Enjoying Tea with Others is Better than Enjoying It Alone ——Chaozhou Gongfu Tea (Part II)

Mencius (孟子, c. 372-289 B.C.) asked King Hui of Liang (梁惠王, 400-319 B.C.): “Enjoying music alone or enjoying it with others, which is better?”

If the Chaoshan people are asked the similar question, they would answer that enjoying tea with others is better than enjoying it alone.

Come over for a cup of tea when you’re free

As the saying goes, “No tea enthusiasts, no tea practice.” (無腳不成局)Chaoshan people seldom drink Gongfu tea alone; instead, they enjoy it with others anytime and anywhere. Whether for welcoming friends, gathering with families, or taking a break from busy schedules, they brew a pot of Gongfu tea for leisurely resting, eating and talking. Chaoshan people do not pursue skillful tea art or tea ceremony but just cherish leisure, emotions, and life via tea. Gongfu tea connects leisure and emotions together, becoming a part of their daily life --- a simple and people-centered easy life. A real Chaoshan person drinks tea at least four or five times a day.

When Chaoshan people meet each other on the way, they would always say before parting, “Come over for a cup of tea whenever you’re free”. They are not inviting you to drink tea alone but to drink with you together to enjoy the tea practice. Although the tea is plain, Chaoshan people are hospitable and sincere.

Since Chaoshan Gongfu tea is not just about tea itself but about emotions, what is tasted is not just the flavor of the tea but the warmth of human kindness. Therefore, Chaoshan Gongfu tea requires a blend of leisure and emotions. Only when people cherish leisure would they be willing to take a break for a pot of tea; only when people value emotions would they gather together to chat over cups of tea. Though it’s just a cup of plain tea, it carries a deep affection from Chaoshan people.

Although the tea is plain, the people are hospitable and sincere

The notion of “hospitality behind the plain tea” makes Chaozhou Gongfu tea adopt the simple, less complicated way: its process is simpler, with only five steps kept; the setting is casual, adaptable to any time and any place; the tea sets are basic, typically including a small teapot, three teacups, and a tea tray. The step of “Guan Gong Patrolling the City (關公巡城)” is kept in order to ensure even density in each cup, while the step of “Han Xin Inspecting Troops (韓信點兵)” is to ensure to drip till the last bit, preventing tea from getting bitter and affecting the next infusion. Everything else is flexible and casual. That’s why Chaozhou Gongfu tea is easy to make, and everyone learns it quickly. Chaoshan People, regardless of ages or sexes, are all “inheritors” of the Gongfu tea.

Gongfu tea is brewed in a small pot and each infusion is generally just enough for three cups. However, the number of tea drinkers varies, so there is often the case with more people than cups available. It doesn’t matter actually because Gongfu tea emphasizes strong emotions behind the plain tea, therefore, whether one has had a cup or not is insignificant. If someone misses out this round, there’s always the next. In fact, it’s even better if there’s not enough cups to go around because people would always offer the tea to others to drink first, making the tea practice livelier and more interactive, and in line with the essence of Gongfu tea.

In the traditional tea practice of Chaoshan, the teapot is small, and so is the kettle for boiling water, about two to three times the capacity of the teapot. For each infusion, half of the boiling water is poured out and replaced with fresh water before re-boiling. This creates leisure time for waiting while chatting. If a large kettle is used, it would keep boiling, urging tea drinkers to keep brewing and drinking. In that case, people would be busy drinking tea and no time for chatting. “Getting together via tea drinking” is meant for gathering and chatting over tea, not just for tea drinking. Tea should please tea drinkers, not the other way around, and Chaoshan people never forget this principle.

Leisure and emotions are the essence of Chaozhou culture, embodied in Chaozhou Gongfu tea.

Chaoshan people value “easy life”, which means living without pressure or haste.

The term “Gongfu” in Chaoshan dialect means “perfection” and “meticulousness”. “Gongfu tea” emphasizes careful picking, processing, and brewing of tea, not the “Kungfu” in martial arts, so it’s not “Kungfu tea”. In Chaoshan dialect, “Gong (工)” and “Kung (功)” are pronounced differently, so people there would not confuse the two.