Clockwise from top left: Marinated kalimeris with dahongpao-soaked tofu skin; deep-fried pork ribs with biluochun; tieguanyin tea with spicy shrimp; pu'er tea with chicken soup; steamed abalone and egg with xianhao tea. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Pork ribs stewed with aged pu'er tea is a speciality offered at Shangri-La Hotel, Nanjing, and is widely popular among the hotel's guests.

Diners can also taste other signature dishes such as the West Lake longjing tea shrimp, baked Hanjiang River fish with tieguanyin tea, green tea braised pork trotter, and baked chicken with maofeng tea.

Desserts are served in tea-themed plates and pots. In Nanjing, on a plate made of chocolate, several flower-shaped desserts are surrounded by a chocolate tea pot and little shining Yuhua stones, a local souvenir.

Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai, closed the Shangri-La Chinese tea-inspired, five-city journey with an old Shanghai-themed dinner party.

The dinner banquet included 12 Chinese tea-inspired dishes prepared by the five Shangri-La Chinese executive chefs. The night progressed with a waltz competition and continued with an after-party at 1515 West Bar, where guests were entertained with tea-inspired cocktails.

"Chinese people love tea and the rich tea culture," said Jean-Philippe Jacopin, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Xi'an. "It showcases the Chinese hospitality, which is the way we treat people. The five sets of tea-inspired menus represent the five destination's gourmet culture.

"At the same time, as an extension of the culture of Chinese tea, the Chinese hospitality is in line with Shangri-La's core value of humility and sincerity. They guide us to treat each other with sincerity, making our guests feel a special kind of hospitality－h(huán)ospitality from the heart."

Contact the writer at cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn