When I was in Shanghai this year, I visited Yu Gardens. It is a popular place for tourists to visit. The architecture is kitchy Chinese, like the Mulan Disney movie. Complete with red-orange floodlights beaming at night and cherry blossom projections. As a tourist you could buy all the kinds of souvenirs you might need to bring home, chop sticks, sweets, fans and of course tea.
I was looking at a pretty and elaborate silver tea pot, when one of the salespersons approached me asking if I was interested in tea. I answered yes, but also saying buying a expensive silver tea pot was not in my budget. She sent for someone and moments later another salesperson approached me. In fluent English she asked to confirm that I liked tea and then brought me to a different store she claimed was run by the government and therefore of excellent quality. I had a quick tasting even though I said I already bought enough tea back in Chengdu. But when I was handed a small cup of an oolong brew I decided to buy some. Partly because I had plans elsewhere and partly because it was actually pretty good. I bought a small amount and thanked them.
This oolong was Tie Guan Yin from Fujian province and I drank some today. The leaves are a rolled into medium sized balls which slowly unroll in hot water. You should brew it around 85 degrees Celsius. When unrolled the leaves are incredibly large for tea. The color of the tea is dark yellowish green and I think it taste a bit like flaxseeds.