Huxinting Teahouse is a five-sided building set in the middle of a rectangular lake beside the ancient Yu gardens. Reached by a zigzagging bridge, it anchors a lively old-town square and becomes the visual centre of an evening that brings Li Yan and Nien Mei-Ling into a moment of unexpected intimacy.

Setting and Architecture

The teahouse sits on the water, its position emphasized by the four-storeyed Green Wave restaurant looming over it from the far side of the square. A bridge crosses the lake to the teahouse’s main entrance, turning the approach into a distinctive part of the setting. Its nine turns are said to keep evil spirits away, which Mei-Ling explains with amusement as she and Li Yan look across the square.

At night, yellow neon outlines the curling eaves against the dark sky. The building’s many lit windows are crowded with people drinking tea and smoking, while the teahouse’s island setting places it within view of the surrounding streets and the old gardens.

The Teahouse and the Dinner Scene

The teahouse is not where Li and Mei-Ling eat: she secures a window table for them on the third floor of the neighbouring Green Wave restaurant. From there, they can look out over the lake and Huxinting Teahouse. A fountain sends the sound of running water into the busy room, where waitresses carry dishes among the tables and Mei-Ling orders food and beer for them both.

The view gives the meal a shared point of attention, but the scene’s personal turn comes earlier in the square. Mei-Ling slips her arm through Li’s as she leads him across, then quickly withdraws it, embarrassed by the unintended intimacy. Against the crowded, illuminated lakeside setting, her gesture briefly makes the evening feel more private than their recent acquaintance warrants; Li recognizes the confusion behind it and is unsettled by the pleasure it gives him.

Narrative Significance

Huxinting serves as more than a landmark in the old town: its lake, bridge, and crowded windows organize the scene around movement between public spectacle and private feeling. The elaborate route to the teahouse offers a memorable local detail, while the restaurant’s overlook makes the building a continuing presence during Li and Mei-Ling’s conversation. The setting’s bustle and brightness frame, rather than resolve, the uncertain attraction between them.