These days in Shanghai, you can taste all kinds of afternoon tea from around the world – such as British, Japanese, Thai and of course Chinese – and as you sip it consume delightful snacks and gossip with friends in the stylish city in East China.

According to a recent report on afternoon tea in Shanghai, 86 percent of white-collar employees now  have the habit of taking afternoon tea – in teashops and other outlets – and 42 percent of them spend more than 30 yuan ($4.64) on it.

The report also showed that afternoon tea is more attractive to women than men, who mainly indulge in late-night snacks. More than 60 percent of the people who regularly have afternoon tea are women, while only 38 percent are men.

The younger the people are, the more enthusiastic they are about afternoon tea culture. Generation Z consumers have a stronger demand for afternoon tea and the degree of regard for the social custom is significantly higher than in other groups, the report said.

Statistics show that the proportion of light catering, which is the main theme of afternoon tea economy, in the catering industry in Shanghai has reached 25 percent. A new phenomenon for taking afternoon tea is now emerging.

Taking afternoon tea, or high tea, is the afternoon meal – made famous by the British and popular for many decades in the west – of assorted light snacks including small cakes and finger sandwiches, accompanied by various cups of teas that are in vogue.