Guangdong Tea Interest廣東茶趣

張右林

“Get up！ We’re going to have morningtea.” I guess you must be familiar with thissaying if you’re Cantonese. The culture oftea has been deeply integrated （ 融入）into the daily life of Cantonese.

Tracing back to ancient times，Guangdong tea sprang up in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Ming Dynasty.Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties， with the development of the commodity economy，Guangdong tea has been exported all over the world. Of course， the subtropical（亞熱帶的）climate in Guangdong， which is large in precipitation（降水量）and high intemperature， is closely related to the development of tea too.

In recent years， with the improvement of people’s living quality， drinking tea hasexceeded its original meaning and becomes an interest.

It can help strengthen family ties. In Guangdong， it is not unusual that almostevery family owns a complete tea set. After dinner， the sun sinks behind the hillsand the light of the setting sun falls on the tea table， mixing with the slowly raisingsmoke and giving off colorful light. Family members sit together， talking about someinteresting topics while sipping（抿）hot tea. I can imagine nothing better than it.

It can also help us understand life. A popular saying goes， “See life in a cup oftea.” A covered bowl， used to make tea， carries the idea of humility. A justice cup（公道杯）， which is used to serve tea， symbolizes that all men are equal. Pouring tea intothe teacup full to the degree of seven reminds us not to be too proud.

Today， more and more young people are willing to approach tea culture. Therefore，I’m firmly convinced（ 確信的）that the tea culture will be better with the young’sefforts.