On May 21, the International Tea Day, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Chinese Embassy in the United States jointly held a Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon. The event celebrated the inscription of China’s traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Charge d’Affaires Xu Xueyuan, Minister Jing Quan, members of the delegation from Quanzhou, Fujian Province, approximately 200 American guests from various sectors such as politics, business, culture, education and technology, and foreign diplomats attended the event and together drank in the beauty of tea culture.

In her remarks, Charge d’Affaires Xu Xueyuan highlighted the unique and vital role that tea and tea culture, originating from China, has played in promoting economic development of and cultural exchanges between China and the world. In particular, tea has born witness to the development of the China-U.S relationship. In 1784, the American merchant ship “Empress of China” returning from China laden with tea marked the inception of direct trade between China and the United States. In 1972, Chairman Mao Zedong presented President Nixon with the Da Hong Pao tea as a state gift, starting the process of the normalization of the China-U.S. relationship. Charge d’Affaires Xu called for the two countries to join hands to bring bilateral relations back to the track of sound and steady growth for the peace and development of the world.

At the event, tea masters from Quanzhou and local tea artisans from the United States together showcased various types of tea and the art of tea, encouraging the audience to know more about tea, savor its flavors, and fall in love with it. Yang Aihong, a tea master from Quanzhou, demonstrated the brewing technique of the top-grade oolong tea, Anxi Tie Guan Yin, allowing the guests to experience the aroma of tea, the exquisiteness of tea utensils, the artistry of tea preparation, and the beauty of tea culture up-close. Luo Ping, a tea artisan from the United States, introduced production techniques, characteristics, and brewing methods of a typical black tea, Jingwei Fucha from Shaanxi, inviting the audience to distinguish and taste the tea. Professor John Smagula from Temple University in the United States presented a comprehensive exhibition of six major categories of Chinese tea, introducing the characteristics of each type of tea along with its history, tea etiquette, and tea culture.

Artists and art students from both China and the United States also brought a diverse array of performances, including Nanyin (Southern Music in China, known as the “living fossils” of traditional Chinese music), Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) and ethnic dances, showcasing the unique charm of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures. The puppetry performance by Quanzhou puppet artists was particularly captivating. String puppetry, originating in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), flourishing during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and reaching its peak during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), has been passed down for over a thousand years. The audience marveled when the puppets wrote the four Chinese characters “茶和天下” (Tea for Harmony). The event also featured the aromatic world of incense, as well as an exhibition of Dehua porcelain from Quanzhou, known for its purity and whiteness. Throughout the event, the rich combination of Chinese culture and art created an atmosphere of tranquility and delight, leaving the guests immersed in an elegant artistic feast.

The salon planted the seeds of appreciation and love of tea in the hearts of many guests, and inspired their admiration and affection for the Chinese culture. Many expressed in the guestbook their fondness for tea and their agreement with the concept of harmony that tea embodies. They appreciated the role of tea in refreshing the mind and strengthening friendships. Many promised to carry this precious bond of tea back with them and pass it on. They also expressed hope for more cultural exchange initiatives between China and the United States, so as to deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples and promote the sound and stable development of China-U.S. relations.