Volunteers take a photo with a newly designed cart. [Photo/Tide News]

Hangzhou's iconic "most beautiful herbal tea stall" opened for the summer on July 15, marking the start of the city's traditional cooling season.

The 49-year-old community initiative offers free herbal tea to residents and visitors during the hottest weeks of summer. This year, two newly designed carts created by the China Academy of Art add a cultural touch to the stall. One features Song Dynasty-inspired landscapes and landmarks, while the other depicts willows and swallows evoking Hangzhou's historic lanes.

The stall also introduced distinctive fisherman hats for volunteers, decorated with illustrations of herbal tea ingredients.

New partners have joined this year's initiative, including a West Lake Longjing tea brand and a local water company, offering free Longjing tea and Hupao spring water. Twenty tea-related companies have signed up to take turns providing tea.

The stall traces its roots to a local resident, Gu Zhonggen, who began serving free tea nearly five decades ago. Today, volunteers and community organizations continue the tradition, turning a simple cup of tea into a symbol of kindness and community spirit.

Volunteers take a photo with herbal tea drinks. [Photo/Tide News]