Chen Xiaodong shares a special tobacco made by himself with his friend Zhang Xingyu in a pipe and cigar club on the ground floor of the Peninsula Hotel in Beijing. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The 33-year-old had already become a self-taught expert on coffee and tea before taking up pipe-smoking. He bought his first pipe to embrace a lifestyle popular in his circle of friends, and to relax and enjoy life.

"When people become rich, they want to choose a better way of smoking - a healthier way in their opinion," says Sun. His employer, Ligero Group, has a pipe and cigar club with about 3,000 members in China.

Most Chinese pipe smokers are in their 30s. For these young people, pipes are cool accessories like pens or a scarves; for older smokers, pipes reflect a kind of life quality and offer moments to escape from the pressures of city life, says Sun.

Sun has one client who only collects pipes but never smokes them. Other non-smoking clients buy pipes as gifts.

Montini, owner of the Italian pipe brand Mastro de Paja, notes that collectible pipes sell well in China. Those adorned with diamonds, gold and gemstones can sell for as much as 220,000 yuan ($35,500). But most are priced around 3,300 yuan.

For collectors like Chen, each pipe has its own story and appeal.

"My friends and I love to smoke pipes together and share the tobacco's fragrance," adds Chen, sporting Italian handmade shoes and a custom two-piece suit.

"It's just our life."