Beijing, May 5 (Zhongxin Net) (Liu Yue) Listen to the piano, smell the incense, taste the tea, appreciate the flowers... This spring, accompanied by the fragrance of tea, the exotic people on the other side of the ocean received a unique oriental gift. On April 10, 2023, the first special event of "Tea and the World" was held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain.

"Tea and the World" Yaji, together with the Chinese and Western Culture and Tourism Year and the 2024 "Happy Spring Festival", are the key projects initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China in 2023. So far, "Tea and the World" has successively landed in Spain, Thailand, New Zealand, Sweden, and the aroma of tea has spread across the ocean, making the world fall in love at first sight - "tea is ready, welcome".

The "Tea and the World" event opened in Bangkok. Image source: Bangkok Chinese Cultural Center WeChat public account

Tea as a medium

Know and intersect with the people of the world

China is the homeland of tea, and tea is also part of Chinese life. The history of Chinese tea drinking can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty, and Gu Yanwu wrote in the "Records of Daily Knowledge": "Since the Qin people took Shu, there has been a matter of drinking tea. "Since its development, Chinese tea has a wide variety and exquisite production, and different regions and ethnic groups have formed rich and diverse tea-drinking habits and customs.

In 2022, "Traditional Chinese Tea-Making Techniques and Related Customs" was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming a common precious treasure for all mankind. Today, tea transcends history and borders, and has become an important medium for people in China and the world to know and intersect, and for exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other civilizations in the world.

At the "Tea and the World" event organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in Madrid and the Spanish Tea Culture Association, the unique Chinese tea culture experience attracted local people to actively participate. The guests first visited the "Tea Fragrance Rhyme, Taste China-Chinese Tea Culture Exhibition" held in the center, and through listening to the explanation and observing the exhibits, they had a preliminary understanding of the development and changes of Chinese tea culture.

On April 4th, the Chinese Cultural Center in Madrid held the "Tea and the World" event. Image source: Madrid Chinese Cultural Center WeChat public account

Subsequently, the Spanish Tea Culture Association introduced the "shouting mountain" tradition of Fujian tea farmers, and carefully prepared the tea art display and audience tasting activities of Fujian Changlong green tea, oolong tea and jasmine tea. Amid the melodious sound of the guqin, two tea masters demonstrated the elegant and skillful tea brewing skills and served refreshing fragrant tea to the audience. The audience carefully observed, carefully tasted, and actively asked questions about tea varieties, tea soup brewing and even the spirit of the tea ceremony.

A guest said that participating in this event not only increased tea-related knowledge, but also gained a deeper understanding of China's core values of respect for nature and harmonious coexistence.

Not only that, using tea as a medium to transmit China's unique customs and customs to the other side of the ocean is also the significance of the establishment of this event. On May 5th, the Stockholm Chinese Cultural Center laughed loudly, and the "Tea and the World" - Panda Home, Sichuan Tea Yayun tasting activity was held here. The guests who participated in the event praised the rich and colorful Chinese tea culture, and the giant pandas in Sichuan were cute and cute, and they must go to China to see pandas, taste tea, and eat the most authentic "Sichuan-style back pot meat" when they have the opportunity.

Interestingly, some guests shared with their partners at the neighboring table about "the ultimate culture of Chengdu's wide and narrow alleys", and many foreign friends expressed that they couldn't help but want to go together to see where the country of Tianfu is wide and whether there are alleys as narrow as the old town of Sweden?

Meet friends with tea

Promote friendly relations between China and foreign countries

Tea was one of the first globalized commodities. Passing through the Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road, accompanied by a burst of camel bells, Chinese tea has crossed the sea, taken root all over the world, integrated into local life, and formed a rich and diverse world tea culture.

The United Nations designates May 5 as International Tea Day, aiming to promote harmonious coexistence, sustainable development and common prosperity of all countries in the world. The friendship between countries lies in the affinity of the people, and the affinity of the people lies in the common heart. In the historical process of the development of international relations, people-to-people exchanges have always played an important role.

On the evening of May 5rd, Princess Siriwanwali of Thailand was invited by Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang and his wife to attend the "Tea and the World" event in Bangkok. The tea performance team presented the welcome tea Fujian white tea to the guests, and demonstrated the tea brewing skills and tea etiquette of West Lake Longjing and Guangdong Kung Fu Tea Phoenix Dan Cong, explaining the tea tasting methods of smelling, coloring, tasting tea and watching vessels.

The "Tea and the World" event opened in Bangkok. Image source: Bangkok Chinese Cultural Center WeChat public account

In the elegant atmosphere, the guests fully experienced the aesthetic taste and life attitude of Chinese tea culture, and felt the spiritual connotation of Chinese culture of "harmonious coexistence between man and nature". Princess Siriwanwali expressed her gratitude to Ambassador Han for the invitation, she was very happy to be a guest at the embassy and experience the rich and colorful traditional Chinese culture, Thailand-China relations are like a family, and I believe that the relationship between the two countries will be better in the future.

Coincidentally, on May 5, the "Tea and the World" event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand was held at Hamilton Xilong Tea House. Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong attended and delivered a speech, introducing the long history and rich connotation of Chinese tea culture. In their speeches, the guests from Singapore praised the unique role of tea in promoting cultural exchanges and looked forward to a new chapter in the friendship between China and Singapore.

Two days later, in another hemisphere, Cui Aimin, the Chinese ambassador to Sweden, shared the history of meeting Chinese and Swiss friends with tea: In 1739, the "Gothenburg" sailed to China, brought Swedish black lead, coarse wool, etc. to China, and then returned to Sweden laden with tea, silk and porcelain. This voyage kicked off the prelude to exchanges between China and Switzerland, and also opened the Sino-Swiss Maritime Silk Road.

Nowadays, there are not only many people in Sweden who love tea and drink tea, but also shops that specialize in Chinese tea and tea utensils. The story of tea is still being told, and the friendship between China and Sweden is slowly unfolding. Passing the "tea business card", falling in love with tea culture and making new friends has become one of the friendly ways for the two countries to make diplomatic relations.

Tea and the world

Enhance Chinese cultural identity

From the perspective of speaking and interpreting characters, the Chinese character "tea" is composed of grass, people, and wood, reflecting the close connection and harmony between man and nature. The Chinese tea ceremony emphasizes "peace, quietness, pleasantness and truth". The concept of "tea and the world" not only interprets the concept of the unity of heaven and man, but also contains the common values of the Chinese nation of implicit and harmonious, and its concept is in line with the needs of today's world.

On May 5th, the "Tea and the World" event landed in Sweden. Cui Aimin, Chinese Ambassador to Sweden, said in his speech that China is the hometown of tea, tea culture has a long history, tea is the spiritual symbol of Chinese, has rich cultural connotations, contains common values and moral norms. Tea is a link and bridge connecting China and foreign countries, and promotes exchanges and mutual learning among human civilizations.

On May 5, Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Cui Aimin attended the "Tea and the World" event. Image source: WeChat public account of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden

Suzanne, director of the Swedish National Tourism Board, pointed out that the organizers have created and provided a platform for everyone to understand each other and exchange experiences, which has played a positive role in enhancing the cultural identity of China and Switzerland, and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship, "Culture is the foundation of our identity, and culture is also the driving force of tourism." By supporting and promoting our cultural heritage, we not only promote economic development, but also pride, identity and mutual understanding. ”

In addition, in order to inherit and promote tea culture, Zhejiang Library started from the collection of classics and launched the "Tea and the World" collection "Fengya Song-Chinese Tea Culture Cloud Classroom". The class takes the tea ordering culture of the Song Dynasty as the core, starts from the perspective of tea culture, tea people and tea life, uses new media technology to restore the tea ordering scene of the Song Dynasty, and allows overseas audiences to experience the beauty of Chinese tea ordering culture in an all-round way in the form of clouds, display and disseminate the beauty of Chinese traditional culture, and convey the aesthetic concept of contemporary Chinese life. (End)