Tea House Museum

Tea House Museum
An Evening of Tea, History & Performing Arts in a Chinese Mansion

Songkhla National Museum X Southern Design Week 2025

📅 5–6 September 2025
🕕 6:00 – 9:00 PM
📍 Songkhla National Museum

Where there is a tea house, there is entertainment. In the past, tea houses thrived across Songkhla — from the grand reception halls of Chinese merchants’ mansions to local tea shops where villagers and travelers gathered. Tea was not only a gesture of hospitality but also a gateway to stories, performances, trade, and cultural exchange. Records from King Rama V’s reign reveal how tea and traditional performing arts were inseparable, forming a vibrant cultural scene.

Inspired by this legacy, the “Tea House Museum” invites you to experience an enchanting evening of tea, culture, and heritage inside a historic Chinese mansion.

✨ Highlights

• Exhibition “History in a Teacup” — Discover the history of tea and admire exquisite teapots and Benjarong porcelain, curated by the Songkhla National Museum.
• Tea Pairing Workshop — Pair specialty teas with traditional Songkhla sweets, guided by An Tea House.
• Special for registered participants: Hands-on tea pairing sessions (3 rounds per evening, 30 minutes each, max 10 people per round).
• Performances of Southern Folk Arts — 4 heritage performances recorded in Songkhla’s history:
  • Nora | Mak Yong | Rong-Ngeng (Malay-Portuguese folk dance) | Nang Talung (shadow puppetry) by the Faculty of Fine Arts, Songkhla Rajabhat University, in collaboration with RMUTSV Innovation Management Office.
• Cultural Exchange Performance from George Town, Malaysia — Culture Shot: live traditional music from the UNESCO World Heritage City.
• Special Teas by Sansaibai Space — Curated tea menus created exclusively for this event.
• Museum Night Tour — Explore the museum after dark and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an old Chinese merchant mansion.
• Tea & Music under the Stars — Enjoy tea while listening to live DJ sounds from Songkhla in a relaxed evening ambiance.