Tea for tranquillity (2)

"We teach students both the fancy cha dao performance and practical tea-making skills for daily life. We emphasize that tea is for drinking, rather than for seeing," Sheng says.

Marketing specialist Zhou Xun first learned about cha dao three years ago at a casual gathering with friends.

"A friend brought along a set of teapot and tea cups and started to make tea for us," the 30-year-old Shanghai native recalls. "Every step was so gentle and elegant, and just watching it relaxed me."

Zhou was enamored right away by both the fragrance and the whole process of making and serving tea. He now has his own tea set and does cha dao at times.

"Performing cha dao should not be a routine; do it with ease, you will take pleasure in it," he says. "Every time I find myself too stressed out, I will bring out my 'treasure' and sit in the sitting room to 'play' with it and soon I will calm down."

To understand cha dao, it's crucial to study the knowledge and art of tea. Learning the right way to make tea, developing the skills for tasting and appreciating traditional culture will give tea lovers a deeper appreciation.

"One can say that every Chinese cannot live without tea, whether it's you or the people around you, there are always people drinking tea in various ways, some using big cups and some preferring elegant tea ware," Shen says.

Not only is tea healthy and a way to satisfy thirst, it is also the drink for mind and soul.

"If someone drinks tea for his entire life and cannot feel the pleasure it brings, that's probably because he's not focused during the process," he says.

Tea is one of the seven traditional daily necessaries in Chinese life - firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. It is something very common, yet still elegant.

Shi says that cha dao is about aesthetic appreciation and "humanistic" care.

"In the process of tea tasting, don't think too much and try to feel the most direct experience," Shi says. "Tea is not something material, it's very personalized and there's no fixed standard."

Though tea is part of the daily routine of many people, there are two extreme ways of drinking tea, according to Shi.

"Either people drink it casually, whether it is good or bad, or they get too subtle and particular, which can't reflect real life," he says. "Some people worship tea as a belief, too far away from the daily life."

Tips on tea ceremony at home

There are three most important factors in tea ceremony - water temperature, quantity of tea and brewing time.

It is essential to remove the tea leaves from water after a certain time, to achieve the best taste and not over-steep or brew.

For one person who wants just one cup, a small pot and tea bowl (or cup) are sufficient.

Green tea is best brewed in small glasses, so that the color and floating of the leaves in the water can be appreciated.

Here are some basics in cha dao.

? Use one 150cc cup, add 2.5-3g tea leaves, and after two or three minutes add the hot water. Then put the drink into another cup; this way, the taste is not affected and the tea will not be bitter.

? To serve Iron Guanyin tea for guests, prepare a 200-250cc pot and three or four cups. Fill the pot with 7-8g tea leaves, or one-fifth of the pot's capacity.

? Using boiling water, fill the pot; this first round should brew for about a minute and 40 seconds; the second is the shortest, around 45 seconds, and the third should be around 70 seconds. As the tea is weaker, the fourth time takes longer than three minutes. Change the tea leaves after adding water thee or four times.

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