The outdoor tea houses were considered as the “traditional men’s club” during the Qing Dynasty where political issues and business arangements were talked about. The remaining traditional outdoor Chinese tea houses can be found within Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, and public parks. Few of these traditional tea houses remain in the western city of Chengdu. Majority of the tea house goers are the older generation. Tea drinking vivifies the day-to-day chess match or catching up on daily news.
Presently, China’s traditional tea-houses are under threat from the country’s fast modernization. Since the early 1990s, hundreds of Chinese tea houses were annihilated in the city as renovations took place. The supervisor of this Chengdu Starbucks cafe envisions the city will soon have more Starbucks outlets than conventional tea-houses.
Vocabulary:
modernization – making modern in appearance or behavior
annihilated – destroyed completely
renovation – restoration or reconstruction
vivify – make something more lively or interesting
envision – imagine as a future possibility
True or False:
- The traditional outdoor Chinese tea houses are under threat due to the nation’s fast modernization.
- During the early 1800s, all of the tea houses in Japan were abolished.
- Traditional Chinese tea houses can be found inside the malls.
- Patrons of the Chinese tea houses visit there to relax and have fun.
- Presently, Chinese tea houses are not in danger even if Starbucks is getting popular.
Defend your argument:
- Should China preserve and protect their tea drinking customs? Why or why not?
- Do you think the popularity of tea drinking will remain in the future? Why or why not?
- Do you think preserving tradition limits modernization?
Express your opinion:
- “A man without tea in him is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.” ~Japanese proverb
- “Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, build on to that which is already excellent.”
―Auliq Ice - “Nations rise and fall, flourish and decay, by what they believe in and by what their culture stands for.”
―Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha