The gift shop at Laoshe Teahouse. [Photo by Liu Xuan/provided to China Daily]

Chinese people have been drinking tea for more than 1,000 years, with teahouses becoming almost as popular during that time as the drink itself.

In northern China, traditional Beijing-style teahouses have regained their popularity in recent years.

Wen Hong, 39, works and lives in the Chinese capital. As a fan of Peking Opera, he has been visiting teahouses for shows since 2000. "I like to drink tea while enjoying the performance," Wen said. "It's relaxing."

Teahouses are places where people can enjoy the taste of fine tea and desserts, amuse themselves with traditional shows, or just have a chat.

Along with the tea, teahouses usually serve traditional snacks while presenting traditional Chinese cultural heritage, such as Peking Opera and shadow puppetry.