"I went to the Laoshe Teahouse for a performance by a well-known actor, but I thought he was just fooling about," Wen said. "Most of the audience was made up of tourists who only wanted to experience teahouse culture, rather than enjoy the show itself."

However, when he visited a teahouse in Tianjin, a major port city in northeastern China, the interaction between the actors and the audience impressed him greatly.

Zhang also said he may not choose a teahouse for a gathering if it did not involve crosstalk.

It is clear that teahouses still have a long way to go to truly return to daily life and their past glories.

"But it's fortunate that we paid attention to traditional culture," Yin said. "We just need some more time."

Contact the writer at liuxuan@chinadaily.com.cn