Eng. Pagina/Tea Culture.htm

Of the three major beverages of the world, tea, coffee and cocoa, tea is consumed by the largest number of people.
China is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China has tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago, and human cultivation of tea plants dates back two thousand years. Tea from China, along with her silk and porcelain, began to be known the world over more than a thousand years ago and has since always been an important Chinese export. At present more than forty countries in the world grow tea with Asian countries producing 90% of the world's total output. All tea trees in other countries have their origin directly or indirectly in China. The word for tea leaves or tea as a drink in many countries are derivatives from the Chinese character "cha." The Russians call it "cha'i", which sounds like "chaye" (tea leaves) as it is pronounced in northern China, and the English word "tea" sounds similar to the pronunciation of its counterpart in Xiamen (Amoy). The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as it is in Chinese, though pronounced with a slight difference. The habit of tea drinking spread to Japan in the 6th century, but it was not introduced to Europe and America till the 17th and 18th centuries.

China produces the widest variety of teas in the world. No wonder so many western tourists tend to get confused when they go to buy some souvenir tea to take home.

Now the number of tea drinkers in the world is legion and is still on the increase.

Chinese tea may be classified into five categories according to the different methods by which it is processed.

The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan and Huhong of Hunan.
3) Wulong tea: (Oolong tea) This represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, being made after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from the provinces on China's southeast coast: Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.
4) Compressed tea: This is the kind of tea which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. It is good for transport and storage and is mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country. As compressed tea is black in colour in its commercial form, so it is also known in China as "black tea". Most of the compressed tea is in the form of bricks; it is, therefore, generally called "brick tea", though it is sometimes also in the form of cakes and bowls. It is mainly produced in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
5) Scented tea: This kind of tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in the tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favourite with the northerners of China and with a growing number of foreigners.

Of them, green tea, oolong and black tea are the three most popular ones.

Green Yea ("lü cha" in Chinese ) leaves still look naturally yellowish-green after they are processed, without fermentation. Leaves are first pan-fried in temperatures between 200 degrees Celsius and 260 degrees to kill an enzyme in the leaf that causes oxidation and discoloration. Then the leaves are rolled for shape and fired for drying. The finest green teas are usually dried by a hand-processing method.

When the first harvest of green tea comes to Shanghai markets in early May, tea specialists often appear in tea shops to demonstrate the last step of processing: firing. The leaves are stirred by a skilful hand in a heated, large iron wok, leaving the leaves glossy. The Shanghai Friendship Store has had such an exhibition at its tea section on the ground floor in recent weeks. Green tea, in general, has a slightly sweet taste and pleasant aroma. A cup of fine green tea should be crystal clear with a light green hue. It should not be dull. In China, the three best-known green teas are Longjing (Dragon Wel), Huangshan Maofeng( Yellow Mountain Hairpoint) and Biluochun (Green Snail Spring).

Gongfu Tea

It is a Chinese custom to treat guests with tea. However, people in east Guangdong and south Fujian have a special way of preparing tea, called gongfu tea.
The tea sets from making gongfu tea are very small. The pottery teapot is as big as a fist and the white and transparent teacups are as small as tiny liqueur glasses. In addition they use a small charcoal stove, a small water kettle and a porcelain base for holding tea sets. Spring or well water is the best for making gongfu tea. Water is boiled with olive stones, which give out high flames and the delicate fragrance of olives. Before making tea, first the teapot is cleaned with bo

iled water to get rid of the remaining tea flavour in the pot and make better tea with a warm teapot. Then a big handful of tealeaves is put into the teapot till they almost reach its rim. After the water is boiled, one must lift the kettle high to pour hot water into the teapot. The water is continually poured even when it overflows, so as to get rid of impure materials and foam, and to make mellow tea. After the lid is put on the teapot, boiling water is poured onto the teapot. In this way, the tea will swell in no time. A few minutes later, the tea can be poured into the cups, which are arranged in a circle. The way to pour tea is special. It is poured with a circular motion into each cup. In this way, the colour and consistency of the tea in all the cups are the same. To avoid creating foam and scattering the fragrance of tea, the teapot should be held close to the teacups. When the tea is ready, the teacups are presented to guests and elders with both hands.
It is mentally refreshing to see the yellow and limpid tea and smell its delicate fragrance. The

first sip seems slightly bitter, but a while later, the sweetness of the tea can be savoured. Wulong (black dragon) tea is the best variety for making gongfu tea. Half fermented, Wulong tea is as mellow as black tea and as refreshing and sweet as green tea, complete with lingering aftertaste.
According to research, Wulong teahelps prevent and cure illnesses, prolong life and prevent arteriosclerosis and cancer. Guangdong's Wulong tea comes from Anxi in Fujian Province. Legend has it that the first cultivator of the tea was named Wu Liang. One day, Wu Liang went home after he had picked several pounds of mountain tea and caught a river deer. In the evening, he was busy with killing the river deer, and didn't have enough time to dry the green tea. The next day, he found the tea in the basket had fermented on the way back and af

ter having been stored in the basket the whole night.
He fried the tea at once. To his surprise, he found that the tea tasted very mellow, with no bitter and astringent taste. Soon Wu Liang taught his fellow villagers how to make the tea. Almost everyone in his village liked the fermented tea and they named it Wu Liang tea. In the south Fujian dialect, liang and long are two homophonic words. As time went by the tea was called Wulong tea by later generations.

Advantages of Tea-Drinking
Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to have their after meal cup of tea.
In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason, tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locales to meet and chat over a cup of tea.

Medically, the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tannic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China. A popular proverb among them says, "Rather go without salt for three days than without tea for a single day."

Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers, it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wining, strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up.
The above, however, does not go to say that the stronger the tea, the more advantages it will yield. Too much tannic acid will affect the secretion of the gastric juice, irritate the membrane of the stomach and cause indigestion or constipation. Strong tea taken just before bedtime will give rise to occasional insomnia. Constant drinking of over-strong tea may induce heart and blood-pressure disorders in some people, reduce the milk of a breast-feeding mother, and put a brown colour on the teeth of young people. But it is not difficult to ward off these undesirable effects: just don't make your tea too strong.

Tea Drinking in the Palace
Tea has been the chief drink in China since ancient times, and tea drinking has been a custom for almost as long. Tea was popular in the Tang Dynasty.

(the Hall of Literary Glory), Chonghua Palace (the Hall of Double Glory) or Qianqing Palace (the Hall of Heavenly Purity).
Upon entering the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace, one came to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. East of the Gate of Supreme Harmony was an external courtyard that contained three buildings: The main hall, called the Hall of Literary Glory, was in front, the Hall of Main Respect was in the middle, and the Imperial Library was in the back. It was in these buildings that the Qing Dynasty emperors honoured Confucius, listened to lectures with their ministers, and kept the Four Collections of Books. They were the cultural centre of the Forbidden City, and tea was served whenever the emperors attended lectures.
As early as the Ming Dynasty, it became an important rite for tea to be served in the Hall of Literary Glory when the emperors listened to lectures. The Ming Dynasty emperors and their ministers attended lectures in this hall three times a month. A lecturer spoke first about literature, then about classics, and last about history. After the lecture, the emperor gave tea to the lecturer and his ministers. Tea was served so the lecturer could moisten his throat, but more importantly, as a symbol to encourage education.

Teapots
It is said that if you use a Yixing teapot for many years, you can brew tea just by pouring boiling water into the empty pot.
This is just one of the many wonderful properties of these poetic little teapots. For hundreds of years, aficionados of the many varieties of tea found in China have extolled Yixing (pronounced yeeshing) teapots as superior to all other types for brewing it.

Yizing Teapots

The special zisha clay (containing iron, quartz and mica, and found only in Yixing) from which they are made absorbs the delicate flavors of the tea and the teapot becomes more seasoned with each use.
Yixing ware teapots have an interesting history that dates back to the Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279) when purple clay was first mined around Lake Taihu in China. Their unpretentious earthy tones and subtle beauty flourished and matured in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1573 - 1911). Along with the earliest tea shipments to Europe came distinctive red earthenware teapots, initiating a tea drinking tradition that continues today. A traditional favourite of local scholars and artists, the pots are made from the signature clay of Yixing, an area situated 120 miles northwest of Shanghai in Jiangsu province. In the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, scholars variously praised, made, inscribed and collected this renowned classic Chinese art form. Now as then, each piece is shaped by hand on a potter's wheel and left unglazed, both because it makes better tea and because doing so allows the colour of the clay to shine through.

Highly prized for its porous nature, which is excellent at absorbing the flavour of tea, Yixing clay occurs naturally in three characteristic colours: light buff, cinnabar red and purplish brown. Other colours are created by mixing these three or adding mineral pigments; for example, the dusty black colour is obtained by mixing in cobalt oxide and the blue color is made by mixing in magnesium oxide.

Traditionally, Yixing pots were small so that each person might have their own. The tiny cups were proportionate to the pots, so that drinking 100 miniature cups a day might not be considered excessive.
One of the special attributes of a zisha teapot is its ability to retain heat. Minute pores produced in the clay during firing retain both heat and flavour, and the low shrinkage rate of Yixing clay allows the skilful potter to make a closely-fitting lid that inhibits oxidation thus heightening the tea's flavour.
The Yixing teapot is free of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other toxic materials. Because of the unique properties of the Yixing clays, Yixing ware is unlike other unglazed earthenware teapots. The Yixing teapot has a fine and solid texture, a four percent water absorption rate, a very low thermal conductivity, and a double air hole design which enhances the pot's brewing properties. The principal standards for evaluating a teapot's brewing quality are the colour of the tea soup produced and the level of tea phenol, caffeine, and aminophylline. The performance of the Yixing teapot is far superior to that of the standard teapot with respect to all four of these criteria. Hence, not only are Yixing teapots beautiful and unique works of art, but they are excellent brewing vessels.
With use, Yixing teapots develop a rich patina enhancing the taste, colour, and aroma of fine tea. The more you use your teapot, the better it gets. The teapot's appearance will change with age and use; its surface will become more glossy and the colour will intensify.
A zisha pot should never be used for more than one type of tea, lest the flavour be compromised. A new teapot, since it is unglazed, is considered raw. To prepare your teapot for use, first inspect the pot's interior bottom for any remaining sandy residue that may not have been removed after manufacture, and rinse it out. Second, the cleaned pot must be cured prior to using it for preparing tea. The classic curing method requires many extended infusions of the same type of tea that is destined for use in the pot. Brew at least three or four separate pots of tea, allowing the curing infusion to remain in the pot for no more than one-half hour before discarding the infusion. This process removes the clay taste from the new pot. Oils from the tea leaves fill in the pores of the fired clay. If the pot has been selected for a particularly high quality grade of tea, it is important to avoid curing it with a lower grade. The surface of a new pot quickly absorbs flavour characteristics, and a low quality tea may permanently affect the pot's performance.

To prepare your teapot for use, first inspect the pot's interior bottom for any remaining sandy residue that may not have been removed after manufacture, and rinse it out. Second, the cleaned pot must be cured prior to using it for preparing tea. The classic curing method requires many extended infusions of the same type of tea that is destined for use in the pot. Brew at least three or four separate pots of tea, allowing the curing infusion to remain in the pot for no more than one-half hour before discarding the infusion. This process removes the clay taste from the new pot. Oils from the tea leaves fill in the pores of the fired clay. If the pot has been selected for a particularly high quality grade of tea, it is important to avoid curing it with a lower grade. The surface of a new pot quickly absorbs flavour characteristics, and a low quality tea may permanently affect the pot's performance.

To pre-heat the pot for tea drinking, first fill with hot water and drain. Place one teaspoon of loose tea (enough for two or three refills) into the pre-heated pot, then fill with boiling water. Let it steep for about one minute and enjoy. The quality of your tea infusions and the beauty of your teapot will only increase with use.

Jade teapots
The word "jade" communicates a sense of mystery. In Chinese, "jade" (yu) refers to a fine, beautiful stone with a warm colour and rich lustre, that is skilfully and delicately carved. In Chinese culture, jade symbolizes nobility, perfection, constancy, and immortality. They believed that one of their eight immortals, Ho Hsien-Ku, gained eternal life by taking a powder of pulverized jade and mother-of-pearl. For millennia, jade has been an intimate part of the lives of Chinese of all ranks and classes. It is viewed as the most valuable of all precious stones.
Jade is found in mountains and riverbeds, and Chinese consider jade to be "the essence of heaven and earth." When polished and carved into various articles, jade is attributed with certain cultural characteristics. In ancient Chinese cosmology, the firmament was considered to be round, and the earth square. Thus a round jade ceremonial ornament with a hole in the centre, called a bi, was carved to honour the gods of heaven, and a long hollow jade ornament with rectangular sides, called a cong, was made to honour the spirits of earth. According to ancient Chinese legend, the phoenix and the dragon are animal deities that were the life-source of family clans. For this reason, jade was often used as a material for carving phoenixes and dragons worn as ornaments. These ornaments symbolized the noble bearing of a gentleman, and are the origin of the Chinese saying: "The gentleman's morals are like jade."

Jade refers to two minerals, nephrite and jadeite, which vary in chemical composition but are not obviously different in appearance. Both minerals may vary in colour from a translucent greyish-white to yellowish hues, into the rarer brown and violet. The popular bright green jade of which beads, jewels and larger objects are usually made is jadeite.
Jade ornaments have remained popular up until the present day. Today in the Republic of China, the purchase, wearing, and giving of jade items as gifts is still very common. Jade is viewed as an ideal gift for couples making a mutual commitment, and for one's children when they get married. Even now, the Chinese retain the idea that in addition to being beautiful, jade can protect from misfortune and bring good luck.

Care and Use
To assure the longevity of a jade teapot please follow these basic guidelines:

Use the jade teapot to brew tea, not as a stove-top kettle.
Do not scrub the jade teapot with abrasive pads or use harsh detergents. Simply rinse it with plain water and wipe it dry after each use.
By following these guidelines, your jade teapot will provide many years of enjoyment.

Teapots from Taiwan

There are also famous teapots from Taiwan. These pots are not made from the Yixing clai and don't have the special attribute of the Yixing pots but they are famous for there beautiful form and colour.

To Live and Die in Teahouses
Text: Chen Jin

A funeral procession halts in front of a teahouse. The son of the deceased makes a cup of tea, and puts it in front of his father's memorial tablet. Then the family all fall to their knees and mourn, it turns out the departed has been a frequent customer of the teahouse, and his family brings him there to sip his last cup of tea.
Such is the attachment of "Tea Guests" in Sichuan, where tea originated, towards tea and their teahouses, which rivals, if not exceeds, the Parisian's passion for their café s and petit noir. As Chengdu becomes more modernized, traditional teahouses are replaced by modern and artistic looking ones. Despite the change in outlook, the sentiment & indulgence however, die hard. Here is a real story...

He lived as a tea guest, and died as one.

Thought my grandfather has passed away for years, the time I drank morning tea with him is still fresh in my memory.
Many years ago I went back to my hometown in Guanxian County, Sichuan Province. One morning my grandpa asked me to accompany him to a teahouse. It was still dark. There were only a few pedestrians on the street but the teahouse was already bustling. It seemed that all people in the town started their days in teahouses.
Grandpa sat down in the same seat he had occupied for years, and began sipping tea from a bowl with a cover. Grandpa was a reserved man. Only at the teahouse would his eyes reflect his contentment in life.

Almost everyone in Sichuan frequents teahouses. And the devoted would regard teahouses as their homes and an essential part of their lives. They have no problem eating less food and taking less sleep, but there is no compromise in the matter of visiting teahouses. If they are too busy to stay for long, they try to squeeze in some time in the middle of the day. My Grandpa was one of them.
Each day at four or five in early morning, he would go to his teahouse, regardless of the weather. He used to sit there until eight or nine o'clock, and then went home for breakfast. After taking a short nap after lunch, he would go to the teahouse again, and stayed there until sunset. If Grandma didn't send for him, he would just stay where he was.

Three Types of "Tea Guests"

According to my observations, there are three types of tea guests: the pragmatists, the hedonists and the leisure-drinkers.

The first type of tea guests goes to teahouses because they need to. They don't cook at home, and rely on teahouses for food and drink. And some customers hold business talks at teahouses. For example, at a teahouse on Songxian Bridge, home of a famous antique market in Chengdu, all customers are into the antique business.
The Sichuan people are conservative pleasure-seekers.
The way they pursue leisure can be fully demonstrated by the second type of tea guests.

They come to teahouses to listen to stories or to chat. Some teahouses have their own opera troupes, which give performances every afternoon. Most of the audiences are regular customers. Other Chinese folk art forms such as ballad singing, storytelling, comic dialogues, and cross talks take turns to perform at large teahouses.

The hedonists also come to teahouses to play mahjong. Mahjong was not invented by the Sichuan people, but it's the most popular recreation in the province. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, is also known as "the capital of mahjong." Yet, a few years ago, the Chengdu Municipal Government, in order to protect the image of the city, issued a decree prohibiting the playing of mahjong in public area, including the riverside teahouses. But the mahjong-crazed tea guests were not balked. Today special teahouses for mahjong lovers can be found in every street and lane in Sichuan.

The third kind of customer comes to the teahouse neither for eating, doing business, nor seeking entertainment. They simply can't live without teahouses (my grandpa certainly belonged to this group). And they come to the teahouse to drink "leisure tea". In the special teahouses for drinking "leisure tea", customers just sit by the table, sipping their cups of tea quietly. By doing so, they attain to a state of leisure, comparable to the Taoist ideal.

Last Cup of Tea

Since the 1980s, I have become a member of the teahouse world.
In the beginning, my sole aim was just taking pictures. Now I get along with the tea guests as equals, rather than as a photographer or "novelty hunter" on a commanding position, and feel and act like them.
Not long ago I went to a teahouse in Shou'an Town, Wenjiang, where I saw an event that I will never forget. All ten tables were occupied. Some tea guests were playing cards or mahjong; some drinking tea or chatting. The teahouse was full of a strong smell of tobacco amid the noise of local dialects. A customer's songbird began singing, making the teahouse more vibrant.
All of a sudden, I heard funeral music from afar. Soon I saw a funeral procession of nearly 100 people coming. The procession stopped in front of the teahouse. A person took a table and a chair out of the teahouse and put it in the centre of the street. Then he made a cup of hot tea and put it in front of the memorial tablet of the deceased. All his family members fell to their knees in front of the table. It turned out the deceased was a frequenter of the teahouse. Before he was buried, he was served his last cup of tea in this world.
What's a tea guest? That man was one. He lived as a tea guest, and died as one. At the Qingming Festival (the day when people pay respect to their departed relatives and friends) next year, I shall make a cup of tea for him.

Seeking Teahouses in Chengdu

Genuinely traditional teahouses are rare in the urban area of Chengdu. Some of them are still running their business in the countryside, some 40-50 km from the downtown. They may be found in: the Shou'anchang Town and Tashuichang Town in Wenjiang County, the Baijiachang Town in Shuangliu County, the Amen Town and Tangchang Town in Dayi County.

In Chendu:
Heming Teahouse
Address: in the People's Park located in the centre of the city.
Comment: The teahouse has a long history. During the old days, it was a recruit centre for teachers. Unemployed teachers and those who were looking for teachers came there in holidays. Today it has become one of the most popular resorts in Chengdu.

Wenshuyuan (Manjusri Temple) Teahouse
Address: on Wenshuyuan Street at the north end of the city.
Comment: It's an outdoor teahouse. It got its name because it's attached to the Manjusri Temple, a famous Zen Buddhist temple in Chengdu. Most of the customers are pilgrims. Many citizens also come there to confirm the old Zen saying: "The taste of tea and that of Zen are the same".

Yuelai Teahouse
Address: on Xinghua Centre Street in the centre of the city.
Comment: The teahouse is an "old nest' of Sichuan Opera. Built in 1909, it's the birthplace of the legendary troupe "Sanqinghui". Today it's still the meeting place for actors and lovers of Sichuan Opera. A play is staged in every Saturday afternoon. A variety of Quyi (Chinese folk art forms such as ballad singing, storytelling, comic dialogues and cross talks) are performed on weekdays.

Badiao Teahouse
Address: on the 5th floor of the Huangcheng Laoma Hotpot Restaurant on North Erhuan Road.
Comment: The teahouse is attached to Huangcheng Laoma, the most famous hotpot restaurant in Chengdu. The spacious interior imitates well the traditional Sichuan teahouses. It also focuses on the cultural aspects of tea: one can read classic tea books and watch local performances of Chado (the Tea Ceremony) there.