Taste in Culture: The flow of tea and a sip of the artistic tea time in solitude
Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, aside from water. The way tea is made and consumed, the ways people interact with tea and the aesthetics and atmosphere surrounding tea drinking, define tea culture. It plays a vital role in human civilisation, demonstrating remarkable social, economic, and political impacts throughout global history.
The planting and making of tea is a sophisticated process and an art in itself. It forms a complex cultural system that integrates physical techniques into philosophical and spiritual concepts, defining a unique way of telling the world about Chinese people’s understanding of life.
The thesis researches how tea culture is continuously evolving, travelling and adapting itself to different cultures around the world, and how it influences derived art and architecture.
