關於宋代茶館儘管已有不少研究，但並沒有關注到都市史料與筆記小說的差異。前者是由靜態的角度描述首都的茶館，後者則具有動態的視角，它們不但呈現了全國各類茶館的形態，還講述了茶館中發生的各種事件。從前者來看，茶館除了具有飲食、住宿、娛樂、商業等多種功能以外，又有不同階層、身分的人群因應各自的目的來利用茶館的情況。由此體現出，在發展成熟的都市中，茶館出現功能分化或群體劃分的狀況。從後者來看，茶館的多種功能渾然一體，而且各種階層、身分的人們在共同的空間中往來交際。尤其是在都市發展過程中，地方的茶館作為聯繫都市和農村的「境界」，成為物、錢、人往來交流的「場」。

Although many researchers have dealt with teahouses in the Song period, they have discussed them without adequately differentiating the information found in two different types of sources. Whereas sources of urban history provide a static description of teahouses in the capitals, anecdotal literature contains abundant information on teahouses all over the country, dynamically narrating various incidents that occurred in them. Paying special attention to the differences between these two sources, this article examines the roles of teahouses in Song urban society. The sources on urban history show that various types of teahouses existed in the capitals, functioning as places for dining, drinking, lodging, entertainment, and for conducting commercial activities. People from different classes and statuses chose from among these various types of teahouses for their own purposes. This suggests that teahouses in the capital cities achieved a degree of differentiation and specialization. Anecdotal literature reveals a different picture. Teahouses were places that simultaneously retained various functions and wherein people from different classes and statuses interacted with each other. This suggests that local teahouses assumed the role of “contact zones” between cities and villages in this period of urban development, acting as a junction through which people, goods, and money flowed and passed.