The grand opening will feature the work of painter Liang Wei, at left, (image courtesy of Gunnar Nordstrom Contemporary Fine Art) who will give a talk at 2 p.m. on his emigration from Szechwan, China to Seattle.

Free samples of select teas will be available as well. The tea house will open just prior to 2 p.m. Saturday but it's already up and running.

Contact info: 253-565-2832; www.greenspottea.com

Read Wei's bio here:

[More:]

Liang Wei was born and brought up in Sui-Ning, Szechwan. He loved art and drawing as a child and during the Cultural Revolution, while in his early teens, he joined the Little Red Guard Brigade. He drew propaganda posters for them and earned the title of “Little Red Guard Protégé” because of them. Nevertheless, he was sent to the remote Yi Nationality Region for Corrective Labor Reform after he graduated from high school. Later he joined the Railway Army and worked as a private, but his talent was noted, and he was sent to the Beijing Central Art Academy for formal training. His work was selected for display at the Army Art Show and other nationwide exhibitions.

After completion of his services in 1982, Liang returned home and enrolled in the Szechwan Art College. During his schooling, he created a series of paintings called “The Dream of Mountain Liang” base on his experiences in remote landscapes and received a great deal of praises. The college took an exception and held a solo show for him which was well noted in the national art community. After graduation, he was hired as an art instructor by the famous Hua-Xi Medical University. During that period, Liang participated in the avant-garde movement of young Chinese artists. In 1989, Liang was invited by the Washington University in Seattle as an Exchange Scholar. Soon, the Twine Cranes Gallery invited him for a solo show, launching him as a professional artist, and his work has been collected by collectors all over the nation since.

Liang Wei is enchanted by the free and lively life-style of the US. He was also attracted by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest as well as the vast prairies of the American countryside. With keen observing eyes, Liang creates several themes of paintings, including trees, farms, prairies, and scenery from the Puget Sound. He uses lively colors and produces an air of surrealism. In many of his paintings, he features very peculiar clouds that seem to possess a life of their own: they appear to roam freely, bringing the observer into a world of imagination.