The Chinese Tea Ritual

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The Chinese Tea Ritual

Associated to Place: Longjing Teahouse & Gardens > articles -- by * Jia Li Shen Chi (113 Articles), General Article

The first cup of tea moistens my lips and throat. The second shatters my lonliness. The third causes the wrongs of life to fade gently from my recollection. The fourth purifies my soul. The fifth lifts me to the realms of the unwinking gods.

~ Anonymous Chinese Mystic, Tang Dynasty

In China, serving tea became a ritual during which it was steeped in front of guests, in individual cups fitted with lids that were raised just enough to let the tea flow without allowing the leaves to escape. Each cup brewed with the same leaves was thought to be superior to the previous ones, and each pouring invited more ceremony and more compliments.

The host belittled the quality of his tea, even if it was the finest in all of China, while the guests insisted each new cup was superior to any they had tasted.

(To be continued.)

Heilong Tan

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The Chinese Tea Ritual

For All the Tea In China

Posted Feb 5, 2007 - 04:05 , Last Edited: Feb 5, 2007 - 19:29