Last month, The Beijing Center hosted a culture event titled “A Taste of Spring: Tea Etiquette and Culture with Dr. Meng” as part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations. This event drew participants from various countries, including the United States, Sweden, and China. Even some friends from Hong Kong were able to make it! The event took place in our newly renovated and redecorated tea room, which is equipped with the latest technology to enhance the learning and class experience.
We were honored to have Dr. Cynthia Meng as our host for this event. With her expertise as a certified tea evaluator and 15 years of experience teaching tea and culture both in China and abroad, Dr. Meng guided the participants in the art of brewing their own tea ceremonies. She shared her expertise and insights into tea cultures from different regions across China, allowing participants to truly immerse themselves in the world of tea. It didn’t hurt that many of the students asked really interesting questions that kept the conversation flowing as much as the tea. Everyone walked away having learned something new, that’s for sure!
Participants tasted a dozen varieties of tea sourced from different regions of China and gained a profound understanding of the rich history and cultural significance associated with every tea variety. To commemorate the event, each participant received a gaiwan (a type of teacup) to continue their tea-tasting journey at home.
The Beijing Center regularly hosts events open to the public, including academic lectures, seminars, and various other activities. We welcome anyone who is interested in our activities, and please stay tuned for upcoming events by following our updates.
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.