Buying tea in Beijing

I bought tea in a ';government'; tea house in the bottom of the Bell Tower in Beijing. Now that I%26#39;m taking a closer look at the bill, I%26#39;m wondering if I paid too much. Has anyone else had experience purchasing tea at this location? Am I naive in thinking that a ';government'; tea house would have fair prices?

Buying tea in Beijing

Is the bill inaccurate in some way, or do you think it is just too expensive?

Government shops used to be trustworthy back when no one stood to gain if they made a sale, but it is hard to even know what is a government shop nowadays--management might be leased out, making it effectively a private shop.

Anyway, I wouldn%26#39;t think that the Bell Tower would be the cheapest place to buy tea--when are shops in tourist areas ever cheap? Fair maybe, but not a bargain. Note, however, that good tea is not cheap.

Buying tea in Beijing

The quality is the first and then price. It will worth it if you like it. It is true that we local residents will pay a higher price when do shopping.

Lots of variables / quality in the price of tea.

Tea varies from a few cents a pound to hundreds of CAD, even in China.