Price needs to be right in battle against the coffee chains

Liu Yong struggles to find an affordable teahouse when he is out with his friends and colleagues. The 39-year-old English professor at a university in Chongqing is not a big coffee fan and loves a cup of China's traditional beverage.

"I like tea much more than coffee," he said. "But the traditional teahouses are so expensive and those modern places in shopping malls have only limited choices."

Liu is not alone in looking for a comfortable, affordable place to sip tea in China's major cities.