Shen opened Ji Xiang Cao Tang in the spring of 2011, hoping to provide a cultural platform for everyone with tea as the medium.

"We teach students both the fancy cha dao performance and practical tea-making skills for daily life. We emphasize that tea is for drinking, rather than for seeing," Sheng says.

Marketing specialist Zhou Xun first learned about cha dao three years ago at a casual gathering with friends.

"A friend brought along a set of teapot and tea cups and started to make tea for us," the 30-year-old Shanghai native recalls. "Every step was so gentle and elegant, and just watching it relaxed me."

Zhou was enamored right away by both the fragrance and the whole process of making and serving tea. He now has his own tea set and does cha dao at times.

"Performing cha dao should not be a routine; do it with ease, you will take pleasure in it," he says. "Every time I find myself too stressed out, I will bring out my 'treasure' and sit in the sitting room to 'play' with it and soon I will calm down."

To understand cha dao, it's crucial to study the knowledge and art of tea. Learning the right way to make tea, developing the skills for tasting and appreciating traditional culture will give tea lovers a deeper appreciation.

"One can say that every Chinese cannot live without tea, whether it's you or the people around you, there are always people drinking tea in various ways, some using big cups and some preferring elegant tea ware," Shen says.

Not only is tea healthy and a way to satisfy thirst, it is also the drink for mind and soul.