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It's All About Tea

A Journey Through a Collector's Gongfu Tea Sanctuary

Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on

A tea journey anywhere in Guangdong would not be complete without a visit dedicated to Gongfu tea culture and practice. Lucky for us, the 22-million megapolis of Shenzhen is not just near Chaozhou, the cradle of Gongfu tea. Many Chaozhou people moved there in the last four decades, making Shenzhen their new home. They have carried their culture and customs with them, establishing some of the most vibrant Gongfu tea communities in China and beyond. Currently, there are several tea associations, as well as a great number of tea companies and tea spaces originating from Chaozhou. They are engaged in the production and trade with Chaozhou-grown tea. At the same time, they promote and develop the Gongfu tea culture, shaping its new face and serving as a bridge between past and present times.

 

While in Shenzhen, we were lucky to meet with a notable figure in the Gongfu tea world, the president of the Chaoshan Tea Association in Shenzhen. Mr. Chen is a tea person who runs their own tea company and is a long-time collector of Gongfu tea culture artifacts and memorabilia. In an effort to preserve and pass on the legacy of his Chaoshan predecessors, he has turned his tea space into a private museum dedicated to Gongfu tea culture. (Read More)

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Discovering Delights: A Tea Tasting Experience at a Tea Market

Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on

Today, we continue our tea tasting experience, climbing up to the third floor of the tea market's dedicated building. This place is reserved for private tea places. Here, tea owners often invite friends and customers and organize thematic events.

We enter a place with a charming atmosphere imbued with old-times charm. A collection of antique tea items, including various Zisha and Nixing teapots, graces the glass window, and the heaps of medicine-flavored tea promise a memorable experience for a tea lover's palate. This is a company dedicated to the exclusive sales of Liubao - a fermented tea from China. The owner greets us and starts preparing one of the exclusive teas we will try in today's tea tasting experience (Read More)

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A Journey Through Flavors: Tea Tasting Experience at a Shenzhen Tea Market

Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on

No visit to China would be complete without tea! And tea tasting at a local tea market is a must for all tea lovers. A visit to a Chinese tea market is a delightful experience beyond just sipping and savoring; you become part of a tradition that shaped the history of an entire civilization – and one of the world’s oldest ones! It is at the tea market that you will get to know loose-leaf tea or aged tea like never before.

While visiting the 22-million megapolis of Shenzhen, we couldn’t miss the chance to do a tea tasting at one of the local tea markets. We picked the Nanshan area. Bordering the city’s business district and the High-tech park, it has the lively, just a bit worn-out atmosphere of a decades-old neighborhood, where modernity meets tradition and the authenticity of everyday people’s lives. (Read More)

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Yaji and the Chinese tradition of Gathering of Literati

Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on

Gathering of Literati, or Ya Ji (雅集), is an outstanding Chinese tradition that dates back millennia ago. Ever since, it has been a scene of literary, artistic, and poetic inspiration, as well as a birthplace for outstanding creations from some of the empire's most recognized poets, artists, and literati. The gatherings provided a refined space where literary people could gather, share ideas, and find inspiration on their path to self-cultivation and accomplishment. 

Yaji has evolved with the spirit of times. It remains ever so popular nowadays, providing a much-needed space for people to get out of the usual mundane routine. In these meetings, people indulge their art-related hobbies, gather with like-minded people, and practice self-accomplishment. In today's post, we'll let you into the history of these distinguished gatherings and see how they evolved in time by attending a Yaji in Shenzhen. (Read More)

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Altitude Mastery: Superior Survival Strategies of High Mountain Tea

Posted by Boyka Mihaylova on

High Mountain Tea (Gao Shan Cha – 高山茶) is something special in the world of teas, standing out distinctly when compared to Tai Di Cha (台地茶) – Lowland Tea or Plantation Tea. High Mountain Tea, growing in challenging, high-altitude conditions, develops a character and exceptional qualities, earning it a place of honor in the tea community. These harsh, rugged terrains often appear unwelcoming, making High Mountain Tea literally fight for its life. In a long process of adaptation and evolution, the Gao Shan Tea developed a number of techniques, that helped it not only survive but thrive, drawing from the land and weather to offer flavors and aromas that are a class apart. 
 

So, let's explore more about these fascinating teas and the lands they come from. We'll discover High Mountain Tea's fight for survival and how it turns it into a top tea. (Read More)

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