中西茶文化异同及融合.doc

渭南师范学院
本科毕业论文

题 目： 中西茶文化异同及融合
学 院： 外国语学院
专业班级： 2013级英语专升本2班
毕业年份： 2015 年6月
姓 名： 余伟丽
学 号： 130321064
指导教师： 李会琴
职 称： 副教授

渭南师范学院教务处 制

The Differences, Similarities and Fusion of Tea Culture between China and the West

By
Yu Weili

A thesis pretended to school of foreign language of
Weinan normal university
as partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of bachelor

May22, 2015

Class: Class2 of 2013
Adviser: Li Huiqin

中西茶文化之异同及融合

摘要：茶文化是一种介于物质与精神之间的文化，它以物质为载体，包含了物质生活中的博大精神。中国茶文化源远流长，饮茶与人们的生活息息相关。茶文化作为一种的文化在中国传统文化中具有独特的地位。当今，西方茶文化在某种程度上影响着中国茶文化。本文对一些代表饮茶主流的国家的饮茶习惯进行了比较和分析，指出中西茶文化异同其实跟人的思维方式有关。中国茶文化主在展示人文主义的维度，而西方茶文化则仅仅关注茶其本身。随着经济全球化，茶文化以其独特的魅力在国际交流中越来越活跃。中西茶文化之比较在展现中国茶文化魅力的同时，还将促使世界上越来越多的人理解、享受茶文化并且最终促进国际间的跨文化交流。

关键词：茶文化；融合；饮茶习俗；跨文化交际

The Differences，Similarities and Fusion of Tea Culture between China and the West

Abstract: Tea culture is neither a material nor a spirit one. With the material as its carrier ,it contains profound spirit in material life. Tea drinking culture has a long history in china and has a complete seepage into the different domains of human life. Tea drinking culture has a unique status in Chinese traditional culture being a special way of culture. The West's Tea drinking culture has an impact on China's tea drinking culture in this century. The analysis and comparison of the tea drinking culture between the East and the West just show the differences of them are related with different thinking pattern. Compared with the west , China's tea culture mainly show the humanistic dimension. This paper made a comparative study on tea customs of some representative countries. The tea drinking culture is day by day drawing people’s attention with its unique charm in international communication with the globalization. Comparing the differences between Chinese and Western tea drinking culture can not only show the great charm of Chinese culture but also make more and more people in the world understand and enjoy the tea culture and eventually contribute to the intercultural communication.

Key words: tea culture; fusion; tea rites; cross-cultural communication

Table of Contents
I. Introduction 1
II. China Tea Culture 2
A. The origin of tea 2
B. Kinds of Chinese tea 2
1. Green Tea 2
2. Black Tea 3
3. Oolong Tea 3
4. White Tea 3
5. Scented Tea 3
6. Tea Lump 3
C. Customs and rites of tea 4
1. The great therapeutic effects of tea 4
2. Funeral and sacrificial customs and tea rites 4
3. Tea and religion 5
4. Tea and literature 5
5. Chinese tea art 6
III. Western Tea Culture 8
A. British black tea culture: 8
1. The reason why British people like black tea 8
2. The habit of British people drinking tea 8
B. American iced tea culture 10
IV. Similarities, Differences and Fusion between Chinese and Western Tea Culture 11
A. Similarities   11
B. Differences 12
C. The Fusion of China and Western Tea Culture 12
V. Conclusion 13
Bibliography 14

I. Introduction
Tea was foremost grown in China and then spread to abroad, and has always been popular all over the world as a traditional beverage. Tea has never lost its popularity especially in recent years, even the market share of modern drinks is great increasing .Today, people have gradually realized the importance of organic foods and drinks, and tea is being considered the natural and healthy drinks which are promoted by people all over the world. Tea culture has long been talked and discussed by people from home and abroad as a popular topic. China and the western countries like UK and US are major tea drinking nations. With the evolution of tea drinking history, tea has severally developed a unique culture in these nations. As a popular topic, tea culture has been discussed by the academia of different countries. But the contrast and comparison between these two tea cultures has been focused on the differences rather than the similarities and fusion. The comparison of Chinese and Western tea culture is therefore an important and fascinating topic in international communication. In this paper, we will first review some important aspects of tea culture in these countries, and in the conclusion, we will focus on both the differences, the similarities and interaction of Chinese and Western tea culture. “When we get up in the morning, the first things we should get ready are firewood, rice, edible oil, salt, soy, vinegar and tea,” this is said by an old Chinese saying. It tell people tea is a necessity of life in China. According to the recorded history, China found and started to use tea dating back to almost 3000 years ago. Tea, not merely as a drink, has been popularized and developed in China all the time. Moreover, it has spread to many foreign countries. As we all know, Chinese silk made an outstanding contribution to the world’s material and spiritual civilization, and Chinese tea so did this. Tea has not been known by Europeans until the 16th century and has not been introduced to Britain by the Dutch until the mid 17th century, even it is early discovery in Asia. (The British Tea Company 11)Later from this, tea has been an important drink in western countries for several centuries, and is drunk all day in most Western households. Throughout many centuries that the western people have been drinking tea, it has had a great impact on the nation’s culture and lifestyle patterns through the ages. Tea has seepaged into the culture of western countries.
II. China Tea Culture
A. The origin of tea
China grow, produce and drink tea at the first time, and be saw as the original tea growing-area. The discovery and the use of tea in China can be traced back to 3000 years ago. There is a legendary story runs, “in order to prevent people from eating the poisonous plants, shennong tasted hundreds of wild plants to see which were poisonous and which were edible.” One day he got poisoned when gathering and tasting herbs. Fortunately, he found a plant, tea, which helped him to get rid of the toxin and finally he survived. People continually retold this story from generation to generation, paying great respect to their ancestor who pioneered agriculture and Chinese medicine. (Theodore, Chan & Waston 52)
B. Kinds of Chinese tea
China tea is famous throughout the world for its unique color, fragrance, flavor and finely shaped leaves. According to the ways of manufacturing, Chinese tea can be divided into six categories: green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, scented tea, and tea lumps. (Zhou 159)
1. Green Tea
Green tea has the longest history and still ranks first in production and variety in China. People like to drink green tea for its freshness and natural fragrance. Longjing(龙井) Tea from the West Lake of Hongzhou, Maofeng(毛峰) Tea from Huangshan Mountain, Yinzhen(银针) Tea from Junshan Mountain, Yunwu(云雾) Tea from Lushan Mountain and Biluochun(碧螺春) Tea from Jiangsu are the famous green tea.

2. Black Tea
Black tea also owns a good reputation in all over the world. Different from green tea, the tea leaves turn from green to black in the fermentation. Black tea is thoroughly fermented.
3. Oolong Tea
Oolong tea both own the freshness of green tea and the fragrance of the black. In recent years, it has become popular with more and more people for its effects in helping to reduce high blood pressure, , prevent coronary heart disease, aid digestion and lower the cholesterol.`
The history of oolong tea be produced in Fujian province is at least 400years. Today it is also grow in Guangdong and Taiwan. It is difficult to pick the tea because it grows on cliffs which people rarely reach. So it is considered the most precious.
4. White Tea
White Tea is as white as silver. Fujian’s Zhenghe and Fuding are the major producing areas. And Yinzhen tea and White Peony Tea are the famous varieties.
5. Scented Tea
Scented tea (also called Flower Tea) having the smells of flowers is a variety unique to China. The dries flowers spread as they were just picked up when put in boiled water,.
6. Tea Lump
The black tea or green tea is pressed into the shapes of brick, cake or ball. The tea lump is convenient to store and transport and is suitable for minority people in border regions. The most famous tea lump is Yunnan’s Puer tea(普洱), which has great therapeutic effects. One recorded examples shows that, among 20 patients suffering from high cholesterol(胆固醇), those who drank three cups of this tea every day for one month experienced a 22% drop in their cholesterol levels, but those who drank ordinary tea three times a day showed no change. (Zhou 160) Yunnan compressed tea is a suitable beverage for all ages. It is also known as a diet tea(减肥茶) and beauty tea as well.

C. Customs and rites of tea
Tea-drinking is a nation-wide custom in China. Having three meals and tea a day. is a daily necessity for the Chinese. A common Chinese saying runs, “when we get up in the morning, the first things we should get ready are firewood, rice, edible oil, salt, soy, vinegar, and tea.” Whenever we sit round a table, or have a get-together with good friends, a cup of fragrant tea will give a rich flavor to the occasion. Most people are willing to enjoy their afternoon tea. When it comes to summer or warm climate, tea seems to calm down the heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. Based on this, tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locates to meet and chat . Tea houses are everywhere in every town and city. Many elderly people often rise early in the morning and hurry to the tea house to enjoy a cup of tea. As shown by Lao she’s famous play The Tea house that a tea house is a society.
1. The great therapeutic effects of tea
According to the Holy Farmer’s Herbal Classic, 2,700years ago, shennong often got poisoned after tasting various herbs he picked,. Later, he found a plant, tea, which could detoxify him. Since then, the Chinese people have treated tea as a precious medicine bestowed on human beings by the cosmos. (Wang 95) This story shows that the Chinese people first used tea as medicine. Some tea have great effects in helping to reduce high blood pressure, aid digestion, prevent coronary heart disease and lower the cholesterol. And some tea even be known as a diet tea and beauty tea as well.
2. Funeral and sacrificial customs and tea rites
Tea has been used as one of the sacrificial offerings to gods and ancestors from ancient times in China. In Liu Jingshu’s Fantastic Garden, of the Southern Dynasty (420-479), there is an interesting story(Zhou 157): a young widow lived with two sons. They were all fond of drinking tea. But before drinking, the young mother would offer a cup of tea to an ancient tomb in their courtyard. Her two sons became disgusted with this practice and decided to dig up the tomb. But they were stopped by the mother. That night a spirit appeared in that woman’s dream saying that “I am a spirit living in the ancient tomb for three hundred years. I am grateful to you for your protection and offering of the fragrant tea. Though I am a heap of rotten bones, I’ll surely repay you.” the next morning they found in their courtyard one thousand strings of ancient coins with a new thread binding them together. From this story we know that offering tea to god or ancestors at the memorial ceremony had become a practice.
Archaeological discoveries have proved the custom of using tea as a funerary object. In an ancient tomb of Western Han Dynasty (206B.C.-24A.D.)unearthed at MaWangDui in the suburbs of Changcha, Hunan province, tea was listed in the brochure of burial articles. Although these customs were fatuous and superstitious, they also contained Chinese philosophies of life. The Chinese advocated that people should look squarely at life when they were alive, instead of leading a befuddled life as if drunk or in a dream; when they died, they should strive to control their own lives instead of being ordered about ghosts and gods at will. People used tea in funerals and sacrificial rites because tea could help them keep a clear head.
3. Tea and religion
In china, tea is full of great spiritual significance and has had close connection with religion in China. In the history of China tea is usually regarded as a kind of drink that would refresh oneself and make the mind calm. Refraining from daily pressures, and sitting and amusing themselves with Buddha’s teachings are the Buddhists aim. Tea is their ideal drink to cultivate their moral character. In Buddhism tea is praised as a sacred thing given by god. The Taoist thought stressed the relationship between man and the nature and believed that it was the common law of the universe that kept nature and society operating. Therefore, material and spirit, and human and nature could not be separated. Chinese tea culture, integrated with tea’s natural and material functions and human spirit, absorbed the Taoist spirit. Despite Buddhism and Taoism have played greatly important roles in the development of tea culture, Confucian thought is regarded as the core of the spirit of Chinese tea ceremony, which is demonstrated in the following two aspects: tea’s gentle and peaceful characters embody the golden mean of the Confucian school and the spirit of tea cultivate one’s honesty, elegant taste and active attitude towards life. (Wang 152)
4. Tea and literature
Literature is a mirror of life. As tea has been closely woven into the life of the Chinese people, so has it been into literature. There are several thousands of classic poems about tea left to us. The great poet of Tang Dynasty (618-907)Bai Juyi（白居易）was particularly fond of tea. He wrote more than fifty poems about tea. In his famous poem of a Pipa player(《琵琶行》)there are these lines:
The merchant cared for money much more than for me.
One month ago he went away to purchase tea. (Zhou 158)
The great patriotic poet of Southern Song Dynasty(1127-1279)Lu You(陆游) wrote more than three hundred poems in which tea is mentioned.
Tea has entered almost every other form of literature and art-novels, paintings, plays, songs, and dances, couplets. In the great novel of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a dream of the red mansions, there are about three hundred mentions of tea. So people say the novel is permeated with the fragrance of tea(一部《红楼梦》,满纸茶叶香). There are a variety of paintings describing tea-drinking affairs and the scenery in tea fields and there are a variety of tea-picking dances among the mino