Text B Tea Culture in China
导 读
中国茶文化是中国制茶、饮茶的文化。作为开门七件事（柴米油盐酱醋茶）之一，饮茶在古代中国是非常普遍的。中国的茶文化与欧美或日本的茶文化的分别很大。中华茶文化源远流长，博大精深，不但包含物质文化层面，还包含深厚的精神文明层次。唐代“茶圣”陆羽的《茶经》在历史上吹响了中华茶文化的号角。从此茶的精神渗透了宫廷和社会，深入中国的诗词、绘画、书法、宗教、医学。几千年来中国不但积累了大量关于茶叶种植、生产的物质文化，更积累了丰富的有关茶的精神文化，这就是中国特有的茶文化，属于文化学范畴。
Why the Name TEA
In Chinese dialects,pronunciation of “tea” is divided into two classes based on phonetic similarity.In mandarin,“tea” is “CHA”; in Xiamenese (FuJian Province),“tea” is “TAY”.
CHA and TAY had different time and routes spreading out to the rest of the world.
It dates back to the fifth century that CHA went beyond the Chinese border.Japanese simply use the Chinese character of tea for tea.In Persia,tea was CHA and then later evolved into CHAI in Arabic,CHAY in Turkish and CHAI in Russian.Tea was also brought to India,Sri Lanka,Pakistan,and Bangladesh where it’s called CHA.
TAY started spreading later than CHA but had reached much further than CHA did.Near the end of the Ming Dynasty,1644 A.D.,British merchants set up trading posts in Xiamen and came into contact with Chinese tea.What the Xiamen people called TAY,the British spelled as TEA.“Tea” has later become widely accepted by the English-speaking world.The French and the German TEE are also descendants of TAY.
Tea Production
A new tea-plant must grow for five years before its leaves can be picked and,at 30 years of age,it will be too old to be productive.The trunk of the old plant must then be cut off to force new stems to grow out of the roots in the coming year.By repeated rehabilitations in this way,a plant may serve for about 100 years.
For the fertilization of tea gardens,soya-bean cakes or other varieties of organic manure are generally used,and seldom chemical fertilizers.When pests are discovered,the affected plants will be removed to prevent their spread,and also to avoid the use of pesticides.
The season of tea-picking depends on local climate and varies from area to area.On the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou,where the famous green tea Longjing (Dragon Well) comes from,picking starts from the end of March and lasts through October,altogether 20～30 times from the same plants at intervals of seven to ten days.With a longer interval,the quality of the tea will deteriorate.
A skilled woman picker can only gather 600 grams (a little over a pound) of green tea leaves in a day.
The new leaves must be parched in tea cauldrons.This work,which used to be done manually,has been largely mechanized.Top-grade Dragon well tea,however,still has to be stir-parched by hand,doing only 250 grams every half hour.The tea-cauldrons are heated electrically to a temperature of about 250 centigrade degrees or 740 centigrade degrees.It takes four pounds of flesh leaves to produce one pound of parched tea.
For the grinding,parching,rolling,shaping and drying of other grades of tea various machines have been developed and built,turning out about 100 kilograms of finished tea an hour and relieving the workers from much of their drudgery.
Chinese Tea Sets
Chinese tea culture has a long history and rich contents.And tea sets are considered as one of the inseparable parts of the tea culture.
In terms of the material,tea sets can be divided into such types as metal,porcelain,purple sand,lacquer,wood and bamboo etc.The gilded tea set possessed by Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty unearthed from the Famen Temple in Shaanxi Province is a rare treasure of metal tea sets.Purple sand sets are believed to be most suitable for tea brewing.The purple sand tea sets produced in Yixing have proved the favorite among tea drinkers.The Yixing tea sets are characterized by their diverse styles,different forms and high cultural taste.These features made the tea sets stand out among all others in the world in ancient times.Later generations summarized the top three features of the tea sets as “retaining flavor in brewing,keeping color in storing and maintaining taste in hot summer”.
A good tea set makes good collector’s item,because it embodies the beauty of ancient Chinese sculptures,paintings and colors.At the same time,it’s an ideal carrier of culture.Tea drinking is a leisurely lifestyle and mindset.It’s great fun to get together,drinking tea and appreciating tea sets.The special interest ancient people had in tea sets reflected their pursuit of casual and quality life.
Chinese Tea Drinking Method
The Brew
The young and tender tea leaves are placed in a shallow,flat iron vessel.Water is added and boiled at a slow pace.The mixture is then drained into a large tea pot and the brew is poured into small tea cups or flat tea bowls.The tea is to be sipped slowly,inhaling the aroma of the tea leaves.
Types
White,green and black tea comes from one plant called Camellia sinensis.These tea leaves are categorized into four types depending on texture,color and aroma.White tea is made out of nascent fresh leaves,which are picked when the plant’s buds are opening.Green teas acquire the natural color and aroma of the tea plant as the tea leaves are not fermented and processed.
Color and Scented Teas
Red tea is popular in Asian countries of India,Malaysia,etc.This kind of tea is grown on the hillsides in the countryside of Hangzhou.An offshoot of red tea is black tea,which is also known as silky green tea owing to its silky texture.Popular black teas include Bo lei and Luk on.Oolong teas are partially fermented green tea leaves and are often used to make scented teas.Scented teas are made by mixing green tea leaves with flower petals and scents at the fermentation stage.These include rose and jasmine tea.
Health Benefits
Tea has digestive benefits.It cleans the colon and intestines of toxins.Tea also helps nicotine to be flushed out of the human body at a slow pace.This stops smoking yearnings and helps smokers in their long-term therapy trying to quit.
A Health Drink
Tea is a natural health drink comprised of vitamins,minerals,oils and fluoride.This composition helps skin pallor and improves eyesight.
Chinese Tea House
Tea house (Chaguan),a special place for the Chinese to have tea,is very popular in the Yangtze River area; it is mostly called tea house (Chalou) in provinces like Guangdong,Guangxi and Hainan,and is called tea pavilion (Chating) in Beijing and Tianjin of north China.Historically,there are some other names for it,such as Chaliao,Chafang,Chasi,Chashe,Chayuan,Chawu and Chashi.Although these names vary,the forms and contents are basically the same.
The tea booth (Chatan) and small tea house (Chaliao) existed long before in China.During the Song Dynasty,Chasi and Chafang,where tea was sold,were already ubiquitous.The tea shop industry was further developed in the Ming Dynasty.At the same time,the business of selling big bowls of tea began prosperous in Beijing and was included as a formal industry into 360 industries.During the Qing Dynasty,since the Manchu aristocracy often spent their time in tea houses,they become important activity places for people from all walks of life,such as high officials,merchants and underlings.To the Chinese people,tea houses,similar to the cafes in western countries,are social places where various kinds of social information are gathered and spread and where customers taste tea and talk about birds,news and daily things.In order to attract customers,stages are built in some tea houses to play tom-tom,Storytelling (Pingshu) and Beijing opera,making these tea houses amusement places.The drama Tea House,written by the famous Chinese writer Lao She,revealed vividly the unstable society of the last phase of the Qing Dynasty through describing various kinds of people’s words and behaviors in a tea house.
The rise of tea house is closed related with Chinese tea culture.After several thousand years of development,the tea house has become a part of life for the Chinese people.Now,people who come to Beijing will be attracted to those famous tea houses to experience Chinese tea culture.
Tea Ceremony
Tea ceremony belongs to oriental culture.What oriental culture differs from western culture is that there is no scientific and exact definition for it.Instead,people need to be close to it and understand it through their own existence.The word “Tea Ceremony” can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty in China,e.g.“as for theory of Hong Jian which was refined extensively,tea ceremony was popularized” in The Record of What Mr.Feng Sees and Hears.Liu Zhenliang in the Tang Dynasty had put forward explicitly in Ten Virtues in Drinking Tea,“Tea brings Tao and Elegance.” The word “Tea Ceremony” has been used for over 1,000 years since the Tang Dynasty,but this entry still can not be found in reference books such as Xinhua Dictionary,Word-Ocean Dictionary and Etymology till now.So,what is tea ceremony?
Mr.Wu Juenong thought,tea ceremony is “to regard tea as precious and gracious drink while drinking tea is a spiritual enjoyment,an art or a means of cultivating the moral character and nourishing the nature”.
Mr.Zhuang Wanfang thought,tea ceremony is a kind of ceremony to teach people about the law and discipline of rite as well as moral cultivation by means of drinking tea.Mr.Zhuang Wanfang also summarized the basic spirit of Chinese tea ceremony as,“honour,beauty,harmony and respect” and explained,“cultivating morality,being honest and money saving,in order to conduct oneself in society harmoniously and honestly,and to respect and love people”.
Mr.Chen Xiangbai thought,Chinese tea ceremony includes seven philosophical connotations listing as tea art,tea morality,tea rite,tea principle,tea feeling,tea science and tea ceremony guidance.The essence of Chinese tea ceremony spirit is harmony.Chinese tea ceremony is to regard tea as a process that guides individuals to move towards and finish moral cultivation,thus to realize harmonious and peace between human beings.Tea ceremony theory of Mr.Chen Xiangbai can be simplified as,“seven arts in one heart”.
While Mr.Zhou Zuoren explained tea ceremony leisurely as,“To put it simply,the meaning of tea ceremony is to take a break from a busy life and seek joy amidst sorrow.It is to enjoy a little beauty and harmony in an imperfect reality and taste eternity in a blink.”
Mr.Liu Hanjie,a scholar in Taiwan propose,“Tea ceremony is a method and artistic conception of drinking tea.” As a matter of fact,to define tea ceremony is a waste of time.If a definition must be determined for tea ceremony and regard it as a fixed and rigid concept,the mystique of tea ceremony will be lost.Meanwhile,it limits the imagination of tea drinkers and the mysterious feeling which comes from discovering the philosophic theory with heart will fade away.To understand the mysterious feeling of tea ceremony with heart is just like that “The moon is reflected in thousand rivers but the reflections are different from each other.” “tea ceremony” resembles the moon while people’s hearts are the rivers.Everyone who drinks tea enjoys the wonderful feeling for tea ceremony which is different from others’ in their own hearts.
Words & Expressions
1.dialect['daiəlekt] n.方言；土话；同源语；行话；个人用语特征
adj.方言的
2.mandarin['mændərin] n.国语；官话；满清官吏
adj.紧身马褂的
3.evolve[i'vɔlv] vt.发展；进化；进化；使逐步形成；推断出
vi.发展；进展；进化；逐步形成
4.spread[spred] vi.传播；伸展
vt.传播；散布；展开；伸展；铺开
n.传播；伸展
5.productive[prəu'dʌktiv] adj.能生产的；生产的；生产性的；多产的；富有成效的
6.rehabilitation['riːhə，bili'teiʃən] n.复原
7.fertilization[，fəːtilai'zeiʃən] n.［农］施肥；［胚］受精；肥沃
8.organic[ɔː'ɡænik] adj.［有化］有机的；组织的；器官的；根本的
9.pesticide['pestisaid] n.杀虫剂
10.deteriorate[di'tiəriəreit] vi.恶化；变坏
vt.恶化
11.mechanize['mekənaiz] vt.使机械化；机动化；用机械装置
12.drudgery['drʌdʒəri] n.苦工；苦差事
13.porcelain['pɔːsəlin，-lein] n.瓷；瓷器
adj.瓷制的；精美的
14.dynasty['dinəsti，'dai-] n.王朝；朝代
15.shallow['ʃæləu] adj.浅的；肤浅的
n.浅滩
vt.使变浅
vi.变浅
16.aroma[ə'rəumə] n.芳香
17.categorize['kætiɡəraiz] vt.分类
18.countryside['kʌntrisaid] n.农村；乡下；乡下的全体居民
19.toxin['tɔksin] n.毒质；毒素
20.pavilion[pə'viljən] n.大帐篷；阁；亭子；展示馆
vt.搭帐篷；置……于亭中；笼罩
21.ceremony['seriməuni] n.典礼；仪式；礼节；礼仪；客套；虚礼
22.definition[，defi'niʃən] n.定义；清晰度；解说
23.scholar['skɔlə] n.学者；奖学金获得者
24.propose[prəu'pəuz] vt.建议；打算；计划；求婚
vi.建议；打算；求婚
25.conception[kən'sepʃən] n.概念；设想；怀孕；开始
Notes
Zhou Zuoren（周作人）：Zhou Zuoren was a Chinese writer，primarily known as an essayist and a translator.He was the younger brother of Lu Xun （Zhou Shuren），the second of three brothers.
Exercises
I.Fill in each of the following blanks with the most suitable word given below.Change the form if necessary.
temperature etiquette process engage originate
1.The Jade Dew Tea,_______from the Tang Dynasty and popular during the Qing Dynasty,is one of the very few types of steamed green teas in China.
2.The fresh tealeaves can only be________from early April to early May with tealeaves steamed first and then rolled,dried and picked totally by hand.
3.During the process of making the tea,the tea makers have to stand for a long time and have hands bear high________.
4.Li Zongmeng and Lei Yuangui,professional Jade Dew Tea makers,have been________in manually making the tea for 40 years here.
5.Chinese people have always been known for their guest receiving customs of “Making tea when guests visit”,which is a reflection of Chinese civilization and________.
II.Decide whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
1.In Chinese dialects,pronunciation of “tea” is divided into three classes based on phonetic similarity.( )
2.The new leaves must be parched in tea cauldrons.( )
3.Tea also helps nicotine to be flushed out of the human body at a quick pace.( )
4.Tea house (Chaguan),a special place for the Chinese to have tea,is very popular in the Yangtze River area.( )
III.Reading Comprehension.
Passage A
When I was in Chengdu,I saw teahouses everywhere on the streets.There is a saying that China has the best teahouses in the world and Chengdu has the best teahouses in China.It really has a well-deserved reputation,not only because of the numerous teahouses,but also because the special way of serving and drinking tea.
As soon as the guests enter the teahouse,the waiters or waitresses greet them with a smile on their faces and with teapots and cups in their hands.After the guests have sat down they set the cups on the table and pour the water from behind the guests or from above their heads.When the cups are almost full,the waiters or waitresses raise their hands high suddenly,but not a drop of water is spilled.
The cups which look like antiques have covers and saucers.The cup sitting on the saucer looks like a boat floating on the water,hence the name of “the tea-boat”.The cover keeps the water warm and also adjusts the steeping speed of the tea.If you want to drink it immediately after the tea has been made,you can use the cover to strain the tea.So the tea can be soaked well quickly and then it can be drunk.Or the tea can be drunk with the cover on the cup.In this way the tea leaves won’t go into the mouth.
People who go to the teahouses are not really thirsty.Retired people pay 20 cents to go to the teahouse and sit there all day long to chat with each other.Sometimes,people bring guests to the teahouses.They eat melon or sunflower seeds while they chat and return home when they are tired of sitting there.
Teahouses are also places for people from various businesses and organizations to get together to hold trade talks or make deals.In recent years,more and more people go to teahouses for business talks.Some of the teahouses also have theatrical performances,such as storytelling,crosstalk (comic dialogue) and Sichuan opera.
( )1.Which province is the best Chinese teahouse located in?
A.Jiangsu B.Yunnan C.Sichuan D.Zhejiang
( )2.What will the waiters or waitress do when the customers have sat down?
A.The waiters or waitresses greet them with a smile on their faces and with teapots and cups in their hands.
B.They set the cups on the table and pour the water from behind the guests or from above their heads.
C.They won’t do anything.
D.They will give the menu to the customers.
( )3.In recent years,why do more and more people go to teahouse?
A.For business talks
B.Just for fun
C.To play cards
D.To meet old friends
Passage B
Lushan Cloud-fog Tea is a sort of top-quality green tea produced in Lushan Mountain,Jiangxi Province.It is named after the production place.Lushan Mountain is featured by high altitude,great seasonal temperature difference,strong irradiation of ultraviolet,cloud and mist suffusion in half a year,and murmuring spring.This environment offers advantageous growing conditions for tea trees and facilitates the compounding of aromatic substances in them,thus contributing to the top quality of Lushan Cloud-fog Tea.
Made of tender shoots,Lushan Cloud-fog Tea is characterized by elegant and prominent appearance,unveiled silver pekoe,jade green color and luster,lingering fragrance,fresh and sweet savor,as well as long-lasting aftertaste.The liquor is abundant in tea polyphenol,leaf extract and long-lasting intense fragrance,with the content of tea alkaloid and vitamin C higher than that of common types of tea.
It is said that monks living on the Lushan Mountain began to plant tea trees on the mountain early in the Eastern Han Dynasty 1,800 years ago.The period around Qing Ming Festival is the high time for picking tea leaves,the raw material of Lushan Cloud-fog Tea.The most precious Lushan Cloud-fog Tea is “Mingqian Tea” which is made of tea leaves picked prior to the Qing Ming Festival when spring just comes back and the shoots are extremely tender.The picked shoots must be processed on the same day with multiple working procedures.One kilogram finished tea requires over 0.1 million tender shoots.
( )4.Where does Lushan Cloud-fog Tea come from?
A.Suzhou B.Shanghai
C.Nanjing D.Jiangxi Province
( )5.According to legend,who first planted the tea trees on the Lushan Mountain?
A.Monks living on the Lushan Mountain
B.Common people living on the Lushan Mountain
C.Officials in Jiangxi Province
D.No one