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A tea salon at the Chinese embassy enlightens

By YIFAN XU in Washington | China Daily Global | Updated: 2023-05-23 10:17
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A tea artist performs a Chinese tea ceremony for guests at the Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon event at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Saturday. YIFAN XU / CHINA DAILY

Hundreds of people from all walks of life tasted Chinese tea, learned about tea culture and experienced other intangible cultural heritage during a salon at the Chinese embassy.

The Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon event was hosted on Sunday by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese embassy.

Sipping the fragrant tea, watching the elaborate tea ceremony and getting to learn about a variety of tea leaves and tea ware, people in Washington experienced the unique charm of Chinese tea culture in an immersive way.

May 21 was established as International Tea Day in a resolution adopted by the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in December 2019.

The composition of the Chinese character for "tea" reveals three parts: grass on top, people in the middle, and wood at the bottom. This character illustrates "people living in nature", according to an explanation by Xu Xueyuan, embassy chargé d'affaires, at the salon.

In her speeches, Xu said that tea has thousands of years of history in China. She described tea as a gift from China to the world, a bridge for exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, an envoy of Chinese culture, and a witness to the development of US-China relations.

"At the salon today, we will have the pleasure of enjoying Da Hong Pao (Wuyi rock tea from Fujian) and revisit those beautiful episodes of win-win cooperation between our two countries," said Xu. "We sincerely hope that China and the US will join hands to bring bilateral relations back onto the track of sound and steady growth for the peace and development of the world."

The government of Quanzhou City, in East China's Fujian province, was one of the organizers of the salon. Su Gengcong, vice-mayor of Quanzhou, discussed the tea industry in Quanzhou as well as the charm of the historical, cultural city.

"Welcome to Quanzhou to experience tea tourism, appreciate tea culture and feel tea customs!" Su exclaimed.

Guests enjoyed performances by Shenandoah University, including a string ensemble, a chorus of Song of Yue Boatman, and a traditional Chinese fan dance. The artists of the Quanzhou delegation presented Nanyin music, Quanzhou Marionette (Quanzhou-style string puppet), and a tea ceremony demonstration.

The puppet wrote the Chinese characters of "tea for harmony" in the hands of the artists, which amazed the audience. Three musicians, from Shenandoah University, the Quanzhou delegation and the local community, jointly performed Big Fish with electric piano, ancient Chinese dongxiao, and Chinese zither.

They had rehearsed remotely, but the night of the salon was the first time they played together in person. Their cooperation is one of tacit agreement, perfectly reflecting the concept of harmony and bringing the event to a climax.

Before and after the performances, the guests also got to try Nanyin instruments and Quanzhou marionettes, Chinese calligraphy, and view photo exhibitions: A Magical Leaf and Quanzhou in the World, and, naturally, sample tea afterward.

Janice Deaver, one of the guests, told China Daily with an excited smile that she "enjoyed the beautiful tea ceremony and learned so many wonderful things about the tea. She (the tea presenter) showed us how to really taste it.

"My husband and I would try more Chinese tea, drink it more carefully, and enjoy it more than we ever had."

Yang Aihong, a tea artist at the Tea Culture Development Center, Anxi county, Quanzhou, said she was proud to display Chinese tea culture at the Chinese embassy in the US.

"I hope more people can understand Chinese tea culture through my performance. The audience's enthusiasm made me happy, and I really cherish the harmonious and connected atmosphere among us," she told China Daily.

Another guest, Benjy Renton, told China Daily that participating in the salon seems like "going back to China" for him. As a Washington DC resident, Renton was born and raised in Hong Kong, where his father worked.

He said he has always been interested in drinking tea, Chinese tea culture and other Chinese cultural traditions. "I believe I could go back to China soon. I miss China.

"For me, ‘Tea for Harmony' means we, the US and China, should respect, realize and cooperate with one another," Renton said, "I hope the two major countries could improve their relations as soon as possible."

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