AcknowledgementsI am very grateful to my supervisor Ms.Zhang who gave me encouragement, careful guidance and helpful advice to me throughout the writing of this thesis. It is she that not only gave me many valuable advices but also let me know how to write this topic.What' s more, I should express my gratitude to Ms. Zhang again for her insightful advice on my choice of the topic and valuable comments on my thesis. I am also indebted to my other teachers who had given me their sincere help and guidance and to my classmates who had given me their constant encouragement to me in the course of my studies.Of course, I also thank our school library which provides me with so many useful reference books and collected data. And my last special thanks would go to my dearest families. When I make a success, they are more excited than me, and support me to do better. Even though I failed, instead of blaming, they always share sorrow with me, an encourage me not to give up. In a word, the support from these people is always my momentum during my university study years even all the way.AbstractTea is one special kind of drink without alcohol that originates from China, and it is usually used as antidote. Then people found it was good for health to drink tea, and could refresh oneself, making people calm down. Thus tea has become more popular gradually and more and more people are fond of drinking tea every day. When it comes to Chinese Tea, it can be traced back to ancient times and was especially flourished in the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. We can say that the events about tea all around world are mostly and basically spread out from China. Tea was initially introduced to Europe and was all the rage in Britain in 17 century. Tea plays more and more important role of British in their daily life. When the general tea culture was combined with the culture in Britain, a new unique British type of tea culture formed, for example, the afternoon tea. There are some similarities of tea cultures between China and Britain, such as tea to guests, tea poets who like writing poems connected closely with tea. And there are also many idioms about tea can be found in both countries. Of course, there are still many different aspects owing to the quite different cultures in East and West. For example, the difference of tea's development of history; especially the customs of drinking tea is totally different. In fact, the more important reasons that lead to these two distinctive tea cultures are different points of value and world outlook of two nations. Chinese people who respect and rely on nature think that man is an integral part of nature. We human beings should get along with nature harmoniously. The British who advocate and emphasize individualism hold that human beings are independent, and they attempt to conquer the nature while Chinese people emphasize the importance of collectivity; they always believe collective benefits outweigh the personal interest which opposites to the view of British people who emphasize personal interest than collective benefits. On the basis of analyzing the history and customs this thesis just makes a brief study on the similarities and dissimilarities in Chinese and British tea culture.Key Words: Tea Culture; China and Britain; Comparison; Afternoon Tea摘要茶是一种不含酒精的饮料，起源于中国，它通常被用作解毒剂。
后来人们发现它是一种健康的饮品具有使人神清气爽的功效。
随着人们喝茶的日趋普遍，茶成了每天的必需品。
在民间也相应地出现很多谚语来形容茶的重要性，如茶被形容为“一日不可无茶” ，“开门七件事：柴、米、油、盐、酱、醋、茶” 。
中国的茶叶可以追溯到古代，特别是在唐、宋时期达到鼎盛。
此外，据说世界各地关于茶的主要事件都基本上是从中国传出去的。
17 世纪，茶传入欧洲并在英国风靡起来，在人们的生活中扮演越来越重要的角色。
这种舶来品与当地文化的融合形成了一种新的以下午茶为代表的独特英式茶文化。
中国与英国作为饮茶大国都有久远而浓厚的饮茶文化，有很多的相似之处，比如都会以茶代客,诗人都喜欢写关于茶的诗词，而且两个国家都有很多与茶相关的谚语。
当然，茶文化在中国和英国也存在有着差异。
比如，其历史渊源的不同，特别是饮茶习俗，俩国是完全不同的。
而导致这些差异的根本原因是其渗透在各自茶文化中的世界观和价值观不同。
中国人认为天人合一，自然是不可战胜的，人类要按客观规律办事，要与自然和谐相处。
英国人则提倡个体，认为人是独立的，人要勇于征服自然。
本论文在研究中、英茶的历史渊源、饮茶习俗、习惯等方面的基础上，展开对中英茶文化差异的探讨。
关键词：茶文化；中英；对比；下午茶Contents1.Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 ...2.Similarities in Chinese and British Tea Cultures ................................................................. 2...2.1 Tea to Guests ............................................................................................................ 2...2.2 Poets and Tea ............................................................................................................ 3 ...2.3 Idioms about Tea ......................................................................................................3...2.4 The Elegance of Tea ................................................................................................. 4...3.The Dissimilarities of Chinese and British Tea Cultures ..................................................... 5...3.1 The Different Histories ............................................................................................... 5...3.1.1 Chinese Tea History ......................................................................................... 5 ...3.1.2 British Tea History ............................................................................................ 7...3.2 Different Customs ...................................................................................................... 8...3.2.1 Chinese Tea Customs ...................................................................................... 8 ...3.2.2 British Tea Customs ......................................................................................... 9 ...3.3 The Ways People Drink Tea ..................................................................................... 1..0..3.3.1 Chinese Way ................................................................................................. 1..0.3.3.2 British Way .................................................................................................... 1..0.3.4 Different Spirit Pursuits When Drinking Tea ............................................................. 1..03.4.1 Chinese Spirit Pursuits1..0..3.4.2 British Spirit Pursuits ...................................................................................... 1..1.4.Integration of Tea Culture in China and Britain .................................................................... 1..15.Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 1..2.. Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 1..4..Exploring the Differences of Tea Culture between China and Britain1. IntroductionAt prese nt, the cultural com muni cati on among coun tries has become more popular and frequent. We have to say it is the age that culture fiercely agitates each other; all countries have to face the challenge brought about by diversified and globalized society, the conflict and friction between the national traditional cultures and modernization, as well. People like to discuss which one is much better. To be honest, people should judge on their own culture objectively, and view culture of other countries fairly in perspective. People need absorbing others cultural merits to remedy and update defects of their culture while retaining own culture feature. China, as is known to all, is the birthplace of tea and Brita in is also con sidered as ano ther country of drinking tea. Both of them are two big countries that have long history and strong cultural base. However, their respective cultures are quite different. This paper will just show a tiny part of difference between Chinese and British cultures by comparing the tea cultures.Tea is a kind of shrub with so fragrant white flowers and evergreen leaves. The dried leaves of this pla nt which are plucked in differe nt stages of growth and prepared by various processes can be used to make a hot beverage. Accord ing to historical records and some lege nd, tea has bee n known in China since about 2700B.C.pers on ally, I am so proud that It is Chin ese who earliest discover and use tea.As the homela nd of tea, China has long history, exte nsive and profo und tea culture」n China, tea is not merely one kind of drink but it a symbol of culture that refers to the Humanities and it is always con sidered as a mysterious but harm onious comb in atio n; Furthermore it is a carrier of tea culture by which spread out various kinds of culture. In fact tea culture is organic integration of tea and culture, which include and reflect a certain period of material civilization and spiritual civilization in China. Also it is invigorating as well as pacifying. Its character is flexible in different environments. For example, a different tea culture would be formed only if tea goes in a differe nt direct ion. It also represe ntsa state of peace -- peaceof mind. Or it is regarded as a symbol of not seeking fame and wealth of tranquility, of recovering to the simple and coming to the nature. At present, tea culture is a very typical and important carrier of leisure culture for Chinese. When it is introduced to Britain with popularity, tea combined with native culture has gradually formed a new unique tea culture. Although Britain is not a country to product tea just like China, the British are absolutely and most definitely true the second largest per capita tea consumers in the world, with each person consuming on average 2.1 kg per year.(Eva ns, 2000: 3) In particular, the ways to drink tea of them are so popular among people all around the world eve n in clude Chin ese. There are similarities and differe nee betwee n western and eastern tea culture because of its own economic and traditional cultural background .This article will do make effort to explore a comparative study on tea culture between China and Britain. First, I prepare to discuss the similarities that are closely followed by describing or illustrating the differences caused by the dissimilarities related to development of history and customs. Then, a set of importa nt con clusi ons that is derived from the whole paper will be made.2. Similarities in Chinese and British Tea CulturesThere is a long history of tea in both China and Britain. On the one hand, tea cultures in China and Britain are quite different owing to their different native cultures in West and East. On the other hand, whe n tea acts as a kind of beverages there still exist someth ing in com mon.2.1 Tea to GuestsChina is a country with a time-honored civilization and a land of ceremony and decorum. In China, tea is always severed hospitality to show their kindn ess and high respect to the guests when guests visit to their homes .Most of time the hosts try to prepare better tea ,especially when some more importa nt or upper class come. It seems to be n ecessary to welcome guests with tea. Moreover, tea has always been rooted in peop' heart as a symbol of civilization that stands for thousa nds of years of Chin ese great fame -- “礼仪之邦'.'o won 'be so surprised whe n you get into an eatery and see the waiter make a cup of tea to the guest hospitality. In Britain:stalso com mon to receive guests with tea. Let's take the Early Morni ng Tea as example. It would be a best choice to treat the guest by making a cup of tea because it can firstly wake him up and help him keep more energetic. What ' s more, it also shows the great care of host. But, Afternoon Tea is served together with dessert to treat the guests. There is no doubt that China and Britain share the same com muni cative fun cti ons of tea.2.2 Poets and TeaIn China, tea plays a special role that is closely related to literatus even from ancient time.In their opinion drinking tea or exactly savoring tea is one kind of elegant activities like writing, drawing and so on. Tea-drinking sometimes gives them inspiration and helps them to create classic works whichdescribe tea and relationship between people ' s lives and tea.In Britain, poets are interested in writing some works about tea as well as those Chinese poets. Famous poets like W.N. Cowper, Alexander Pope, and B.P. Shelley write some works about tea. For example, “ The Rolliad ” (1785) written by British Liberals and seeetenses are written as follows :“ What tongue can tell, the various kinds of tea? Of black and green, Of Hyson and Bohear; With Singlo, Congou, Pekoe and Souchong, Cows lip the fragrant, Gun powder the strong. ” (It described the character of tea, and did some compares). And one of Alexander Pope ' s long satire poems named “ The Rape of the Lock ” (1712) like this: great Anne! Whom three realms obey, dost sometimes coun sel take, and sometimes tea.kind of satire)2.3 Idioms about TeaIn China, we can find many idioms connected with tea, such as “oneof seven daily necessities,the others being firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar ”“Afamily can' t have no tea one day ” , which emphasis the importanee of tea in people ' s daily life as neMeanwhile, in Britain many idioms about tea are known to people as well .For example: not quite my cup of tea refers to somebody does n 'like the one offered very much. By con trast, some one' cup of tea means someth ing that some one cares about or is fond of. Besides, “ As useful as a chocolate teapot that refers to something is suitable for decorative for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility ” .“ Not for all the tea in China ” means I would cmatter how much ben efit can be give n. ” And the phrase “ Tea and sympathy ” means the cand sympathy for. “ For all the tea in China ” peapeesBi^a the means a great asset.This idiom occurs in late 19th century when tea was considered very precious, most tea of western countries is imported from other countries and China was the word' greatest tea producer so “ all the tea in ChinOndeed a hisge wealth. Furthermore, another example is a tea hound which is in teresti ng. It means some one who likes to in itiate a conv ersatio n with beautieson the balls, tea parties and other social occasi ons. The sentence “ Jack is mature enhe is not a tea hound any Ion ger. ” means Jack is no Ion ger a playboy. Last but not least exampa tempest in a teapot or a storm in a tea cup means “ makea mountain out of a molehill 6r“ make a big fuss over a minor issue. For example, the whole affa i s just a tempest in a teapot, in a couple of mon ths every one will have forgotte n about it. The sentence means the thi ng is so com mon that people should not make much fuss about trifles.2.4 The Elega nee of TeaIn fact, tea drinking and tea tasti ng are differe nt in China. Drinking tea does mainly work tea ' s ability to quench their thirst. Diversely, tea tasting has cultural meaning that stresses color, fragra nee, taste. When people taste tea they pay great atte nti on to the quality of tea wares and they like to drink slowly and savor every drop. Subsequently, a special tea culture has become formed. When tasting tea it requires that Tea and tea wares should match with surrounding eleme nts such as breeze, bright moon, pin es, bamboo, plums and snow which show the ultimate goal pursued by Chin ese: the harm onious un ity of huma n beings with n ature.The traditi onal Con fucia n theory believes that pers onal character can be compared to tea that is sober, sensible and gentle. Tea can make people feel stimulating, exciting in a way. The fragranee of tea is not aggressive but, is pleasant, comforting and lasting. It ' s sbetween gentlemen is also like a cup of tea. You will feel a strong sense of peace when you hold a cup of tea in hand, enjoying the gree n leaves in a white porcela in cup. Gradually, other earthly concerns such fame, wealth are far away. Tea is really the symbol of eleganee.In Brita in, people also pursue and worship elega nee while drinking tea. For example, duri ng after noon tea, the best room and porcela in would be prepared by the hostess to treat the guests warmly. They also offer some delicious and exquisite snacks to entertain guests. What more s both men and wome n should be meticulously dressed. Men guests ofte n wear tailcoat and wome n used to wear robe in Victoria age but today wear formal Western style clothes. Of course it is necessary for the hostess to wear formal dress. We can see the eleganee becomes visible in all those details. In Britain ' s history, tea waseaten frequently ineriad palace, being started from upper class firstly , the n became more popular among the com mon people, so obviously it is n atural that the tea culture has elega nee of the n oble.3. The Dissimilarities of Chinese and British Tea CulturesTea has become sought-after by more and more people which act as a very importa nt role in both Chinese and British culture. However, a distinction should be made between tea cultures in China and Britain because cultural background in west and east are quite different.3.1 The Different Histories3.1.1 Chi nese Tea HistoryAs a national drink. Chinese tea has enjoyed a very long history that even can be tracked back to about 3000 thousa nd years ago. In around 2737 BC tea was firstly discovered. Accord ing to one ancient record, it is the lege ndary emperor Shennong who is con sidered as inven tor of Chin ese medic ine and agriculture liked drinking boili ng water very much. On ce, on the trip to a dista nt place, he and his serva nts had a rest and drunk some water just boiled whe n a few leaves fall into his water from a nearby tree. And then, his bowl of water has changed the color miraculously. The emperor was pleasantly surprised by its flavor after taking a sip of the brew. Origi nally, tea is just treated as herbs as medic ine did. There is a story about Shengnong tast ing a hundred varieties of herbs mentioned in Luyu 's famous work titled Cha Jing that tells Shengnwould try to chew different kinds of leaves, stems of even poisonous plant to find out suitable and useful herbs. Tea is used to coun teract the pois on if he is uni ucky to be pois onous duri ng the process of tasting, as is mentioned in Lu Yu's famous early work on the subject, Cha Jing. A similar Chin ese lege nd goes that the god of agriculture would chew the leaves, stems, and roots of various pla nts to discover medici nal herbs. If he con sumed a pois onous pla nt, he would chew tea leaves to coun teract the pois on. In Tang Dyn asty, ano ther lege nd odd spread out widely. It tells about the founder of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma, was sunk in sleep for nine years after sin cere meditati ng in front of a wall which made him so regretful and disgust that he cut off his eyelids decisively. How gruesome it is that the eyelids fell to the ground and took root, fin ally grow ing into tea bushes un expectedly. Probably, there is no historical basis at all but it is true that tea has played an important and significant role in Chinese culture for centuries whether it acts as a beverage, an herb, and a symbol of one' s ocial status. Naturally, the theories of its orig in are bound up with court and religi on in esse nee. In China, people have con sumed tea for thousands of years and it is said that China has the earliest records of tea consumption.Laozi (ca. 600-517 BC), one of excelle nt Chin ese philosophers who described tea as "the froth of the liquid jade" and thought it was a necessity to the elixir of life is closely connected with tea. It is told that master Lao was so disappo in ted by moral dege neracy, believ ing that the dyn asty would come to the end soon, therefore, he decided to leave for ano ther land. On the road, he met and was offered tea by a customs in spector called Yin Hsi whom he took en courageme nt from in his study. This directly led to the appearance of his well known Dao De Jing, a collection of Laozi's famous say in gs. Latter, Wang Bao wrote a book referri ng to some in formatio n about buying and prepari ng tea in59 BC.In 220 AD, Shi Lun writte n by highly praised physicia n and surge on Hua Tuo in troducedone fun cti on of tea to refresh one' s men tal, creat ing a new cerem ony of tea.And it was the Sui Dyn asty that tea started to be in troduced to Japa n.Lu Yu born in Tang Dynasty wrote the world ' s first classic book about tea tilted Cha Jing that has had great effect on promoti ng the developme nt and spread of tea culture. The book does not only describe various kno wledge about tea in details but also in itially con sidered the process of making tea as a kind of art, in clud ing the ways of tea pla nts being grow n, the leaves being processed, and prepari ng of tea as a beverage. Moreover it discusses the way to evaluate tea and the best place for produci ng tea and so on …At that time in history, teas produced were mainly tea bricks that acted as currency while coins in royal lost values gradually.During the period of Song Dyn asty, the ways to make and prepare had radically cha nged. Many loose-leaf styles of tea were worshiped by the court as one powdered form emerged. Although steaming tea played prominent role in the process of preparing tea last several cen turies. With the developme nt from compressed tea to the powered form, the product ion of tea for trade and distributio n cha nged as well. Un til the mid-13th cen tury, the Chin ese started to learn a creative way to process tea whe n tea leaves were roasted and crumbled subseque ntly in stead of being steamed. I have to say that is an importa nt source of today 'loose tea. In addition, it carried out brewed tea into practice.During the Ming Dyn asty, the court promulgated a decreed formally that there was no other than loose tea could be treated as a holy “ tribute This directly resulted in the raise of tea ' s product ion and the adva nceme nt of tech niq ues to produce tea.After the founding of New Chi na, tea, a substa ntial in crease in material wealth for the development of tea culture in China provides a solid foundation. Some institutions or orga ni zati ons have bee n found successively to carry forward tea cultures. Such as, "tea house" was established in Hang Zhou, Hubei''s_u Yu Tea Culture ", Association of Chinese Tea International Tea Culture Seminar, etc. Meanwhile Tea culture has become a kind of leisure culture gradually. Teahouses can be seen here and there in which for entertainment and chatting.3.1.2 British Tea HistoryIn May of 1660, tea bega n to be in troduced by the wife of Ki ng Charles II--the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza, who firstly brought the habit of drinking tea to the court. Since then, tea drinking become a kind of pleasure of British Royal and an importa nt part of life. At the outset, the tea used in Britain court was not imported from China directly but transferred into by Portuguese people. It is in 1664 that Chinese tea was directly imported into Britain.With the freque nt trade betwee n one Chin ese tradi ng compa ny called Chin ese Hongs and the British East In dia Compa ny, tea was imported successfully and promoted as a beverage. And it was treated as a drink for the n oble at the late of 17th cen tury, but un expectedly became the national drink by 1750. In fact, appearance of large amount of trade in tea was caused by the n eed for the East In dies. In that period, mercha nt ships send fabrics from Britai n to In dia and China but always returned with nothing except empty ships. In order to solve this issue well, the East India Company developed tea as the necessary return goods which made tea became popular among the com mon people.With the in crease in importati on and sales of cane sugar duri ng a period of time from 1690 to 1750, that of tea also escalatedaccordingly becausethe Britain only drink sweet tea rather than tea. So the relatio nship of trade betwee n Brita in produc ing the sugar and China provid ing the tea became greatly enhan ced.In Manchurian days, the emperor of China claimed that China was the center of the world and it had everything including some that other countries could ever need but difficult to get, foreigners must paid Silver in all trade with China. Owing to this, the Britain had to pay for our tea with silver bullion which caused Britain ' s great loBattrfmpalthcircumvent itsdepe ndence on Chin ese tea, on the one hand, Brita in bega n export ing opium to Qing gover nment. On the other hand, the East In dia Compa ny sent Scottish bota nist Robert Fort une to China to buy tea seeds in 1848. He carried back the seeds by putting them into a portable incubator with steamship sailing from our country to India. In this way, massive tea trees began to grow and thrive. Many tea garde ns developed quickly. All of these boost the popularity of drinking tea followed by a creative tea culture -- British black tea culture that is well known to us.British tea became quite important goods just like that in China, playing a special role in global trade and making big effect in contributing to Britain ' s dominthe podite n by18th cen tury. Thus, most of people all around world con sidered tea as a symbol of while it was also seenas a symbol of old British colonialism by some people.3.2 Differe nt Customs3.2.1 Chi nese Tea CustomsIn China, tea is a more importa nt part of culture tha n just a kind hot beverage. The methods to prepare and serve tea stem from ancient times passed down for several generations. Specifically, Chinese tea closely mirrors the unity of Chinese tradition and custom of drinking tea with the developme nt of its tech niq ues to produce tea. Differe nt occasi ons of prepari ng and consuming tea can be prese nted as follows.1) One of the seve n daily n ecessitiesAs one of the seve n n ecessities (in cludi ng firewood, oil, rice, salt, vin egar, and soy sauce), tea has bee n take n seriously by people. Maybe it is related that tea can help people be far away from the force of vile.2) To Show Respect with TeaIt is com mon to see the youn ger ofte n greet the elder with tea to show their respect in Chi na. And it is said in the past only people of lower class could serve those higher ranking people, which is fairly different from that of today. With the thought of free spreading, people accept more new life styles. So it is not surpris ing whether the boss pour tea for his subord in ates or the parents pour tea for their kinds to show their kindness or care. But, it is improper for the lower class to expect the higher class to serve them in formal occasi ons.3) Chinese Tea in WeddingsPare nts and childre n ofte n go to restaura nts and drink tea for leisure at weeke nds because they have little time to meet each other whe n the childre n are busy worki ng or after marriage. Therefore, it becomes freque nt and importa nt activity to drink tea together for their gatheri ng. Otherwise, people always go for drinking tea to celebrate some sig nifica nt festivals which reflect family values of Chin ese in some exte nt.4) For a family gatheri ngIt is an old tradition and necessary etiquette for the groom and bride to serve their parents tea by which expressesappreciation for breeding. After drinking, parents will give them red en velop with money but much best wishes.3.2.2 British Tea CustomsIn 1662, Portuguese prin cess Catheri ne of Braga nza brought Chin ese black tea into Brita in with her marriage with King Charles II. She doesn ' t only love tea, but consider it as a mysteri health beverage.A nd due to her advocacy, tea culture was quickly prevale nt in the court and exte nded to prin ces, no bles and rich families the n drinking tea becomes their one importa nt way of keeping health and an elegant social etiquette. Latter , more and more people rush to copy, as well as, drinking tea spread to folk in stead of wine or beer, beco ming British n ati onal tea. Therefore, princess Catherineof Braganza was known as “queen of tea ” .Tea can be said to affect every class in Brita in and it is famous for its “ after no onea ” culture. The upper used to drink breakfast tea and after noon tea. In the middle of 18th cen tury, the British attached more importance of hearty breakfast and dinner than simple lunch. It is long time duration between two formal meals. When tea is brought to Britain, drinking tea became fashi on able among the upper classes and many wome n of aristocrat liked to eat dessert at five o' clock in the after noon with tea which was imitated widely by others. I n this way, the after noon tea becomes prevale nt as a popular etiquette and has spread to the civilia n society rapidly. And it is com mon to see that trai n, ship eve n airport offer cups of tea to guests. Besides, some restaura nts serve customers with after noon tea while cin emas ofte n treat tea as a great means of com muni cati ng with others duri ng rest time.Traditi onal after noon tea usually in cludes san dwiches that are well-chose n, scones smeared with clotted cream and preserves.Differe ntly, today after noon tea may be served just with a biscuit or small piece of cake and mug of tea. And teabag is used widely.There are many coffee houses in which take responsibility for introducing tea to England. It is great to experie nce the after noon tea traditi on and visit a fin est teahouse.What' s more, accord ing to record whe n starti ng to know and drink tea, the British treated green tea as the fist choice. However, it changed greatly until they found the black tea is thick and full of much nu triti on. There are two reas ons for people to choose black tea rather tha n gree n tea. Some hold it is easier to keep black tea than green tea while others believe that it can help people keep warmer to drink black for British liv ing in this in sularity around sea where is cold in whole year.3.3 The Ways People Drink Tea3.3.1 Chi nese WayAs a multi-national country, Chinese culture must be multifarious and colorful but different from each other. That is to say 56 peoples have their respective ways to drink because of distinet life styles.。