During the Republican era and modern times, despite the turbulent political situation, teahouses maintained their vitality. They became gathering places for all walks of life and centers for the exchange of social information. Businessmen, intellectuals, matchmakers, fortune tellers… all sorts of people frequented teahouses bustling with activity. When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, a large number of scholars and professors moved westward to form the Southwest Associated University in Kunming, and teahouses became an important place for leisure and socializing in their lives.

Wang Zengqi wrote in his essay “Ordinary Tea Talks”: “During the Anti-Japanese War period, I lived in Kunming for seven years and almost always frequented teahouses.” The faculty and students of the Associated University chatted, read books, and wrote articles in teahouses, illustrating the significant role that teahouses played in people's lives at the time.

Teahouse Life Revives Today

In modern times, people have more diverse culinary options, including imported Coffee and cola, as well as various sweet drinks that tantalize the senses with sugar and carbonation. As China's economy rapidly developed, people forged ahead in the fast-paced industrialization and urbanization, and the leisurely teahouse lifestyle seemed to become synonymous with the habits of the older generation. Younger people preferred cafes and bars, which were then considered more fashionable, using strong caffeine and alcohol to release their pent-up stress.

However, even if teahouses were not considered trendy at the time, they still quietly persisted, existing in every corner of Chinese cities, where people continued to sustain the vitality of teahouses in their daily lives. In Beijing and Tianjin, there are teahouses known for storytelling and crosstalk; in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, there are clear tea houses; in Guangdong and Hong Kong, bustling teahouses; in Chengdu and Chongqing, old teahouses filled with bamboo tables and chairs; in Lanzhou, small teashops by the Yellow River serving tea in large glass cups; and in Tibet, ubiquitous yak butter tea and sweet tea houses. Teahouses have never faded from the daily lives of the Chinese people.

Nowadays, as the economy and society have reached a certain level of development and China has gradually entered the post-industrial era, coupled with the unexpected three-year experience of pandemic control, people's lifestyles and needs have undergone significant changes compared to the previous decade. At this juncture, the tea lifestyle is quietly reviving among young people as a trend. In recent years, traditional old teahouses have been crowded with young faces eager to experience the “slower pace of the past,” while new-style teahouses and tea spaces have emerged as a new fashion, sprouting up on the busiest and most trendy streets of cities.

The coexistence of tradition and modernity may be the two main aspects of today's tea lifestyle. People visit traditional teahouses in their city communities that continue the unique local atmosphere, creating actual connections and interactions with the people and things around them, immersing themselves in the warmth of everyday life, temporarily escaping the distractions of external information, and returning to a warmer way of living to heal their weary selves. On the other hand, people also need self-expression and recognition. While they seek value and confidence in their cultural system within tradition, they also infuse their worldview, personality, and aesthetic philosophy into spaces and products, hence the emergence of the new-style teahouse trend.

They represent a blended tea lifestyle of the new era. The decor styles might be neo-Chinese, punk tech, or a mix with contemporary art, all expressions of today's youth. People like to find warmth in traditional teahouses but also seek novel experiences and aesthetic enjoyment in new-style teahouses, looking for ideological resonance. Simultaneously, these traditions and modernities are both preserving and shaping the spirit of a city. The character of a city shines brightly in these teahouses through the daily act of Drinking Tea.

In modern social life, public life and social interaction in third spaces are indispensable. People need to find a quality space, quiet or lively, outside of home and work, where they can relax, change environments to work better, or chat with friends and companions. In the past, people's first choice to meet these needs might have been a cafe, but as teahouses evolve and the tea lifestyle, representing quality and relaxation, increasingly permeates daily life, going to a teahouse for tea becomes a more frequent choice.

All of this, of course, cannot be separated from tea itself. Tea possesses healthful elements derived from nature, an elegant disposition, diverse flavors, and it embodies and connects history and culture… From ancient times to the present, tea has always been unforgettable once tasted. And thus, tea maintains its vibrant vitality, forming a variety of tea lifestyles and giving rise to a rich culture of Tea drinking, healing, nourishing, and inspiring everyone, regardless of class or region.

Originally published in Pu'er Magazine

September 2025 Issue

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