Now let's head to China's Sichuan Province for the traditional art of serving tea -- with a difference. A performer there seeks to promote long spout tea pouring. Wei Lynn Tang has the story.    

20 years -- that's how long 42-year old Zeng Xiaolong has dabbled in long spout teapot performances. He is, in fact, known as the man behind this fancy style of serving tea, having added his own variations to the art. Zeng Xiaolong stumbled upon Kung Fu tea by chance. And now, it has become his very lifeblood.

ZENG XIAOLONG Founder, Longmen Tea Art "All that I am and have today, I attribute it to this long spout teapot. It has enabled me to support myself and my family, so that I can buy a house here in Chengdu and can send my daughter to school. I get a sense of comfort from the crowd's applause when I'm on stage performing. And as you can see, after all these years, I have not put on weight. Practicing Kung Fu tea is a good form of exercise."

Long spout teapots originated from the mountainous province of Sichuan. They had a purpose then: to serve tea in narrow and cramped tea houses.

ZENG XIAOLONG Founder, Longmen Tea Art "Today, you can no longer find a tea house in Chengdu that uses long spouts just to blend and serve tea."

Dramatic performances on stage and in hotpot restaurants have taken over the folk custom. And Zeng Xiaolong wants to bring it back. He asserts that Kung Fu tea is more than just aesthetics -- rejecting skeptics who doubt its ability to pour a good cup of tea.

ZENG XIAOLONG Founder, Longmen Tea Art "I have spent 5 years in Macao performing pouring tea and can justify the basis of this art. You see, the boiling water temperature drops from 100 degrees to 80 degrees as it goes through the long spout, so that it's at an optimum heat when it reaches your cup. The strong impact of the pour also allows the tea leaves to churn better, releasing the taste of the tea quickly. So you don't actually have to wait to drink your tea, you can sip it immediately."

WEI LYNN TANG Chengdu "I would probably break my bones and poke myself silly if I tried my hand at this long spout teapot. In fact, Zeng Xiaolong and his students tell me they have been scalded and cut, when they started to practice. But they have persisted in this art in the hope of changing their destiny for a better paying career and life."

And women are giving it a go too. Chen Qiuping quit her job in the finance industry and ventured into brewing tea two years ago.

CHEN QIUPING Apprentice Long Spout Teapot Performer "When you love something, you want to find its beauty and learn its essence. I find Kung Fu tea to be rigid and flexible at the same time. It's fancy and cool, but it has also provided me steadiness from within, as I used to be pretty rough."

ZENG XIAOLONG Founder, Longmen Tea Art "The market is now at its peak. But in the next 5 years, I foresee the supply of performers to exceed demand. So we hope to find a breakthrough. This is why going abroad to train students is key."

In the meantime though, back on home turf, Zeng Xiaolong continues to coach his next batch of tea masters. He plans to also build a tea house in the near future, where every cup of tea is served using a long spout teapot. "To allow it to return to its essence", he says. It's something he, who first popularized the art, feels responsible for. WLT, CGTN, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.