha has gone beyond a simple drinking behavior and evolved into a tea culture. It's not just the art of serving tea - epitomized by the elaborate gongfu tea ceremony that involves a dozen steps to make the best brew - but the environment in which tea is enjoyed also matters a lot to tea drinkers.

Here are three teahouses in the city that serve high-quality teas in an exquisite ambiance.

The interior of Huxinting

A pot of fine longjing tea served at the teahouse

Ancient pedigree

Erected in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the two-story pavilion perched in the middle of the lake in Yuyuan Tourist Mart became a teahouse in 1855, which makes it the oldest surviving teahouse in the city.

Now named Huxinting Teahouse, the building has preserved its ancient heritage. The entire structure is made of wood and is held together with wooden joints rather than nails. The wooden tables and stools exude the minimal look of furniture from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Traditional lanterns, wood-carved patterns on the doors and windows, as well as ancient inscribed stones arranged by the stairway add to the cultural ambiance.

As a time-honored teahouse, Huxinting is also notable for its experienced servers and tea masters, who can give quick and knowledgeable responses to almost any tea-related question from customers. A Chinese tea master who speaks English and Japanese is also on hand to introduce Chinese tea culture to foreign visitors. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin even invited Queen Elizabeth II as a guest here.

Huxinting offers the six major tea types in China - green, black, oolong, white, yellow and dark tea - along with a range of flower-scented teas, including peony, jasmine and lily.

Every Monday afternoon, tea drinkers can also watch a free musical performance of traditional string and wind instruments from south of the Yangtze River on the second floor.

Business hours: 8:30 am to 9 pm

Add: 257 Yuyuan Road 豫园路257号

Tel: 6373-6950

The entrance of Zen Tea Room

The interior of Zen Tea Room Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT

Modern retreat

Walking deep into a lane off Yuyuan Road, you may encounter a residence which feels detached from the hustle-and-bustle of life back on the street. This is the Zen Tea Room (Chichaqu in Chinese) opened last August by a local designer.

Pushing open the round wooden gate, visitors are welcomed by a neatly tended plum tree in the tiny, tidy courtyard, beside which sits a glass room filled with warm sunlight.

The glass room is attached to the main building of the teahouse, a two-story space with a bright minimal design and a comfortable atmosphere planned by owner Cao Jiejie.

The wooden furniture was collected by Cao from around the country. Each piece is unique, but arranged artfully together they produce a simple harmony.

On the wall are painted porcelains purchased from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, as well as several framed drawings by Cao's husband. And on each table is nothing but a wooden tea tray.

"Sometimes the fewer items you see around you, the more freedom you may enjoy when drinking tea," said Lu Kai, a tea master at Zen Tea Room, which mainly serves pu'er and black tea from Yunnan Province and a selection of delicious pastries.

Patrolled by Cao's Persian cat, the first floor, consisting of the glass room and two spaces separated by a half-transparent curtain, caters for individual tea drinkers; while the two private rooms on the second floors are reserved for groups.

To ensure a quiet and comfortable environment for tea lovers, visitors to Zen Tea Room are advised to call in advance to book seats.

Business hours: 11 am to 11 pm

Add: No.45, Lane 1280 Yuyuan Road

愚园路1280弄45号

Tel: 5265-7378

A taste of old Shanghai

Housed in a three-story French-style mansion built in 1933 on Xiangyang Road South, Daktown is a high-end teahouse that counts literati and celebrities among its frequent patrons.

Daktown serves Yunnan's finest pu'er tea, from fermented to unfermented tea, and from compressed tea to tea from ancient bushes.

On the ground floor, customers can see an array of precious teas which date back to the late Qing Dynasty. The teahouse is appointed with retro items collected by the owner, such as a phonograph with a morning glory horn, a baroque-style sofa, an Italian-made crystal pendant lamp, as well as books and posters from old Shanghai.

Daktown has 17 private rooms, from small ones for close friends to large ones for conferences, all of which are named after tea growing areas in Yunnan.

Business hours: 10 am to 1 am

Add: No.25, Lane 388 Xiangyang Road South 襄阳南路388弄25号

Tel: 6467-6577