As a foreigner in China, if you want to “do in Roman as the Romans do” and make friends with Chinese people, it is better for you to know something about Chinese tea culture.
Chinese people are always been known for their receiving customs of “Making tea when guests visit”, which a reflection of Chinese civilization and etiquette. As a foreigner in China, if you want to “do in Roman as the Romans do” and make friends with Chinese people, it is better for you to know something about Chinese tea culture.
The Essence of Tea
Chinese people always say that “People are innocent and kind-hearted when born”, so the character of the Chinese is like tea, reasonable and clear-headed, wish for common progress with others in harmony and friendliness. The common points of cultural spirit of every Chinese school are: Harmony and Peace.
Compared with the boundless universe and the whole world, the living space of human life is relatively small. Therefore, conflicts and contradictions between human beings and nature, human and human, are unavoidable. In westerner’s viewpoint, the only means to solve problems is a direct way, in which fire and water are incompatible. However, in China, people uphold order, and help each other in friendship and understanding. They would like to communicate and exchange ideas in tea time, which will enhance friendship and understanding. Drinking tea will help people reflect themselves and inspect themselves and others clearly.
Tea---Seeds of Friendship
Tea has been the connecting belt of friendship between China and Japan since ancient times. In the exchange between people of the two countries, stories about tea can be heard everywhere. Since Song Dynasty, there are Arab businessmen living in Quanzhou city, Fujian Province and transporting tea to other places; In Ming Dynasty, Captain Zheng He travel to southwest Asia and southern Africa countries by ship and carried tea along with the team.
Tea Art
In Chinese history, no matter you are making tea by boiling it or by other means, you should be mind of the “spare
separation of tea essence”. Good tea is created and enjoyed by all people. From the angle of nature, drinking tea should be in a harmonious environment, the skills and procedure and other tea art should be coordinated with the nature, suitable for tea drinker.
In the teahouse, a multicolor world, where all kinds of people will come here to drink and tell their stories, writers will be enchanted by, strange or common, happy or sorrowful, and produce various versions of stories in many kinds of literature forms, novel, or opera, or essays. The stories are also performed at the three-meter high stage or in inch-wide paintings. The words, the play, the painting, are all a reflection of the existence of teahouse at a time.
All in all, tea culture is a kind of elegant culture, with social celebrities and famous stars participated in. Tea culture is also public culture with the common people participate in and it will influence the whole society.