0:00:02 > 0:00:09Please note: we are currently unable to insert accents, etc, in the following subtitles.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24When it comes to relaxing, the Chinese enjoy nothing more
0:00:24 > 0:00:27than each other's company, and pleasures can be simple.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30But habits are changing, especially in Beijing.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35In this programme, the burgeoning bar and cafe scene, from city to seaside.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And ordering drinks, Chinese-style.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47In China, a whole culture surrounds the drinking of tea.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Brewing it is an art form,
0:00:49 > 0:00:54where every move is designed to enhance its aromatic properties.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01The Chinese claim to have invented tea some 4,000 years ago,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03when a few leaves dropped fortuitously
0:01:03 > 0:01:06into an Imperial pot of boiling water.
0:01:06 > 0:01:13But it wasn't until the 7th century that the custom of tea-drinking really took hold.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Over the centuries, so refined has the culture become,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23that rare and exquisite blends are sipped like liquors.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Nowadays, buying the best teas on offer
0:01:31 > 0:01:34is the mark of a fashionable lifestyle.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40and cha, in all its subtle varieties, has become big business.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45This particular chain boasts more than 300 different blends of tea.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49THEY SPEAK CHINESE
0:01:49 > 0:01:53For the Chinese, the tea shop is a treasure house of temptations.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Green tea is among the top favourites.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06What we call black tea is confusingly known in China as...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10..red tea. It's fermented before baking.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Black dragon tea is just partially fermented.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Mixing flowers into the tea creates popular blends like...
0:02:23 > 0:02:25..jasmine tea.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Even more subtle are teas made with chrysanthemum flowers,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34magnolia, wild peonies, and rosebuds.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The tea house.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44This popular tea house was built as a homage
0:02:44 > 0:02:48to one of China's best loved writers, Lao She.
0:02:48 > 0:02:54Lao She was persecuted, and died in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56WOMAN SPEAKS CHINESE
0:02:56 > 0:03:00During Mao's terrifying purges,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03restaurants and tea houses also suffered.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09The Red Guards destroyed anywhere that could be thought of as a bastion of feudal traditions.
0:03:11 > 0:03:1635 years on, tea houses and tea house traditions are back in favour,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19much of it driven by tourism.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26During the Cultural Revolution,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30much Chinese folk music was overlaid with political messages.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Now, authentic folk music is being revived,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and there's a new generation of performers keen to promote its appeal.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07There's an etiquette to drinking tea.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10You order by the cup, then you add more water as you need it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Water.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19To drink.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I want jasmine tea.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31We'll drink green tea.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34"Women" means we.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Nimen hao! Nimen he dianr shenme?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Wo yao hua cha.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Women he lu cha.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- Nimen hai yao dianr shenme?- Mm...
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Zai lai yi panr dianxin.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- Hao de. Qing shao deng. - Hao de. Xiexie.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59A plate of cakes.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Bring us a plate of cakes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Zhe shi hua cha.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Hua cha.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Zhe shi lu cha.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Lu cha.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Zhe shi lu cha.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Yi panr dianxin.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Hao, xiexie.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Good, thank you.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38About four hours' drive from Beijing
0:05:38 > 0:05:41lies the seaside resort of Beidaihe.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Taking a vacation by the seaside used to be a privilege
0:05:46 > 0:05:52reserved for the Communist Party elite. Now, holidays are for anyone who can afford them.
0:05:52 > 0:05:58In Beidaihe, one of the attractions is fresh seafood.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The Chinese have a passion for crabs and prawns.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Beer is the top favourite for washing down local delicacies.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Beer.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19The Germans introduced brewing to China in the early 1900s,
0:06:19 > 0:06:20in the town of Qingdao.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26And Qingdao pijiu is widely celebrated as China's premier beer.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Apart from tea, the Chinese rarely take their drinks without food.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35If you're a guest, your host will pour your drink for you.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Tapping the table is a way of saying thank you.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40THEY SPEAK CHINESE
0:06:46 > 0:06:50It was the British who first discovered Beidaihe's charms,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and made the resort popular.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Its unspoilt coastal scenery was the nearest thing they could find to their beloved South of France.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01It was also Westerners who introduced
0:07:01 > 0:07:05the attractions of eating and drinking in the open air.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10And nowadays, like so many foreign ideas, it's beginning to catch on.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Summer drinking offers some exotic options.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Coconut juice.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Carrot juice.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Lychee juice.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Orange juice.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Almond juice is known by its trade name...
0:07:49 > 0:07:50What will you drink?
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Nimen yao he dianr shenme?
0:07:53 > 0:07:58Yi ge juzi zhi, liang ge bing hong cha, yi ge lulu.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Mama, wo yao yi ge bingqilin.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Hao.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07One orange juice.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Two iced teas.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18One almond juice.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24An ice cream.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Zhe shi bing hong cha.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Bing hong cha.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Juzi zhi.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Lulu.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Bingqilin.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48Summer in Beijing.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53This fashionable drinking spot is known as Jiuba Jie.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Quite literally, "Bar Street."
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Ten years ago, such overt consumption of Western drinks
0:09:04 > 0:09:08and socialising with foreigners would have been unthinkable.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12When bars started to open here, the authorities imposed strict regulations,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17even threatening to close the street down.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Now, the ball has simply rolled too far.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27Commercial ambitions and popular taste have triumphed.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32I like to drink...
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Wo xihuan he cha, hai xihuan he pijiu.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Wo xihuan he Zhongguo te you de cha, hai you kafei.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Wo xihuan he kafei, haiyou guo zhi.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Fruit juice.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Wine.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Wo xihuan he hong putao jiu.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Red wine.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01White wine.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07When you order wine and beer, you'll usually do it by the glass.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10A glass.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Qing lai yi bei Qingdao pijiu,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17yi bei bai putao jiu, yi bei juzi zhi.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- Wo yao yi bei pingguo zhi. - Hao, qing shao deng.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22They ordered by saying...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Please bring... and...
0:10:27 > 0:10:28..I want.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37A glass of apple juice.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47A glass of orange juice.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52A glass of white wine.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01A glass of Qingdao beer.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Zhu ni jiankang!
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Good health!
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Every bar that opens tries to create a unique atmosphere.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21In China's new era of private enterprise, this kind of business can offer rich pickings.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23But it's a risky game to be in.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Beijingers are alert to the latest trends,
0:11:27 > 0:11:33and they're fickle. For every exotic new venue that opens its doors, another bites the dust.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41The Loft is one of Beijing's success stories.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48It's a vast New York-style bar and restaurant aimed at the city's wealthy media crowd.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56When the Lin family created the place a few years ago,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Beijing had never seen anything like it.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51For a fun night out, what most Chinese enjoy is a good crowd,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and music that's easy listening.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56MAN SINGS IN CHINESE
0:13:05 > 0:13:11This man used to be a footballer, but found he had a talent for singing.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Getting a regular spot here was a lucky break.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20He feels there are openings for every kind of musician these days.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49While pop and rock music pull in affluent young trendsetters,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53there's no stopping the enthusiasm for more traditional entertainment.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Admiring this kind of artistry, over a cup of tea,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01a truly Chinese experience.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:14:22 > 0:14:24E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk