Longjing Teahouse (Chinatown, Detroit MI)

Customers enter a quiet, no-frills space decorated sparsely with family-style tables, simple wooden chairs, patched-up black leather booths. While over head heavy metal fans attached to the ceiling sits motionless over a small bar with bright red stools and a glass showcase featuring home-made cookies. The aroma of teas, Chinese and even Japanese meals hangs heavily in the area, that soft music of the Chinese culture playing in the background.

The owner of the teahouse was an elderly man by the name of Weimin Wang and his family. He was dressed in a white, collared shirt. His white hair brushed neatly to the side and always a smile to be shared with those who would come forward. The menus set out upon the tables and consisting of over twenty varieties of teas and brewed drinks. Meals were lo mein, fried noodles and forty different kinds of dim sum.

The Side-Room

The side room has been set up and provides a privacy for Mr. Erik Gaven. The vertical blinds were always drawn when in use by Mr. Gaven during the day while they were left open any other time. During the evening, the blinds were always closed off to the outside public. There was a long table for those enjoying a meal and away from there were couches, chairs and tables set up.

Note: During the day, the side-room was available for use by Mr. Gaven and his guests. After 6:00pm, the side-room is closed off and accessible only by special guests.

Upstairs: Open only to the Asian of the community. Invitation can be acquired through Mr. Gaven if you are looking to loose a few bills to these individuals that have made gambling into a sacred pass-time.

The upstairs has been set up into a gambling spot for those who wishes to play a game and gamble without having to worry about the harshness of the outside. The games offered: Fan-tan which was a simple game that required a table with a square marked in the center, or a square piece of metal laid on top. Pan gow which was a dominoes game. Mahjong as well as tien gow all type of games the Chinese would gamble upon if they had the opportunity to do so in privacy and here would be the case. Fan-tan and pan gow were set in one room, tien-gow set in another but the main game was the favorite of the owner, Weinmen Wang that being mahjong and the heaviest in rotation.

Security here was also seen to by Mr. Gaven, from the moment the doors open and til it closes. Food and drinks available but what was important was a place out of site for those in the community to focus on something else instead of the troubles occurring within and around the small neighborhood of Chinatown.