Song in a cup

However, the pattern on tea froth will only last for up to an hour.

"It's an evanescent art," says Han, adding that he takes photos of his work as a way of extending its life.

With his increasing input to the art, Han quit his job at the games company in 2019 and has been spreading dian cha culture ever since. He put the process of tea-whisking and drawing on social media platforms, including Little Red Book, Bilibili and Douyin. He has more than 20,000 followers on Little Red Book, and some of his videos have received more than 300,000 views.

To date, more than 100 people have knocked on his door to learn the technique. "They are from all walks of life, but are mostly white-collar workers, and they are all interested in tea," Han says.

Chen Xinxing started to learn from Han in December 2020.