TBC Lecture Series – A Journey in the Tea Mountains of Yunnan, China, with Dr. Francis T. Hannafey S.J.
TBC invites leading scholars, thinkers and experts to address an eclectic range of topics related to China in an one-hour format as part of TBC’s Lecture Series. On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, Dr. Francis T. Hannafey S.J. gave a lecture on Pu’er tea to students.
Abstract of Dr. Francis’s talk: “Last summer I was pursuing on-site research for a writing project on Yunnan Puer tea. I was in the Lincang region of southern Yunnan staying with tea farmers and their families while exploring Puer tea growing, harvesting, production, and tasting of this distinctive tea from Yunnan Province. Tea is much more than simply a beverage in Yunnan and in Chinese culture. I continue to learn that in Yunnan (and in other regions of China) tea—and especially Puer tea– is about human communication, relationship, friendship, and personal discovery. This presentation will offer highlights of this journey along with special consideration of the people of Yunnan, the beautiful land, and discussion of the importance of Puer tea in Yunnan and beyond…”
Over this past weekend, some of our students enrolled at Minzu University of China took their annual Spring Outing – this year, to Gubei Water Town. Situated about a 2-hour drive northeast of Beijing, the April weather made it absolutely perfect to explore for a spring outing. It surrounds various canals and offshoots of Yuanyang lake.
If you ever want to get a taste of Old Beijing, by far one of the best ways is to visit the hutongs. They’ve conceptually been around all the way since the 1200s, and in their most modern forms exist as protected alleyways and streets surrounded by old traditional houses and neighborhoods in the heart of Beijing and are recognized in China to be an important part of cultural heritage in the city.