A new trend is brewing
Sitting cozily around a charcoal stove, upon which a pot of tea is boiling, Sui Xin and two of her friends spend a whole afternoon roasting nuts and fruits while chatting and relaxing.
Over the past two years, it has become one of the 28-year-old’s new ways to connect with friends outside the hustle and bustle of her daily routine.
Sui, who works in the fastpaced office of an internet company in Beijing, said enjoying freshly brewed tea and flipping food is a more relaxing and intimate choice for a gathering of friends, compared to Western-style afternoon tea.
Sui is not alone in her newfound love for Chinese tea. From Chinese-style tea drinks to the kung fu tea ceremony, Chinese tea has become an increasingly popular choice for people looking to incorporate healthy habits into their modern lifestyles.
Brewing tea over a charcoal fire is a traditional custom in Chinese culture that has been practiced for centuries. It’s a social activity that brings together friends and family to share warmth, conversation and love for tea. The custom has been depicted in many Chinese paintings, poetry and literary works.
According to Shen Dongmei, a researcher of tea culture at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, brewing tea over charcoal has always been part of people’s life, especially during cold winters in rural areas of Yunnan, Guizhou and Hunan provinces.
In Yunnan, people roast their homemade tofu on the stove. They often put a clay pot on the stove to warm up before putting the tea leaves into the pot. When the tea leaves are cooked and start to give off an aroma, water is added to the pot to boil the tea.
“For young people who may not have heard about this traditional custom, it is a fresh experience. The slow-paced activity can act as a cure to regulate the body and mind,” Shen said.
Shen said brewing tea over fire is quite attractive for young people, who have a tendency to be health-conscious.
“It has become popular in the past few years, which may give young people a chance to get to know more about Chinese tea. They may fall in love with tea culture as the result of a pop culture trend.”
As some traditional teahouses, whose main customers are businesspeople or middleaged people, transform into new-style Chinese teahouses, more young people are starting to walk in and enjoy their wares.
“Such venues have been decorated to meet the preferences of young people and have created new social scenes. They are working on promoting tea culture among younger generations, which has been quite successful in the past few years,” she said.
In China, tea is more than just a beverage; it’s a way of life. Tea makers and modern teahouses are devoted to introducing the culture to more people by creating new drinks, designing related products, and crafting comfortable spaces for tea consumption.
Beverage company Heytea has established a strong connection with people’s daily lives. The decor of some of Heytea’s stores features a combination of traditional Chinese style and youthful design to deliver a new teadrinking experience for young consumers.
Sun Xuling, co-founder of Theatre Tea, a modern teahouse chain in Beijing and Shanghai, said people are developing an interest in a slower pace of life and enjoying their time, which is a good start for those who want to try tea.