Teahouses offer a perfect brew of refreshment

CHANGSHA－A faint scent of tea wafts into the air as a wooden door gently opens, revealing a classical decorative style. The location is a traditional-style teahouse hidden down an alleyway in the central Chinese city of Changsha, Hunan province. Inside the tea shop, youngsters are photographing beautiful delicacies while toying with tea sets.

Teahouses have played an important role in Chinese society since ancient times, but with the rise of urbanization, people have grown accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle and a wider variety of entertainment options. So, the old teahouse model is progressively becoming obsolete.

Meanwhile, Chinese tea culture faces competition from coffee, milk tea and other fashionable drinks. However, an increasing number of young Chinese tea lovers are rebranding the societal value of teahouses.