Tea, this ancient beverage, has long been deeply rooted in the fertile soil of East Asian culture, especially in China and Japan. Tea is not only a beverage, but also an art and a philosophy of life. Chinese tea culture and Japanese tea ceremony have their own unique characteristics, which have developed and evolved over the course of history, forming distinct cultural phenomena.
Chinese tea culture has a long and rich history. It is said to have originated from the time of the Shennong clan. He tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons every day, which he obtained from tea and dissolved. Since the publication of Lu Yu’s “Classic of Tea” in the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea culture has had a systematic theoretical foundation. Chinese tea culture emphasizes the drinking of tea itself, focusing on the harmonious unity of tea color, aroma, taste, and form, as well as the mood and environment during drinking. During the process of tea tasting, one should not only appreciate the clarity of the tea soup and smell the distant fragrance of tea, but also experience the tranquility and serenity of brewing and drinking tea. Chinese tea art is a casual, natural, and unconstrained art form. From brewing tea to drinking tea, every movement appears natural and unpretentious, which is a reflection of the Chinese culture’s values of “adapting to the situation” and “letting nature take its course”.
Relatively speaking, Japanese tea ceremony is more reflected as a strict etiquette and ceremony. The Japanese tea ceremony, also known as’ tea soup ‘, originated in the 12th century and was influenced by Zen philosophy. Tea ceremony is not just about brewing tea and drinking tea, it is a comprehensive art form that encompasses philosophy, aesthetics, and ethics. In Japanese tea ceremony, every tea party is a carefully planned and arranged ceremony, from the arrangement of the tea room to the selection of tea utensils, from the attire of the tea master to the preparation of tea, every detail is full of profound meaning. The tea ceremony emphasizes “harmony, respect, cleanliness, and tranquility”, which runs through the entire tea party, aiming to enable people to experience a spiritual realm beyond daily life through the tea party.
In practice, Chinese tea culture places more emphasis on the essential enjoyment and personal cultivation of tea, while Japanese tea ceremony emphasizes more on collective participation and spiritual cultivation. In China, people often drink tea while chatting at home or in a teahouse. Tea is a medium of communication and a way of personal cultivation. In Japan, tea ceremony often appears in the form of tea parties, and participants need to follow certain etiquette. Tea ceremony is a collective spiritual cultivation process.
In addition, China and Japan also have their own strengths in the types of tea and brewing techniques. There are many types of Chinese tea, including green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea, black tea, etc. Each type of tea has its own unique brewing method and drinking method. Japan is most famous for its green tea, especially matcha, which has a unique set of standards and procedures for brewing and drinking.
In summary, both Chinese tea culture and Japanese tea ceremony are treasures of their respective cultures. Although they differ in their forms of expression and inner spirit, they all embody the profound connotations of Eastern culture and the pursuit of aesthetic life. The beauty of tea ceremony lies not only in the taste of tea, but also in the culture and philosophy it contains, providing people with a spiritual enjoyment that transcends material life.
