April 22, 2023 | 4pm-5pm EST | Hybrid Event
We often associate tea with a natural way of living, and such an association can be traced to tea drinking and its cultural significance in 8th-century China during the Tang Dynasty. This talk will take you back to mid-Tang China when tea emerged as an important cultural drink, with the advent of Lu Yu’s “Book of Tea” and Tang poetry of tea themes. You will learn about ways powdered teas were made and drank, social engagement with tea, Buddhist tea practices, and Daoist values of tea. Tea became an object of important cultural power, signifying elevated characters, closeness to nature, and even enlightenment. Tea connoisseurship quickly became an important marker of personal identity and cultural status. Tea’s cultural importance lasted over a millennia in China and continues to affect cultural views of tea till today both in China and beyond. This talk offers a deeper understanding of Chinese culture through tea.
About the Speaker:
Hong Jiang, Ph.D., teaches at University of Hawaii at Manoa, and she has been researching on tea and culture in imperial China and contemporary Taiwan.
Register Here:
Registration Fee:
In-Person: $15, (Tea & Refreshment included)
Virtual Registration: Free
In-Person Event Location:
Chinese Culture Institute, 4022-D Hummer Road, Annandale, VA 22003
For virtual registration, a Zoom Link will be emailed to you before the event starts.
