Milk tea served in miniature pot goes viral

The milk tea served at Hangzhou's Lingyin Temple – complete with a miniature teapot on top – has become the top trending topic on Weibo.

When a Shanghai Daily reporter visited the shop, Sang Tea, at the entrance of the temple at 11am, all the teapot-attached versions were sold out.

"We had only prepared 200 such teapots," a staff member told Shanghai Daily. "We didn't expect the videos to go viral like it did."

The small teapot emits mist after being filled with carbon dioxide ice and 90-degree water. It is reminiscent of Lingyin Temple, which is perpetually enveloped in smoke from burning incense. It costs 26-32 yuan (US$3.55-4.37).

"I am attracted to the poetic ambiance of the milk tea. But they were all sold out," said Max Lin of Shaanxi Province. "Unfortunately, I have to catch a train."

The menu includes milk tea varieties featuring Hangzhou and Lingyin elements. For instance, the Yangui Anxiang (岩桂暗香) is made from osmanthus flowers, which will bloom throughout the city in late September.

Another variety is Tuolikuhai (脱离苦海), which literally means "escape from the human world of woes and find salvation in Buddhism."

Both of them are top sellers.

Local people hire deliverymen to run errands because the shrine is crowded with visitors all day. It can cost up to 20 yuan.

In response, Lingyin Temple claims that it has never granted permission for any company or individual to produce or market food or drink under its name. The Lingyin milk tea is a private enterprise not related to the temple.