Young Belgians Enchanted by Chinese Tea Culture

Tea ceremony at secondary school

The Confucius Institute at Group T attended the International Culture Day at the Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege, Diest on April 7, 2011. The Flemish school had invited the institute to present the Chinese tea culture together with the Leuven Chinese School and the China-Belgium Art & Culture Society. About 100 students and teachers attended one of the 4 sessions that were organized throughout the day.

In a traditional Chinese red dress, Ms Wang Lingyun of the Leuven Chinese School gave a multi-media presentation on Chinese tea: its origin and varieties, the meaning of the Chinese word for tea (cha), the different tea sets, and how it can enhance your health. Afterwards, small groups were formed to give everyone a chance to sample and compare the different kinds of teas, while traditional, southern Chinese music was playing in the back. The session reached its climax with a kung fu tea ceremony.

The Belgian teachers and students were intrigued by the complexity of Chinese tea culture and had many questions: "Do the Chinese drink tea with every meal?"; "Does the rainy season tea have the best quality?" They learned how to tap the table with their fingers to thank the person serving the tea, a tradition which goes back to the Qing Dynasty.

The Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege organizes the International Culture Day annually, inviting representatives from all continents. The Confucius Institute at Group T attend the event for the 2nd time. Mr Bai Yanlei, its Chinese director, and Ms Niu Min, Director of the China-Belgium Art & Culture Society, promised the students and teachers to organize more events on Chinese culture in the near future.