Asian Art

Gongfu tea

Gongfu tea (Teochew: gang1 hu1 dê5) or kung fu tea (Chinese: 工夫茶 or 功夫茶; both gōngfū chá), literally "making tea with skill", is a traditional Chinese tea preparation method. It is sometimes called a "tea ceremony", though this is a misnomer, as gongfu cha is more accurately described as a specialised technique of brewing tea rather than a ritualised ceremony. It is probably based on the tea preparation approaches originating in Fujian and the Chaoshan area of eastern Guangdong. The term Gongfu (工夫) in Chaoshan dialect means the technique is meticulous, subtle, graceful and exquisite as well as requiring patience and experience to perfect. The practice involves using smaller brewing vessels and a more potent leaf-to-water ratio than in Western-style brewing. Today, the approach is used popularly by teashops carrying tea of Chinese or Taiwanese origin, and by aficionados and trained masters as a way to fully realize the taste of a tea selection, especially a finer one.

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See also

• ▸Blue and white pottery
• ▸Agalloch
• ▸Art Institute of Chicago

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Text from Wikipedia; plate via Wikimedia Commons. Text CC BY-SA 4.0; plate freely licensed (see Commons). Source record. Images and catalogue data are reproduced from open-access collections.