At the gate of the 1,000-year-old city wall, the strains of a pipa (traditional Chinese stringed instrument) echo softly.

A special teahouse opened last month in the ancient stone gate of the wall enclosing Xiangfan, a city in Central China's Hubei Province.

Called "Shuilian Ge" (Water-screen Pavilion), it is owned by two young women - Ding Fang and Zhang Ruina.

Both are graduates of No 9 Middle School in Xiangfan, where they specialized in children's education, and Ding worked for a local water-supply company and Zhang, in a kindergarten.

Like many other local residents, they often took walks together in the evening along the city's ancient wall.

When the wall was repaired a year ago, they got the idea of opening a teahouse at the gate.

They determined to make the idea a reality. Ding went north to Beijing to study tea etiquette, while Zhang left for South China, where she worked in a private company and studied business administration.

The teahouse opened a month ago, and now, dressed in costumes of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), they perform traditional dances for their customers in the evenings.

They also invite folk music troupes to give concerts.

"It's really a pleasure to hear the tea tinkling into the cups surrounded by the ambiance of the ancient gate," said Ding.

"We are common women, but the teahouse gives us a chance to indulge in some of the finer things of life." 

(China Daily August 22, 2003)