Delicate dumplings and a fine array of teas help make zao cha a delicious social event, Owen Fishwick reports in Yangzhou.

I'm not normally one for early starts. But the breakfast in Yangzhou is something to wake up early for, I'm assured by my Chinese colleagues.

And so, on a brief trip to the historical city, I find myself up before the sun preparing to tuck in to something I've never tried before - zao cha.