I don't know about the "authentic" tea ceremony in Shanghai but we went to one when taking a tour to China. There was no charge for the visit (it was included in our tour) and I thought it was somewhat interesting but certainly not worth $30-$50. It seemed to me the purpose of the "ceremony" was to get you to buy their tea.You may want to google the tearoom mentioned in the article and see what comes up.
Have a great trip.

I think you can spend your time (and money) on lots of other interesting things to do.

Thanks Jerry & Shanhainese....I think I'll get to sample enough tea while I'm there.

Tea Ceremony is really not a Chinese thing. They are tourist traps and I heard they really make money off tourist which is a shame.
Chinese teas are pretty straight forward, you don't have to worry about the temperature as with the Japanese green tea, you don't stir the tea so many times and turn the bowl at some direction. Chinese are way too cut and dry to do something like that. There is not ceremony or anything you do when you prepare tea other than pouring the hot water over the tea leaves and you wait till the tea leaves sink to the bottom before you drink it. It's very common that Chinese just use a mug with a lid. That said, I have a beautiful collection of YiXing teapots. Some are really for decoration purpose only.

Depends on the type of tea, there may be a few more steps than just pour the water. But I agree that going to an "authentic tea ceremony" in China is like going to an "authentic coffee ceremony" while visiting Italy.

There is no such thing as a tea ceremony.

No tea ceremony in China?

Here is a Conde Naste travelers version of events while she lived in Shanghai.

http://www.cntraveler.com/features/2008/10/Secret-Shanghai

I don't drink tea but the wife does and I came across this article while researching for our Shanghai trip next month.

Aloha!

So, the definition of a "tea ceremony" according to the article's author is pouring water over the leaves 4-5 times. Sure, that's the proper way to brew many teas. But is that what a tourist should go look for, and pay good money to see? It's definitely not what tour companies are offering.

hawaiian traveler,
that's the same article I read...as my DH says....I'm a sucker for marketing!

There is such a thing as "tea ceremony" in the Chinese culture but it's held during weddings and tea is served by the bride and groom as a sign of respect to their elders. It is not something for tourists to participate in.

Cilla is correct, the "tea ceremony" in the article is not traditional in China.