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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
 Posted - 14/04/2009 : 20:16:22
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Ancient China has bequeathed its citizens and others a very rich culture (poetry and classics, script and language, calligraphy, tea, pottery, painting, silk philosophy etc etc). These treasures are beautiful, graceful, refined, creative, and, well deserved endless praises. Yet most of the Chinese I met on the streets and places of visits lacked such finesse, though the "quality" of its citizens generally have improved over the years. And this is not only observed in China, but also in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. I am referring mainly in civility in interpersonal or intra-personal relationship compared with other races. It is "familo-crazy" that identifies the Chinese strongly.
In others words, the Chinese generally do not imbibed nor inherited their fine culture and rich tradition well. I am rather perplexed about such incongruities. Were we taught improperly, or did we learn improperly? In Taiwan, Chinese culture etc were taught early in schools; and their education system was not interrupted by any significant political turmoil as seen in mainland China in the last few decades. And did the Overseas Chinese in western democracies show better finesse or quality? These queries are not for me alone to answer. However, in my many personal encounters, the lack of civility and quality among Chinese, relative to their cultural inheritance, were often raised by many. A common reply was the Chinese hardly knew their own culture and they took it for granted; thinking it's in them naturally, but it's not!
Whatever the answers, we are here to explore together, and to learn together, as lay to lay.
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Edited by - k.h. on 28/04/2009 15:52:00 |
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ngchmd
Verbose member
Malaysia
1981 Posts |
Posted - 15/04/2009 : 08:03:27
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The headlines in Singapore newspaper of a couple (Swedish and A star Singaporean student) walking in their nude in Holland place. What message was this couple trying to send to Singaporean society?
Culture is always evolving. Maybe kh is referring to learning traditional Chinese Culture or not to abandon our traditional Chinese Culture.
ngchmd
"Cintai-lah Malaysia, negara kita." |
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ngchmd
Verbose member
Malaysia
1981 Posts |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 16/04/2009 : 10:47:06
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Dr. Ng,
You are indeed right. Culture is an evolving thing; but don't let it shadow or eclispse our own tradition completely. I must emphazise that it is impossible or insane to be completely unaffected by others. We enrich one another, without forgetting own own. Often I have to read and cross read some contemporary and modern thinkers to understand or re-interpret what the ancient chinese meant in the context of modernity. And it is in this forum that I wish to share with my readers some of my readings and thought about Chinese culture and things chinese. Thou our main identity is familo-crazy, the Chinese have many of their own bad habits, such as gambling. I am not here to insult our own or to belittle others, but to promote some understanding of our own culture or habits. There are simply too many things about china and chinese to learn, and our youngsters simply do not have the time to read them. I am sharing my notes, and hopefully will receive some responses, from both lay and "experts".
To side track your querry, the couple were in the nude, but in the courts, they, esp the lady, felt naked! When you took your bath, you were in the nude, but you felt naked if there's another intruder, unless you were not embarassed by it! Perhaps the Chinese girl who studied in Sweden or in the West thought such nudity in public was with the times, without taking into consideration her own cultural background (perhaps overwhelmed by her new belief). My interest was not to judge what she did was right or wrong, but just to remind what we can learn about our own culture and tradition, and to treasure them.
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ngchmd
Verbose member
Malaysia
1981 Posts |
Posted - 16/04/2009 : 11:17:39
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quote:
Originally posted by k.h.
My interest was not to judge what she did was right or wrong, but just to remind what we can learn about our own culture and tradition, and to treasure them.
But, the only thing Chinese about you is the straight hair. Everything else, including your thinking, is Caucasianised.
ooops...
ngchmd
"Cintai-lah Malaysia, negara kita." |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 16/04/2009 : 12:09:46
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Partly true, Dr. Ng. We only differ by percentages, and there are also some Malay and Indian influences. Did you not remark that "second love" is much stronger than your first? I have no such experiences, but it is not too difficult to learn .... Re-discovering our own culture and roots at this age is my continuation of the exploration of MOL! |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 16/04/2009 : 16:26:47
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Tea And Tea Culture
China is the homeland of tea, and has a history that dates back 4 - 5 thousand years. We may drink tea occsaionally or regularly, yet we may not know much about tea and tea culture. Personally I don't partake in tea or tea culture much, the ritual and ceremony is not in sychn with my character. When we walked into a Chinese restaurant or Tea Houses, the first thing the waitor/waitress asked was which brand of tea we would like to order. Of course I knew several brands of tea to comply, but, frankly, I am often at a lost of their differences. A visit to the tea plantation in china or even locally, did not enlightened me about tea and tea culture. They were more interested in the sales or advertising than in imparting some basic knowledges. And a visit to the tea museum in Hong Kong did not help much either. Watching "tea ceremony", with its expensive procelains and pots, and display, only complicated my understanding of the subject. What I required is some basic simple understanding, and a personal attempt to unravel the confusion and mystery of the various kinds of tea.
Chinese history taught us that the first man to discover tea and its benefits (medicinal etc) was Shen Nong, the father of Chinese agriculture and herbal medicine, and The Book Of Change (Yi Jing). There ware lots of myth about this man and his personal experiments and experiences with tea. The Book of Tea, written by Lu Yu in the Tang dynasty (AD 733 - AD 804), was considered by later generation to be a "saint" or "God". That in chinese meant he was a highly regarded and respected authority on the subject.
Tea, or Cha, orinally derevied from the word, Tu, meaning bitter vegetation. It was initially served as herbal medicine and soup or nutriment, and later developed into modern Cha (in chinese word character, it contains one less stroke above the mu, wood). From a calligraphic perspective, the image cha, composed of people( ren) located between grass (cao), and wood( mu). The word therefore implies the integration (or in-between) of man and nature (vegetation and wood or forest). Tea Culture was thus an embodiment of such harmony in a ritualistic way.
Chinese tea is basically fermented or non fermented; add on or non add on processing. There are basically seven major groups:
1. Green Tea (non fermented);
2 Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Red Tea, White Tea, Yellow Tea & Flower Tea (This latter group are fermented tea; and the last is mainly green tea, with added flowers, and partially fermented.
We generally drink tea in two major ways:
1. Pure drinkers: tea leaves with boiled hot water;
2. Additions: with salt, sugar, milk, orange peel, mint, cinamon, date and other spices, according to personal taste and preferences.
I hope I have presented it in a more readable and simple format to read and understand. Please comment. |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 17/04/2009 : 20:15:51
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TEA & CULTURE II
Tea is considered by many Chinese (Hans and minorities) and Asians as a catholicon. Modern science has recognised its anti-oxidant properties.
For tea to grow well, it requires healthy ecological environment, rich in both fauna and flora. Tea trees prefer humid places and damp rich soil (but not too soggy), esp in mountainous terrain; they flourish well in the shade of such sunny places. Tea trees are divided into shrub (height about 3 - 5 m), arbor (1.5 - 3 m), and minor (less 1.5 m).Wild trees could rich as high as 10 m. Tea growing areas in China are mainly in the south, but with modern skill of cultivation, they are distributed elsewhere. In 1835, the British smuggled Wuyi tea saplings from China to Calcutta, and from there to Sri Lanka. Japanese monks did the same, but not for trade balance liked the British. Later tea spread from China to Russia and elsewhere.
The best tea leaves plucked are called "Tribute Tea", previously reserved for emperors and royalty, because of their relative rarity. Generally tea requires some three years to harvest. Tea picking in China takes place in Spring, Summer and Autumn, and tea leaves picked in each season are called by their respective names, viz "spring tea". If they are plucked as soon as matured, they are named as "first tea". They are considered the best quality.
GREEN TEA
It is called green tea because of its light green colour liquid, not the colour of its leaves.
It is the oldest and the largest output in China. The well known ones are: Zheijiang (West Lake) longjing, Maojian of Mount Huangshan, Pilochun of Mt. ****ing (Suzhou). Being non fermented, they retain their original flavour.
Longjing (dragon well), was so called because the rock where they originally digged the well had the shaped of a dragon.
Their leaves are steamed to get rid of its grassy taste. Then they are fried and heated by expert hands (20 - 30 years training on the job) to remove its water content, to soften it, and to bring out its natural fragrance.
There are three main grades of longjing: lion, plum and dragon.
Tea is best served by using mountainous spring water, esp those with natural filters through white rocks, then follow by clean river sources and then from wells digged deeply enough.
Longjing is best served in a clear glass, using spring water, served to about 80 degrees C. It is a simple and refreshing drink, fragrant and a pleasant after taste.
http://wiki.keyin.cn/index.php/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E8%8C%B6%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96
http://www.greenteaworkshop.com/
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 18/04/2009 : 13:25:45
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TEA CULTURE III
I have discussed that Green Tea is unoxidised or non fermented leaves of of Camellia Sinensis, the rest are subjected to varying degree of oxidation.
RED TEA
This is ,infact ,completely fermented (i.e. fermentation before baked) green tea. The West called it Black Tea because they looked at the tea leaves, whereas the Chinese looked at the dark red colour of the tea soup. The South African Rooibos plant is also marketed as red tea, but it is not actually a tea, though the soup is red. It is a tisane (literally meaning herbal tea), extraced not from leaves but from fermented buds, shoots of Aspalathis plant.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA82788
Please scroll down to look at color of tea leaves and tea soup:
http://chineseteas101.com/teaclass.htm#top
One of the best known Chinese Red Tea is called Gungfu Red Tea. Gungfu means it requires relatively more effort to process it.
Here is a video on tea ritual:
http://www.articlesbase.com/videos/5min/100473260
BLACK TEA
This is again partially fermented green tea, after steaming or frying.
Or it could be baked and heated in a sealed room. The processess provide a stronger and thicker flavour, with a lingering after taste.
However, it is orangy red in color, hence, I think, the confusion of taking the classification too strictly. It is often compressed in the form of bricks, hence called brick tea, or in cakes. It only has a history of about 100 years.
The popular brands among them are Wuyi Rock Tea and Tie (steel) Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy, because of the dream of the founder), Tie Arahant, Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao). The "tie" was referring to the relative heavier leaves. The difference between the crude and refined grades of Tie Guanyin is the presence of peduncle in the crude grade.
OOLONG TEA
This is also partially fermented tea. It has the flavour of green tea and the fragrance of black. I think the Phoenix brand is also under this category.
Puer Tea are post fermented black tea. the picked leaves are fermented around 40 degree C, sprayed with local spring water, and dry for about 40 days, and then they are allowed to age for years, hence the varying cost. Its color appeared amber, yellow with a tinge of red. Dark tea tasted better with years of preservation. And, unlike green tea, it could be cooked many times.
WHITE TEA
This is processed in the most natural way; they are sun dried after picked.Their shhots and leaves are covered with white hairs, hence the name. The popular brands among them are called White Hair Silver Needle, White Peony. They could married with Jamine or Rosebuds to produce scented or flower tea.
http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=272&opener=0-197-267-272
YELLOW TEA
Again they are partly fermented, but in the process they are baked yellow, hence the same color in the drink. among them are Wang Ta Cha, Wang Shiau Cha , Mengdi Yellow Shoot of Sichuan and the Junshan Silver Needle Hunan.
Ref:1. Chinese Tea by Liu Tong, translated by Yue Liwen
2. Culture and the Art of Tea Savoury (Chinese text)
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loonshin
Friendly member
Malaysia
249 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2009 : 10:57:15
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quote:
Originally posted by k.h.
Ancient China has bequeathed its citizens and others a very rich culture... I am referring mainly in civility in interpersonal or intra-personal relationship compared with other races. It is "familo-crazy" that identifies the Chinese strongly...
In others words, the Chinese generally do not imbibed nor inherited their fine culture and rich tradition well...
I think this is quite a sweeping perspective. My thoughts...
The way of life in chinese people is still much influenced by the teachings and practice of confucianism (Chinese: Èå¼Ò; pinyin: R¨²ji¨¡) as simply stated by your statement: 'familo-crazy.' From a lay view, I think Confucianism provides a solid foundation for intrapersonal intelligence for one to look inward (know thyself) to find distinctive oriental insights and from there promotes a very healthy interpersonal intelligence for one to conduct one's life in relation to society and family. I see the majority of chinese -- wherever they are -- still holding such a position. Of course, there are ugly chinamen around; so also in other groups.
Thinking positive, I feel the chinese are holding well in modern times, and will lead others in many other domains soon.
Loon Shin |
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maggiespk
Verbose member
Malaysia
1613 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2009 : 23:43:17
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| The Chinese can imbibe and inherit the rich culture and tradition if all the Chinese (especially those outside China) practise and propagate them to the young ones and the next generation. It's all up to us. |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2009 : 10:33:36
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Loon Shin,
Of course, these are sweeping general statements, but even the Chinese in China are talking about raising their own citizens' "quality" or civility. Even Confucius had problem getting his message through in his lifetime!
What you have stated about Confucianism is true, but how much of these fine values get into the Chinese mindset? Please bear in mind that I am not arguing about the rich heritage, but about the "lost" inheritance down the ages. We read about party governors and high officers absconded with huge amount of national wealth, or even the recent milk scandals, but when caught these people still defended themselves in court, without shame or conscience. So material comfort and progress required mental cultivation pari passu, for human civility. Religion might not always play its role , for there's 'corruptions" within. Let us put aside these "high teaching", the basic requirement of being human is honesty and decency, in whatever culture or religion. Basically these are concerns about the so-called "human nature" ....
China has a population of 1.4 billion, and the relative poverty, and years of strive over the centuries, and political turmoil etc etc have some effects on their character, esp their fight for social survival. Last night I listened to a Forum in TV phoenix, where the speaker talked about Chinese Spiritual Health or spirituality in a market driven economy and consumerism, and consequences leading to the recent global meltdown. So such spirituality had much to do with our search for MOL; and thereby, our options, choices and its paradigm reflected on such mindset.
If we do some random survey, many Chinese (even in China, Taiwan or oversea Chinese who live in democracies) do not really know or understand their own culture. And, it is in this light, that this Forum is initiated. We are here to learn and understand our own.
Thanks to Maggie for the feedback. |
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loonshin
Friendly member
Malaysia
249 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2009 : 11:32:43
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quote:
Originally posted by k.h.
If we do some random survey, many Chinese (even in China, Taiwan or oversea Chinese who live in democracies) do not really know or understand their own culture. And, it is in this light, that this Forum is initiated. We are here to learn and understand our own.
However, the folks we try to reach out may not be reading this piece  |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 21/04/2009 : 11:42:50
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Loon Shin
"However, the folks we try to reach out may not be reading this piece "
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If we think of outcome all the time, we shall never take the initiative to act. I am just doing my little bit.
My daughter is reading some of what I have written, and maybe she will read more, when I am gone and she misses me, and my grand children can read them when they are bigger. That's the power of the internet. |
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k.h.
Verbose member
Malaysia
1759 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2009 : 10:31:38
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TEA AND CULTURE IV
With the development of tea and its culture, tea apparatus and sets, esp the procelain industry also developed rapidly, esp during the Tang and Song dynasties. Different color and quality of tea pots and sets are meant for different kinds of tea, inorder to enhance its color, augment its flavour or fragrance, for heat preservation, aestetic beauty and pleasure when serving tea. Connoisseur often use different pots for preparing different kinds of tea. And, with ages, these pots are stained with oil and their fingers prints - hence it become a personal signatured items, much valued by them. These obseession are not for the lay to appreciate, and the tea ceremony, esp the rituals developed further. The source of water for preparing tea becomes upmost importance: pure snow is the choice, and great pains to get spring or mountain or deep sea water. And the story evolved that these tea experts could know where the source of water were obtained just by sipping tea! Yes, 10% from the deep sea and the rest from the nearby stream. It really takes a lot of patience and tolerance to sieve thru these Chinese ancient texts.
Besides water, tea utensils are important. Simlarly the method of preparing tea (even stove, cliping for coal, clips for stirring water etc) are important. The obsession goes further - the time of making tea was greatly emphasied, some twilight hours. And, of course, the people and the occassion, and with light musical melody in the background. Three people was the preferred number, for the chinese character, pin, is composed of three orals (kou), meaning to savour, rather than many mouths. Relationship were also stressed, esp the relate between the server to the others and to the environment. When in such leissurely mood, these tea lovers and intellectuals become highly creative - there's good poetry, calligraphy and painting etc. the ritual becomes an art. And this culture spread to Japan, the neighbouring Asian countries and to the West, and become indigenised there.
http://www.allchinesetea.com/tea-poetry.html
Then the monks, esp the Zen sect, come into the picture. These monks love tea because it keeps them awake while performing meditation; the tea helps in digestion, cures their minor ailments; and it promotes serenity and pleasure. Though the rituals were hold important, the mental cultivation were promoted, and thus the Art evolved into a whole philosophy.
http://www.holymtn.com/home.htm
There are four distinguishing features in tea philosophy.
1. He (harmony). This is its philosophical core, and also the common feature in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. From the concept of harmony, the Middle Path was evolved.
2.Jing (silence or serenity). With serenity, the practitioner hopes to obtain purity of mind, to achieve transcendance, and achieve insight into the cosmos and become one with it.
3.Yi (Happiness). With relaxation,leissure and serenity, the spiritual exploration ends in happiness, both vulgar (for the lay) and refined (for the experts., that is, different levels of feeling related to varying degree of personal cultivation.
4. Zhen (Truth). This is the ultimate goal, the begining and the end of the search. The exploration of the MOL is in the Tao !
I hope the above provide you a basic understanding of tea and its culture. You need plenty of leissure to drink tea, in an environment of aloneness and few people, never in a crowd. The anti-oxidant effect of tea is well known; there's no addiction and organ damage liked in alcoholism. However, thou I drink tea almost everyday, I still prefer wine in the week end, for, without the uplifting effect of some alcohol, there's no chatter and boisterousness. What is life then if its all serene?
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loonshin
Friendly member
Malaysia
249 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2009 : 11:25:43
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| Did not know that chinese tea is such a fine art |
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Learning Chinese Culture Together: Lay To Lay
