Chengdu Teahouse introduces Old Town to a Chinese tradition

To say Elyse Ribbons has had an eventful career would be an understatement.

Known in China as Liu Suying, she’s run theater festivals, appeared on television as both a reporter and actress, founded a startup called GeiLi Giving and been the COO of a Fortune Global 500 company, China Pacific Construction Group.

Recently, the Detroit native’s journey landed her in Old Town, where she opened Chengdu Teahouse on Feb. 28.

It was the availability of mixed-use housing that attracted Ribbons to Old Town — she lives in an apartment above the teahouse — but it was the culture that sealed the deal.

“This city doesn’t have the same distance between people that a lot of places have,” she said.

Chengdu offers an opportunity to drink unique teas from authentic tea sets and relax in a spacious dining area. The laid-back atmosphere makes it a perfect place to meet a friend or take a date — or simply to relax and read a book.

Ribbons said the social atmosphere is what she loves about Chinese teahouses.

“They’re a space for connections,” she said, “whether it’s connecting with a friend, a colleague or a first date.”

Ribbons first became interested in tea after co-founding the social enterprise GeiLi Giving, which provided transparency reports on Chinese nonprofits and incentivized citizens to donate to the vetted organizations. She said serving tea opened up networking opportunities with other founders.

“I discovered that if I made tea like this, I could talk to all the other companies in our co-working space,” she said. “There’s a very low commitment to saying yes to a cup of tea.”

Visitors might be surprised to learn that Ribbons is new to Lansing. The shop already carries collaborations with multiple local artisans, including soap from Sylvia’s Sudsery downtown and greeting cards by local painter Shannon Smith. Both have created unique products for Ribbons’ shop, such as a tea-scented soap and a greeting card featuring a still life of a tea set.

Ribbons’ multicultural background makes the shop unique among Chinese-American fusion. The tea sets are authentic, but Ribbons said the layout is American.

“At the opening party, my Chinese friends kept commenting that the Chinese things were all really accurate, really real,” she said. “But it’s put together in a very American way.”

Ribbons said that approach is a throughline in all of her work — Chinese fans often comment that her American background makes her Chinese writing unique. She hopes the approach will help Chengdu Teahouse succeed where others have failed.

“Several big-name Chinese companies have tried to open Chinese-style teahouses in America and failed,” she said. “But they did the full-on Chinese way, and I’m trying to offer an American twist that makes it more approachable.”

Ribbons also wants the teahouse to serve as a community space and has already had several weekly events move in.

“You don’t need to reserve,” she said. “You don’t even need to buy anything.”

She has also begun hosting a “silent book club” on Thursday nights to encourage people to read more — again, no purchase necessary. She’s excited to host more events, including a weekly spoken-word event that she intends to kick off soon.

To Ribbons, the dining space, the events, the connections and the tea are all part of one cohesive experience.

“Tea is intrinsically social,” she said. “You can add a cup without any effort, and ultimately, it’s pretty cheap to come with a group of friends and split a pot.”