Chinese Tea Culture

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Chinese people like to drink tea, and often entertain friends and guests with it. They are the first to discover the tea leaf and have ben drinking tea in nany varieties ever since.

Chinese tea may be classified into four tpes according to the different methods by which it is processed. Green tea keps the original color of the tea leaves without fermentation during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing, Maofeng and Biluochun. Black tea is fermented before baking; it is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea.0olong tea represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, made after partial fermentation. Scented tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers inthe tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine tea and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-kmon favorite with the northerners of China and with a growing pumber of foreigners.

Different tea-drinking customs in arious parts of China make up the rich Chinese tea culture. Among the customs,a host willonly fill a teacup to seven-tenths of its capacity. It is said that the other three-tenths will be filled with friendship and affection.

Moreover, the teacup should be eptied in three gulps.

Tea plays an iportant role in Chinese social life. Tea is always offered to a guest imediately upon entering a Chinese home.

Serving a cup of tea is more than a matter of mere politeness. It is a symbol of togetherness,a sharing of something enjoyable, and a way of showing respect to visitors. In some areas of China, it might be considered rude not to take at least a sip.

Although there has been an increasing amount of literature about tea in recent years, such literature is certainly not new. During the Song dynasty, Lu Yu, who is known as the “Tea Sage”, wrote the Tea Scripture. This scripture describes in detail the processes of planting tea bushes, picking tea leaves and preparing leaves for brewing.

Chinese prefer pottery wares to wares made of metal or other materials. The best choice is the purple clay wares made in Yixing and Jingdezhen. The purple clay gives the ware their internationally-known purple color.

Drinking tea can quench one’s thirst, dispel fatigue, help digestion and prevent some diseases. The constant drinking of tea is quite beneficial to people’s health.