Reported by: ZENG Xiaowen
Photographed by: SUN Huanyu
Translated by: GAO Yang
Edited by: Jennifer Taylor
Updated: 2013/4/21
On March 15, Heilongjiang Tea Art Teacher Association Chairman and a national level tea taster YU Linghan visited the Xin Ji Forum, a HIT student association, which mainly organizes lectures for freshmen in HIT. Chairman YU gave a lecture about “Making Tea and Tea Culture”, which showed his exquisite tea-making skills and profound knowledge about tea culture.
At the beginning of the lecture, Chairman YU introduced some basic knowledge about tea. The types of tea include green tea, black tea, dark tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, scented tea and Pu’er tea. Tea can be described by a wide range of different features. He described each type of tea. The tastes of different tea will bring people different feelings.
The output of green tea is one of the highest in China. Green tea leaves are directly roasted in a roasting pan after being dried to stop fermentation, and maintain its brightly green color. Some green tea is flat in shape, such as the West Lake Longjing Tea, which smells sweet, tastes mellow and looks beautiful. Black tea is different from the green tea. Black tea is fully fermented, and the name “black tea” is derived from its red-colored tea liquor. Black tea includes Anhui Keemun black tea, Yunnan Dianhong black tea, Hubei Xuanhong black tea, and Sichuan Chuanhong black tea. Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea. While the leaves are drying, the edges of the bruised leaves turn reddish in color and the surface becomes light yellow due to fermentation and oxidation. Because of that feature, the oolong tea is called “green leaves and red edges”. Wu yi Da Hong Pao tea is one of the most famous oolong teas. It has sweet aroma like green tea and tastes mellow like black tea. Other types of tea are not so different from each other, and the main differences are in the processing methods.
At the event, several hostesses make a cup of tea for the audience, so that the audience and Chairman YU could experience tasting the tea. Chairman YU said, the methods of making tea included brewing, steeping with tea leaves left in the cup and steeping without tea leaves left. There were three elements involved in making tea: the amount of tea, the water temperature and the time. Normally more tea and less water made the taste strong, and less tea and more water would make it weak. A water temperature of 85 degree is appropriate, and the time duration shouldn’t be too long. He pointed out that the water temperature cannot be too high, and alternated the left and right hands to extend the tea leaves completely.
Chairman YU told the audience about the supreme art of the tea ceremony. The tea ceremony was an art of tasting the aesthetics of tea. Tea ceremony was also regarded as an art of living of making and tasting tea, and a life style of self-cultivation by tea. It can help people to enhance friendships, cultivate morality and learn etiquette by making tea, appreciating tea, smelling tea and drinking tea. The spirit of the tea ceremony is the core and the soul of the tea culture.
Tea culture, which originated from China, is both extensive and profound with a long history. It is the treasure of the Chinese nation. LU Yu, who lived in Tang Dynasty, said in The Classic of Tea, “Tea as a beverage originated with Shennong.” Tea as a product of nature, is influenced deeply by nature, and the beautiful natural scenery causes the excellent features of tea. It is bitter first and then sweet. Its features of being thrifty, indifferent to fame and wealth, peaceful and respectful to others, and healthy are exactly matched with Chinese thoughts that are bitter first and sweet later, gentle and humble, quiet and indifferent to fame and wealth and scrupulously abide by their duties. Those are Chinese favorite features. In international communication, tea culture is a major part which cannot be ignored.
In the interactive session, some students asked Chairman YU’s questions about the tea ceremony, tasting tea and the way of keeping good health, and Chairman YU answered modestly, “I am not a master, and my ability of tasting tea hasn’t reached the state of health benefits. I think the highest state of tasting tea is a kind of experience, and 90% of my life is tea.” Finally, Chairman YU said, “Tea ceremony is an art, a culture and a way of life. I hope we can inherit and develop it, and taste the perception and the true meaning of the life.”
Chairman YU gives a lecture
Making Tea
Making Tea
