Chinese Tea Ceremonies & Literature and Poetry Parker Giovan, Scarlett Alejo

Chinese Poetry

Chinese poetry can be divided into three main periods: The early period, that consisted of folk songs utilizing simple, repetitive forms. The classical period from the Han dynasty to the fall of the Qing dynasty, in which a number of different forms were developed. The last period was the modern period that utilized Westernized free verse.

Shi Jing (Early Period) The Classic of Poetry, also known as Shijing or Shih-ching, is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising of 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. It is one of the "Five Classics" traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius.

During the Han dynasty (206 BCE- CE 220), poems began to use rhymed verse except for introductory and concluding passages that are in prose, often in the form of questions and answers; often called a poetical essay. Classical Poetry

Modern Era Modern Chinese poems usually do not follow any prescribed pattern. Early twentieth-century poets like Xu Zhimo, Guo Moruo and Wen Yiduo sought to break Chinese poetry from past conventions by adopting Western models.

Chinese Literature

Writing in China dates back to the hieroglyphs that were used in the Shang Dynasty of 1700 – 1050 BC. Chinese literature is a vast subject that spans thousands of years. Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious works, poetry, and scientific writings.

Literature in Shanghai Shanghai, in particular, was one of the most renown places for Chinese literature. During the 1920s-1930s Shanghai was home to the “golden era” in Chinese literature. An author by the name of Lu Xun lived in Shanghai in the 1920s and helped modernize the literature scene by writing his satirical and political works in vernacular Chinese versus Classical Chinese which was often rigid and too scholarly for the average person to understand.

After Xun’s breakthrough, many well-regarded works were written, many about crime, drug use, romance, war, and history. Today modern works are often hindered by censorship, however, blogs have increased in popularity. Many young writers are now able to spread their work in China through this medium. Historical fiction is now written the most as it is as seen as a safe and non-offensive publishing choice. Continued...

Tea Ceremonies Tea is a very big part of the Chinese culture. The spirit of tea ceremony is represented by Taoism. h

Chinese tea ceremony was born as a result of respect and peace for nature. The philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism combined together started the magical Chinese tea ceremony. As time went by, Chinese people started to appreciate the value behind tea besides its medicinal purposes. Tea ceremonies went from being only being used for religious reasons to becoming social, cultural and traditional events celebrated in occasions to honor family.

In the Chinese society when a younger person wants to show a sign of respect they will offer an older person some tea. When families have family gatherings they go to a restaurant and drink tea to re-establish ties. Tea can also be a form of an apology. If two siblings got into an argument and one wants to apologize to the other one they can by offering tea.

Tea is used to celebrate weddings and show gratitude Tea is used to celebrate weddings and show gratitude. In a Chinese marriage ceremony the bride and groom would kneel in front of their parents and serve them tea to thank them. Finger tapping is also a big thing in tea ceremonies. When you are served tea you are supposed to bend your index and middle fingers and knock it on the table. This shows you are expressing gratitude to the person who served you tea.

This first video thoroughly explains the process of making tea and what they use to make it. The video tells you how many times you have to brew the tea depending on what kind of tea it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXTw0P3nBBU The second video explains what you should and shouldn’t do when you are drinking tea. The video explains how much Chinese people value the elders so they are always served tea first. The video also explains how finger tapping works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDFi4_x_M8