Fangcun Tea Market: Hours, Metro and What to Buy

What is Fangcun, and what is Fangcun Tea City?

Fangcun (芳村) is an area of Liwan District on the west side of the Pearl River, and its tea trade is spread over many separate markets. 芳村茶叶市场 is the name for the wider tea area. 芳村茶叶城 is the main building at No. 508 Fangcun Avenue Middle, which Newsgd calls Guangdong Fangcun Tea Plaza.

Newsgd’s Liwan guide describes national tea brands and Guangdong teas such as Fenghuang single-bush, Yingde black tea and Xiyuan oolong. A 2022 Newsgd page on food wholesalers describes the Guangdong Fangcun Tea Plaza as covering nearly 36,000 square metres and as the largest tea wholesale market and distribution hub in the country. It sells tea, but it is a trade market first: shops line Fangcun Avenue as well as the plaza. Guangzhou Daily counts 26 main markets in the tea area, and reported on July 6, 2026 that the Shancun village redevelopment covers 21 tea markets here: one had been demolished and the rest were trading as usual.

iPhoto: YikyuenG · CC BY-SA 4.0 Details

For the bigger picture see Guangzhou wholesale markets.

What is on each floor?

According to that 2022 Newsgd page:

How do I get there?

Take Metro Line 1 to Fangcun Station 芳村站. Wikipedia lists it as an interchange for Lines 1, 11 and 22. Check which exit is closest to the market in your map app. By map, Shiweitang Station (石围塘站) on Line 11 is closer to 芳村茶叶城 than Fangcun Station, which is about 1 km away; check the walk in Amap.

Newsgd’s Liwan guide gives 芳村茶叶城 at No. 508 Fangcun Avenue Middle (广州市荔湾区芳村大道中508号); a travel guide gives No. 333, probably another building in the same tea area. Ask a driver for 芳村茶叶城 and check the map pin. The Show your driver tool stores addresses.

What will it be like?

Expect a wholesale market that also sells to visitors, not a tea house. Floor one is the place to start, since it holds the best-known teas. One travel guide lists 10:00 to 22:00 and we found no official hours, so check on the day and go in the morning. Many shops are small and specialised, and the tea area has dozens of markets, so decide beforehand whether you want the main building or a walk along Fangcun Avenue.

Which teas are worth knowing?

Names below come from the Newsgd pages and Wikipedia. Show the Chinese name to a seller if you cannot say it.

Guangzhou’s own tea habit is yum cha 饮茶, the Cantonese tradition of tea with dim sum, according to Wikipedia. A tea shop at Fangcun is a different thing, so see the dim sum guide if you want the meal.

What are the tasting and buying basics?

We found no published rules for tasting at the market. Wikipedia describes gongfu tea as a brewing method using small vessels and a stronger leaf-to-water ratio than Western-style brewing, so expect many small cups rather than one large one. Practical courtesy:

1. Ask before sitting at a tasting table.
2. Say what you want to spend before you start, because well-known teas can be expensive (Wikipedia on Dahongpao).
3. Buy a little if you have been served several cups.
4. Ask for the Chinese name and the harvest year written down, and keep the receipt.
5. Do not buy more than you can carry home, as the next sections explain.

How do I pay?

Alipay and WeChat Pay are the normal methods in Guangzhou markets. See Guangzhou wholesale markets for the city’s plan on foreign cards, and Alipay and WeChat Pay for foreigners to set the apps up. Carry some cash. Cash and ATMs covers where to get it.

How do I carry tea home?

Your home country’s customs rules decide how much tea you can import. We have not verified China’s rules for carrying tea out, and our China customs guide covers what you bring into China, not what you take out. Check your own country’s allowance before you buy a lot, and keep receipts. Airlines set their own baggage limits, so weigh your purchase against your allowance.

What is nearby?

Newsgd’s Liwan guide lists the Lingnan Flower Market, the Qingping traditional medicine market and the Fangcun New World flowers, birds, fish and insects market among the district’s markets, and the trip.com guide places the flower market near Jiaokou on Line 5. For clothing, see Baima and Shisanhang.