ART OF TEA

     Fuel, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven basic daily necessities according to the Chinese. Tea has long been regarded as healthy, but has recently been proven to reduce the risk of cancer and aid in digestion. Tea is also beneficial on a spiritual level as it has been an integral part of social life in China from the earliest times. Chinese people have served tea to their guests and sent gifts of tea as a form of greeting and a mark of respect for millennia. Whether in a small group of friends or a large family gathering, the Chinese find tea an indispensable part of daily life.

To maximize your enjoyment next time you sip a cup of tea, NYChinatown.com tells you everything you need to know to make the right selection. Next time you have a cup with friends, you could impress them by explaining why it is that Chinese have the funny habit of tapping the table when tea is poured for them. If you are in the mood, you might even demonstrate traditional tea steeping methods to them.

YUM CHA

    In southern China, especially Guangdong province, tea drinking takes on a whole new meaning. Although people commonly called it yum cha, which literally mean "drinking tea," the focus is not the quality of the tea but the quality of the conversation. Indeed, tea drinking is only a background for lively eating and chatting - dish after dish of small dumplings called dim sum flow across the table. Friends and families sit together and share tea rather than ordering their own pots. The only real guideline is that one must never pour their own tea first. As a sign of respect and politeness, they always serve others before refilling their own cup.  The tapping on the table when someone is pouring tea for you means: yes, more tea please and thank you!

The environment of these tea restaurants is nearly the opposite of the teahouses - they are always filled with lively conversation. Many Chinese people go to yum cha in the early morning or afternoon - almost never for an evening meal. However, different trends are always evolving and in some areas of Guangzhou (across the border from Hong Kong) the trend of night tea has been developing recently. After finishing dinner at home, people go to yum cha to meet up with friends and neighbors. The tea drinking style in different regions has been constantly changing and developing but the core of devotion for tea seems everlasting.