Tian Han

As the clock counts down towards the opening of the Olympic Games at 8 p.m. on August 8, 2008, the Chinese government and many ordinary Chinese citizens are hoping that one particular song will make an impression on television viewers in all corners of the globe: “March of the Volunteers,” the country’s National Anthem. Not only will it play during the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony, but also every time a Chinese athlete wins a gold medal, and expectations are running high that this will happen a lot, thanks largely to the high caliber of the women competing for the PRC.

Even if international audiences grow accustomed to the sound of the tune, they are unlikely to know that the national anthem is actually a theme song of a film that antedates the founding of the PRC by a decade and a half, a film that was just as much about Chinese nationalism as it was about sentimental young lovers and their struggles in troubled times. And even within China, many people don’t know much about the two originators of the song, composer Nie Er and poet and playwright Tian Han, beyond a few recycled clichés about their dramatic lives.

Given the obsession with the supposedly auspicious number 8, Tian Han’s own biography is a very appropriate point of departure. He was born in 1898, a year famous for the “Hundred Days of Reform,” an effort at radical change stymied by conservatives within the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). And he died in 1968—not, as one might expect from the author of the lyrics to a national anthem, in the limelight, but rather in obscurity, under an assumed name, in a military hospital. So who was this man? How did he emerge as the key creator of the National Anthem of the PRC? More importantly, how did expressions of nationalism come to be so intricately connected with images of strong-willed (and bodied) women in modern China?

Born into a declining gentry family in the countryside of Hunan, Tian Han came to understand the world around him through local operas and puppet plays. In 1913 and 1915, while still a teenager, he took the step from being a consumer of opera to a producer and published two opera librettos, the very first literary works in an extremely prolific career. During Tian Han’s Tokyo sojourn from 1916 through 1922, his love for Chinese opera, combined with his sensitivity to new cultural trends, immediately drew him towards film and drama. What began as love at first sight in Tokyo became a lifelong passion for film and drama throughout Tian Han’s cultural journey from Tokyo to Beijing, culminating in his attempt to reform Chinese opera “from the perspective of the film art.”

This genre-centered biographical sketch by no means suggests that Tian Han somehow lived in a sociopolitical vacuum. He was, at one and the same time, a man of letters and a man of action: an active student leader during his Tokyo sojourn, a famous “leftist” playwright during his Shanghai years, an organizer of anti-Japanese “guerrilla drama troupes” during the war with Japan in the Chinese hinterland, and a middle-ranking cultural bureaucrat in Beijing after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.

By the time Tian Han came to conceive the film story Fengyun ernü (Lovers in Troubled Times) which the future National Anthem emerged from, he had undergone radical self-criticism some four years earlier, and had joined the Communist Party in 1932. One would expect to see a film made by a Communist-controlled film company portraying soldiers on the warfront; however, the film rather faithfully follows Tian Han’s story, opening with a scene of flirtation between a Westernized femme fatale and two young men.

Tian Han immediately configured his male protagonists in relation to two spatially hierarchical worlds: the world of the poor young girl and her laboring mother living downstairs from the two young men’s attic room; and the world of the seductive Mrs. C, living on the third floor of a private villa, who has “the eyes of a wolf” and who, in the young man’s poem, is “the daughter of Eve, the messenger of Satan.” The young men gradually enter deep into these two worlds. When they pawn their valuables to pay the rent for the poor young girl, she visits their room and discovers there the painting of a phoenix. The story of the immortal phoenix that leaps into fire every five hundred years to be reborn fascinates the girl and she decides to change her name from Ah Feng to Xin Feng, that is, from a “little phoenix” to a “new phoenix.”

After the death of Xin Feng’s mother, the poor virgin becomes a member of the two young men’s “artistic family.” No sexual relationship in this “artistic family” of two young men and one young girl is depicted. However, celibacy does not mean lack of romance. On the contrary, the lack of obvious sexual encounter could itself be an indicator of the underlying romance. In particular, for the “lovers in troubled times” in Shanghai, physical sacrifice and anti-Japanese activism seem to substitute for sexual intercourse. The sexual energy between the young men and the young girl is further disguised as educational zeal to mold the virgin girl into a modern woman. Baihua, the Romantic poet, insists that she should receive modern education; while his friend Zhifu, the practical “revolutionary,” wants to introduce her to factory work.

When Zhifu is arrested for his radical activities and Baihua is hunted by the police, the poet finds shelter with the mysterious Mrs. C, who treats him like her husband, greets him with a warm kiss and keeps him at her place overnight. The overflow of sexual energy and the mutually beneficial sexual relationship between the poet and the femme fatale further illustrate the uneasiness surrounding the platonic relationship between the young men and the virgin. As if mesmerized, the poet goes with the femme fatale to the seashore of Qingdao, a German colony and an escapist utopia; while Xin Feng, the girl under the protection of the poet, has to quit school and join a touring dance troupe to make a living.

The climax, both in terms of plot and in terms of the sexual energy circulating within that plot, comes when Baihua and Mrs. C go to a variety show in which Xin Feng, the virgin girl touring with the dance troupe, performs a miniature opera entitled “Tieti xia de genü” (“Singing Girl under the Iron Hoof”). This “New Phoenix,” the patriotic singing girl, is indeed the virgin Baihua helped to educate. The image of a virgin under the iron hoof, though charged with sexual energy, is used here as a warning bell to awaken the poet from the licentious life he was living in his escapist dreamland. The poet starts to feel a more important task waiting for him after this dramatic encounter. He gets in touch with Zhifu and through Zhifu’s introduction joins the volunteer army in the northeast.

Baihua’s troop happens to be in Xin Feng’s village where he discovers the phoenix painting and reunites with Xin Feng, who, after meeting Baihua, leaves the dance troupe for her homeland and warfront. Facing Japanese air raids, with flag in hand, Baihua and Xin Feng, marching with the masses, start to sing the last stanza from the long poem “Great Wall”:

Arise, you who refuse to be slaves (of the femme fatale!).
With our flesh and blood let us build our new Great Wall.
The Chinese nation has come to the time of greatest danger
Every person must join the ultimate cry:
Arise! Arise! Arise!
The masses are of one mind,
Brave the enemy’s gunfire,
March on! March on! March on! On!

Situating the young poet Baihua first and foremost in his struggle between the world of the virgin girl and the world of the femme fatale, the theme song of the film, Yiyongjun jinxingqu (“March of the Volunteers”), which has been regarded only as a nationalist call to arms in the face of the Japanese invasion, can be interpreted rather differently. “The nationalist poet” Xin Baihua, writing his epic poem in the hopes of educating the poor girl to become a “modern woman,” found himself the prey and a love slave of the femme fatale.

The almost comical displacement from freed slave of a femme fatale to freed slaves of the national enemy is suggestive of the intrinsic connections between the personal and the political. Just as in the painting entitled “Fenghuang niepan” (named after Guo Moruo’s poem), in which a phoenix throws itself into the fire to gain a new life, the young intellectuals were also transforming themselves through a baptism by fire, from sentimentalists to revolutionaries throughout the political vicissitudes of modern China. However, the sudden and complete transformation of the poet Xin Baihua, mesmerized by a femme fatale until the very end of the film when he not so convincingly rises up to defend a greater cause, cannot be taken as representative of a generation of modern intellectuals. The apparently seamless transition from individual desire to collective ideology did not turn out to be as smooth in real life, as exemplified in Tian Han’s own painful metamorphosis throughout the Communist era, culminating in his silent death during the Cultural Revolution in Beijing.

Tian Han took part in the new Political Consultative Conference that designated “March of the Volunteers” as the temporary national anthem for the PRC in 1949. According to Chinese researcher Guo Chao, Zhou Enlai nominated “March of the Volunteers” based on its popularity among the Chinese people and argued against others’ reservation towards its “outdated” lyrics. This “temporary” national anthem was in use for more than a decade and a half, until the Cultural Revolution, when “East is Red” and “Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman” in reality replaced “March of the Volunteers” as national anthems. When Tian Han was criticized as a “poisonous weed” during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, though the tune could still be played, the lyrics of “March of the Volunteers” were banned. After the Cultural Revolution, a new committee was established to create a “new” national anthem, and finally new lyrics were written collectively to the tunes of “March of the Volunteers” in 1978. The new lyrics end with the following lines: “We will for generations/Raise high Mao Zedong’s banner/March on!”

I consider myself lucky to have no recollection whatsoever of the new lyrics. When I started elementary school around 1980 in a mountain village in Sichuan province, it may have been too backward to quickly adopt the recent changes in the lyrics of the national anthem; or more likely, I was simply too young to take notice of such changes. After I transferred to a bigger city in 1984, the lyrics of the national anthem that I heard and sang at the weekly flag-raising ceremony were always Tian Han’s original, which, I now know, was restored to its original tune and reestablished as the National Anthem in 1982.

My personal encounter with the National Anthem coincides with the first meaningful participation of the PRC in the Olympic Games, in 1984. When Xu Haifeng won the first gold medal in Los Angeles and “March of the Volunteers” was heard for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the PRC announced its Olympic dreams to the world through its newly restored National Anthem. China would finally win its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games seventeen years later, in 2001, after its failed attempt in 1993; and “March of the Volunteers” would for the first time be written into the Chinese Constitution as the National Anthem of the PRC in 2002.

It is high time for us to look back and gain some historical perspective on “March of the Volunteers,” the most popular song of 1949’s China: born out of anti-Japanese sentiments as well as youthful desires of modern Chinese intellectuals at a time of personal and national crises, this film song celebrated modern Chinese intellectuals’ metamorphoses from lovers to volunteers; however, that process has not been as smooth in real life as in the film, and lovers and volunteers seem to have always coexisted in their mutual desire for sexual and patriotic expressions.

Since the opening and reforms of the late 1970s, China’s economy has boomed, leading to a rise in wealth and a burgeoning middle class. With new money comes status symbols, and modern China has plenty. Here are 10 of the most ostentatious and intriguing.

1. A Mistress

To anyone familiar with China’s seamier side, the concept of high-powered men taking mistresses will come as no surprise. When a guy’s material needs have been satisfied, an extramarital affair serves to fulfil his carnal requirements as well. Rather than simply meeting up for trysts with his ernai, a man must provide his mistress with an apartment, car and designer wardrobe. Like it or not, sleaze is here to stay, and even high-ranking officials are in on the act. Disgraced railway minister Liu Zhijun was discovered to have 18 mistresses, and ex-vice mayor of Hangzhou, “Plenty” Xu, had a similar harem when he was executed for embezzlement in July.

2. A Luxury Car

Every wealthy Chinese person worth his or her salt counts fancy wheels among the trappings of their material success. German cars are among the most popular when it comes to sedans, with Audi and BMW occupying the top spots in the market. Before a middle class guy can even consider wooing a lady, he must first ensure that he has a decent vehicle. And if he wants to take a mistress? Well, that’s another car he needs to budget for.

 

3. A Pilot License

A car is one thing, but the highest rollers like to go even higher. There are now 1,600 official pilot license holders in China (and doubtlessly plenty more that are unofficial…), and low altitude air spaces have been opened in Hainan, Guangdong and Heilongjiang for them to take their jets for a spin. Getting a license doesn’t come cheap, with courses costing as much as 80,000 RMB. Ownership of private jets is still limited in China, with just 100 registered, but the trend is growing. Celebs like Fan Bing Bing and Chen Daoming have gotten in on the action, each buying a jet of their own.

 

4. A Tibetan Mastiff

Among pedigree dogs, the Tibetan Mastiff is neither the friendliest nor the most attractive, but it is currently the most prized canine in China. Dogs of this breed fetch ridiculous sums; in 2009 a Xi’an couple shelled out over 300,000 RMB for theirs, and show dogs at the annual China Tibetan Mastiff Expo boast names like God, Prince and Warren Buffet (seriously). Pets were banned under Mao for promoting bourgeois attitudes, but ownership of small animals like crickets and birds never really went away. Having the money and space to keep a big dog like a Tibetan Mastiff is a clear sign that you’re doing well for yourself financially.

 

5. Apple Products

To gauge China’s love of iPhones, iPads and Macbooks, you only have to look at the queues outside Apple stores whenever a new device is launched. Desperate consumers were crushed in the fever to get their hands on the iPad two in Beijing in May this year, and a boy even sold his kidney to afford one. Apple products appeal to the wealthy urban youth thanks to their sleek design, cult following, and reassuringly high prices. The fact that they are made on production lines in Guangdong does little to tarnish their appeal.

6. Pale Skin

Contrary to Western women’s fondness for suntanned skin (presumably to imply that they are wealthy enough to take expensive holidays to warmer climes), Chinese ladies prefer the pale and interesting look (presumably to prove that they don’t work outside in a manual job). Beauty products tend to contain “whitening” ingredients, and Western brands operating in China almost always add a special line to their product range, like L’Oreal’s White Perfect. Women hide from the summer sun under decorative parasols, and the pastiest of complexions are prized as the most attractive.

 

7. Fine Wine

China’s domestic wine industry might not be up to much yet, but it is expected to flourish. Until then, wealthy Chinese feed their grape habit with expensive imported wines. These days it’s common to see wine bars with a clientele of mainly locals, as the Chinese palate develops a taste for Cab Sav and Chardonnay. Wine’s growing popularity is partly due to its associations with the sophistication of France and Italy, and partly due to the fact that imported stuff is so darn expensive.

8. Luxury Furniture

Recently, luxury furniture company Da Vinci was found to be peddling goods that were Made in China instead of Made in Italy. However, the scandal has done little to douse China’s wealthy from lusting after plush sofas from the likes of Versace Home, Fendi Casa and Kenzo Maison. Having the ready cash to kit out your home like Donatella’s boudoir is a sign of great fortune and profligacy.

9. Golf

China is catching up with the West when it comes to golf, the sport of the idle rich, or middle class dudes trying to up their guanxi with colleagues and clients. There are now around 600 golf courses in China, up from just a hundred or so at the turn of the millennium. A round on the fairway is seen as proof of your mettle.

10. A Designer “Murse”

Finally, the one thing no rich Chinese guy should be without: a man purse (a.k.a. “murse”) from a recognized brand. Gucci, Burberry and Louis Vuitton all fit the bill, with slightly less kudos for mid-range names like Coach. A guy needs somewhere to stash his cash and his iPhone, and the murse is the ideal accessory. Aspirational and functional.

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Chinese tea, one of China’s business cards,  well known in the world. China was the  first  to discover and produce tea in the world with more than one thousand years of history. Chinese tea culture is passionate, you will be invited to drink tea when you visit a Chinese family or a company.

When you walk in the street or visit a temple you may see some elderly gentlemen seated in twos and threes, who are leisurely gathered around a simple but attractive teapot about the size of a fist, each holding a small cup, chatting and drinking tea.

Tea culture is an indispensable part in Chinese life. A Chinese saying identifies the seven basic daily necessities as fuel, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

The custom of drinking tea is deeply ingrained in almost every Chinese person and has been for over a thousand years. During the mid-Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) a man named Lu Yu entered the Buddhist monkhood early in life, but returned when older to secular life. He is best known for summarizing the knowledge and experience of his predecessors and contemporaries into the first compendium in the world of the Tea Classic (ch’a Ching). This work helped to popularize the art of tea drinking all across China, making avid tea drinkers of everyone from emperor and ministers to street hawkers and soldiers. Even the neighboring countries of Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia came to adopt the tea drinking custom.

Tea is one of the daily necessities in China. In summer or in the warmer climates, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant cooling together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason tea-houses abound in towns and market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees a chance to meet and chat over a cup of tea. Tea is also rich in various vitamins.

Chinese tea may be classified into five categories according to the different methods by which it is processed.

1. Black tea: Black tea is known as “red tea” (hong cha) in China. It is the category which is fermented before baking; it is a later variety developed on the basis of the green tea. The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan and Huhong of Hunan.

2. Green tea: Green tea is the variety which keeps the original colour of the tea leaves without fermentation during processing. This category consists mainly of Longjing tea of Zhejiang Province, Maofeng of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province and Biluochun produced in Jiangsu.

3.  Wulong tea: This represents a variety half way between the green and the black teas, being made after partial fermentation. It is a specialty from the provinces on China’s southeast coast: Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.

4. Scented tea: This kind of tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers in the tea leaves in the course of processing. The flowers commonly used for this purpose are jasmine and magnolia among others. Jasmine tea is a well-known favourite with the northerners of China and with a growing number of foreigners.

5. Compressed tea: This is the kind of tea which is compressed and hardened into a certain shape. It is good for transport and storage and is mainly supplied to the ethnic minorities living in the border areas of the country. As compressed tea is black in colour in its commercial form, it is also known in China as “black tea”. Most of the compressed tea is in the form of bricks; it is, therefore, generally called “brick tea”, though it is sometimes also in the form of cakes and bowls. It is mainly produced in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

To make a good  tea drink , special attention must be paled to the quality of the water, water temperature, the amount of tea leaves used, and the type of teapot. Soft water (water with a low mineral content) that is clear and fresh is required to steep tea; hard water should by all means be avoided. The correct water temperature varies from tea to tea; for most fully fermented and moderately fermented kinds it should be near boiling (100 or 212); however, it may be low as 90 (194) or less for lightly fermented or green teas.

Chinese Tea Name Chinese Tea Name Pronunciation Translated  English Tea Name Place of Origin (Province of Origin) 西湖龍井 Long Jing Dragon Well Xi Hu (Zhe Jiang) 洞庭碧螺春 Bi Luo Chun Spring Snail Tai Hu (Hu Nan) 安溪鐵觀音 Tie Guan Yin Iron Goddess An Xi (Fu Jian) 黃山毛峰 Mao Feng Fur Peak Huang Shan (An Hui) 君山銀針 Yin Jan Silver Needle Jun Shan (Hu Nan) 祁門紅茶 Qi Men Hung Qi Men Red Qi Men (An Hui) 武夷大紅袍 Da Hung Pao Big Red Rope Wu Yi Shan (Fu Jian) 六安瓜片 Gua Pien Mellon Seed Liu An (An Hui) 白毫银针 Bai Hao Yin Jan White Fur Silver Needle Fu Ding (Fu Jian) 云南普洱 Pu'er Pu'er Si Mao (Yun Nan) 凍頂烏龍 Wu Lung Oolong Nan Tou (Taiwan) 盧山雲霧 Yun Wu Cloud & Fog Lu Shan (Jiang Xi) 信陽毛尖 Mao Jian Fur Tip Sin Yang (Hu Nan) 蒙顶甘露 Gan Lu Sweet Dew Ming Ding (Si Chuan) 都匀毛尖 Mao Jian Fur Tip Du Yun (Gui Zhou) 蘇州茉莉花茶 Muo Li Hua Jasmine Su Zhou (Jiang Su) 恩施玉露 Yu Lu Jade Dew En Si (Hu Bei) 平水珠茶 Zhu Cha Pearl Tea Ping Shui (Zhe Jiang) 太平猴魁 Hou Hui Monkey King Tai Ping (An Hui)           Tea Types ['cha' = 'tea' 茶] bai cha [white tea] 白茶 hei cha [true black tea such as liu an or liu bao; see also §3 below] 黑茶 hong cha [red tea, i.e. what the English call 'black' tea] 紅茶 huang cha [yellow tea] 黄茶 lu cha [green tea] 绿茶 pu'er cha [pu'er tea; see also §3 below] 普耳茶 wulong cha [oolong tea] 烏龍茶 or 乌龙茶 -- some wulongs are referred to as 'qing1 cha' [blue-green tea] 青茶, but these are not identical categories       Some Famous China & Taiwan Teas Green, Yellow, & White Teas bai hao yin zhen cha ['white hair silver needles,' a bai cha, huang cha, or lu cha] 白毫银针茶 bai mu dan cha ['white peony' tea] 白牡丹茶 bi luo chun cha ['green snail spring' lu cha from Dong Ting Shan in Jiangsu province] 碧螺春茶 gu lao cha ['old work tea,' lu cha from Guangdong province] 古劳茶 hua cha [(flower-)scented tea: may be green, red, or oolong] 花茶 huang shan mao feng ['yellow mountain downy tip,' lu cha from Anhui province] 黄山毛峰 jun shan yin zhen cha ['sovereign mountain silver needle,' a huang cha from Jun Shan Island in Hunan province] 君山银针茶 liu an gua pian ['Liu An melon slice,' lu cha from Liu An county in Anhui province] 六安瓜片 long jing cha ['dragon well' lu cha] 龙井茶 --- ming qian ['pre-qingming,' i.e. first plucking] 明前 --- yu qian ['pre-rain,' i.e. second plucking] 雨前 lu shan yun wu cha ['hut mountain clouds-and-mist,' a pure-bud lu cha from Jiu Jiang in Jiangxi province] 庐山云雾茶 mei jia wu long jing cha ['dragon well' lu cha made from the mei jia wu cultivar] 梅家乌龙井茶 meng ding huang ya cha ['misty peak yellow sprout' tea, a pure-bud huang cha usually from Meng Ding Shan in Sichuan province] 蒙顶 黄芽茶 mo li hua cha [jasmine-scented tea; cf. hua cha] 茉莉花茶 qi jing bian zhen cha ['Seven-Views (Mountain) flat needle' lu cha] 七境扁针茶 shi feng long jing cha ['Lion Peak (Mountain)' long jing cha, i.e. lu cha made from tea grown on Shi Feng Shan] 狮峰龙井茶 shou mei cha ['longevity eyebrow,' a bai cha] 寿眉茶 tai ping hou kui cha ['monkey king' lu cha from Tai Ping in Anhui province] 太平猴魁茶 xin yang mao jian cha ['downy tip' lu cha from Xin Yang in Henan province] 信阳毛尖茶 xi hu long jing cha ['dragon well' lu cha from Xi Hu or 'West Lake,' reputedly the best source for long jing cha] 西湖龙井茶 zhen mei cha ['precious eyebrow,' a lu cha produced in Jiangxi province] 珍眉茶 zheng he yin zhen cha ['Zheng He silver needles,' a bai cha] 政和银针茶     Wu Long/Oolong Teas Mainland Oolongs: bai ji guan yan cha ['white cockscomb' oolong, a Wu Yi yan cha from Fujian province] 白鸡冠岩茶 bai ye dan cong cha ['white leaf' single bush] 白叶單樅茶 = ling tou dan cong cha bei dou yi hao wu long cha ['big dipper first-of-the-month' oolong, from Fujian province] 北斗一号乌龙茶 da hong pao yan cha ['big red robe' oolong, a Wu Yi yan cha from Fujian province] 大红袍岩茶 dong fang mei ren wu long cha ['beautiful eastern woman' oolong, grown in Fujian province] 東方美人乌龙茶 feng huang dan cong cha ['single bush' oolong from Feng Huang Shan, i.e. 'Phoenix Mountain,' in Chaozhou, Guangdong province] 凤凰單樅茶 fo shou wu long cha ['Buddha hand' oolong] 佛手烏龙茶 [made from xiang yuan (香橼), a large-leaf cultivar] huang jin gui wu long cha ['golden cinnamon' oolong, from Fujian province] 黄金桂乌龙茶 huang zhi xiang dan cong cha ['yellow twig fragrance' single bush] 黄枝香單樅茶 ling tou dan cong cha ['Ridge Top' single bush] 岭头單樅茶 = bai ye dan cong cha mao xie wu long cha ['hairy crab' oolong, from Anxi county in Fujian province] 毛蟹乌龙茶 rou gui yan cha ['cinnamon' oolong, a Wu Yi yancha from Fujian province] 肉桂岩茶 shui xian wu long cha ['water spirit' oolong, grown esp. in Fujian province] 水仙乌龙茶 tie guan yin cha ['iron goddess of mercy' oolong, originally from Anxi county in Fujian province, now produced in numerous regions] 鐵觀音茶 shui jin gui yan cha ['golden turtle' oolong, a Wu Yi yan cha from Fujian province] 水金亀岩茶 tie luo han yan cha ['iron warrior monk' oolong, a Wu Yi yan cha from Fujian province] 铁罗漢岩茶 wu yi yan cha ['rock' or 'cliff' oolong from Wu Yi Shan in Fujian province] 武夷岩茶 xing ren xiang dan cong cha ['almond fragrance' single bush] 杏仁香單樅茶 Taiwan Oolongs: a li shan wu long cha ['Ali Mountain oolong tea,' grown in Chiayi (Jiayi) county] 阿里山烏龍茶 bai hao wu long cha [lit. 'white down,' also known as 'oriental beauty' oolong, grown esp. in Hsinchu (Xinzhu) county; cf. 'dong fang mei ren'] 白毫烏龍茶 bao zhong cha [Wade-Giles 'pouchong' = pinyin 'baozhong,' lit. '(paper-)wrapped type' oolong, grown esp. on Wen Shan in Taipei (Taibei) county] 包種茶 cui yu wu long cha ['emerald jade oolong tea'] 翠玉烏龍茶 da yu ling wu long cha ['Great Yu Mountain' oolong] 大禹嶺烏龍茶 dong fang mei ren wu long cha ['beautiful eastern woman' oolong, from Hsinchu (Xinzhu) county; cf. 'bai hao'] 東方美人烏龍茶 dong ding wu long cha ['Frozen Summit Mountain oolong tea,' grown on Dong Ding Shan in Nantou county] 凍頂烏龍茶 fo shou wu long cha ['Buddha hand' oolong, made from xiang yuan (香橼), a long-leaf cultivar] 佛手烏龍茶 gao shan wu long cha ['high mountain' oolong] 高山烏龍茶 jin xuan wu long cha ['golden day lily' oolong] 金萱烏龍茶 li shan wu long cha ['Pear Mountain oolong tea,' grown on Li Shan in Taichung (Taizhong) county] 梨山烏龍茶 shan lin xi wu long cha ['Pine Forest Creek oolong tea,' grown in Nantou county] 杉林溪烏龍茶 si ji chun wu long cha ['four seasons springtime oolong tea'] 四季春烏龍茶 tie guan yin wu long cha ['iron goddess of mercy' oolong tea, grown in Nantou county] 鐵觀音烏龍茶 wen shan bao zhong cha [Wade-Giles 'pouchong' = pinyin 'baozhong,' lit. '(paper-)wrapped type' oolong, grown on Wen Shan in Taipei (Taibei) county] 文山包種茶 Red Teas bi luo chun hong cha [a Yunnan hong cha made tightly rolled, like bi luo chun green tea] 碧螺春红茶 dian hong cha ['Yunnan hong cha'; 'dian1' is an old name for part of Yunnan province] 滇红茶 --- jin si ['golden thread,' the highest grade of dian hong: pure golden tips] 金丝‬ --- jin zhen ['golden needle,' a variant of 'jin si'] 金针‬ huang zhen cha ['golden needle' hong cha from Fujian province] 黄针茶 jin hou hong cha ['golden monkey red tea,' high-grade hong cha from Fujian province] 金猴‬红茶 [lapsang souchong: see 'zheng shan xiao zhong'] long jing huang pao hong cha ['dragon well yellow robe (i.e. imperial)' hong cha -- long jing cha processed as hong cha; said to have been favored by the emperor Qianlong] 龙井黄袍 红茶 qi men hong cha [Keemun hong cha] 祁门‭ ‬红茶 --- hao ya [lit. 'fine/small sprout,' the highest quality of Keemun -- hao ya 'A' (甲) being even better than hao ya 'B' (乙)] 毫芽 --- hao ya 'A' [top-grade Keemun] 毫芽甲 --- hao ya 'B' [next-to-top-grade Keemun] 毫芽乙 --- mao feng [lit 'downy tip,' a grade of Keemun hong cha composed of small buds] 毛峰 yang xian hong cha [a hong cha produced in Jiangsu province; the favorite tea of the potters of Yixing, for which 'Yang Xian' is an old name] 阳羨‭红茶 ying de hong cha [a hong cha produced in Yingde county, Guangdong province] 英德‭ ‬红茶 zheng he hong cha [a hong cha made from a cultivar usually used for bai cha, 'white' tea] 政和红茶 zheng shan xiao zhong cha [= Lapsang Souchong, a heavily-flavored smoky red tea from Wu Yi Shan in Fujian province] 正山小种茶 Basic Pu'er and Heicha Pu'er Genres: pu'er cha [the generic term] 普耳茶 sheng pu'er cha [raw/green pu'er tea] 生普耳茶 shu pu'er cha [ripe/cooked/black pu'er tea] 熟普耳茶 jin ya cha [compressed tea] 紧压茶 san cha ['loose tea,' i.e. uncompressed pu'er or hei cha] 散茶 tai di cha ['table land tea,' i.e. flat-land or plantation tea as opposed to mountain-grown or tall-tree tea] 台地茶 Various Pu'er Shapes: bing cha [flat cake-shaped compressed pu'er] 饼茶 fang cha [square brick-shaped compressed pu'er] 方茶 gu cha ['old tea,' as e.g. of aged pu'er, or tea from an ancient tree] 古茶 jin cha ['tight tea,' mushroom-shaped compressed pu'er (or lu cha)] 紧茶 jin gua cha ['golden melon' pu'er] 金瓜茶 lao cha tou ['old tea head(s),' i.e. the nuggets left over at the bottom of a wo dui pile of pu'er] 老茶头 tuan cha ['round tea,' i.e. ball-shaped compressed pu'er] 团茶 tuo cha [bowl-shaped compressed pu'er; note: there are several characters pronounced 'tuo2'; the original meaning of 'tuo cha' is disputed] 沱茶 xiao tuo cha [mini tuo cha] 小沱茶 zhuan cha [oblong brick-shaped compressed pu'er] 砖茶 Some Hei Cha Types: guang xi liu bao cha [basket-compressed hei cha produced in Liu Bao, Guangxi province] 廣西六堡茶 liu an cha [hei cha produced in Liu An county, Anhui province] 六安茶 qian lang cha ['thousand tael tea,' a hei cha produced in Hunan province, compressed into a 40-kg cylindrical shape] 千两茶 xiang liu an cha ['fragrant Liu An' tea] 香六安茶 zhu qiao cha [= zhu ke cha, 'bamboo shell/crust tea,' a hei cha produced in Guangdong province] 竹壳茶 Other Useful Terms: chen nian pu'er cha [lit. 'old year pu'er tea,' i.e. aged pu'er tea] 陈年普耳茶 da ye ['big leaf,' a type of pu'er processed from large-leaf tea plants] 大叶 or 大葉 gan cang ['dry storage'] 干倉 ji zhi qing ['machine dried,' lit. 'machine-made blue/green,' said of mao cha that is mechanically dried rather than sun-dried] 机制青 mao cha ['rough/unprocessed tea,' the loose dried leaf ready to be compressed into pu'er] 毛茶 mian zhi ['cotton paper,' the paper wrapper for pu'er cakes] 棉纸 nei fei [lit 'inside quick,' the identifying label embedded in a pu'er cake] 内飞 nei piao [an 'inner ticket,' wrapped with but not embedded in the cake] 内票 qi zi ['seven sons,' i.e. a stack of seven bing cha] 七子 sha qing ['kill green,' the heating process whereby oxidation is halted] 杀青 shai qing ['sun dried,' lit. 'sun blue/green,' said e.g. of mao cha that has first undergone sha qing, and is then spread out to dry in the sun] 晒青 shi cang ['wet storage'] 濕倉 tong ['tube,' a qi zi stack of seven bing cha] 筒 wo dui ['wet pile,' a storage process for making shu pu'er] 渥堆 Tea-Ware [cha ju, 茶具] Teapot Terminology: ce bei ['side cup' or 'auxiliary cup'; essentially a gai wan with handle and spout] 側杯 cha cheng [teapot platform, e.g. of clay, for gongfu cha] 茶承 cha chuan [lit 'tea boat' -- hot-water dish for keeping teapot warm] 茶船 cha hai [lit 'tea sea' -- either the pitcher (cf gong dao bei) or a tray (cf cha pan and cha chen)] 茶海 cha hu [teapot, although this can cover a number of different shapes of vessels, like the ce bei or gong dao bei] 茶壺 duan ni2 [lit 'layered clay'; a pale clay that can be colored; used for some Yixing teaware] 段泥 gong dao bei [lit 'justice vessel,' i.e. sharing pitcher for gong fu cha] 公道杯 hei ni ['black clay' used for some Yixing teaware] 黑泥 hong ni [ordinary 'red clay' sometimes passed off as true zhu ni, which is now extinct] 紅 泥 huang ni ['yellow clay' used for some Yixing teaware] 黄泥 lu ni ['green clay' used for some Yixing teaware] 绿泥 tiao sha ['mixed/blended sand,' the composite of clay and sand that gives some Yixing pots their grainy 'pearskin' texture] 调 砂 yang hu ['pet pot' -- a favorite or cherished teapot that is carefully collected, tended, and 'raised' for its appearance] 養壺 Yi Xing [county-level city in Jiangsu province where real 'Yixing' clay is dug] 宜兴 zhu ni [the 'vermilion clay' so prized for Yixing pots -- genuine zhu ni pots being rare and costly nowadays] 朱泥 zi ni ['purple clay' used for some Yixing teaware] 紫泥 zi sha ['purple sand,' the dark substance commonly used for Yixing teaware] 紫砂 Bowls and Cups: [Cantcha bei [lit 'tea cup,' which can also include modern mugs] 茶 杯 cha wan [tea bowl, esp. the larger size used in the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties] 茶碗 cha zhong [cf 'zhong'] 茶盅 cha zi [tea mug, typically with lid; probably shorthand for cha(bei)zi; note: this is cha2 zi5, not cha1 zi5 叉子, which is 'fork'] 茶(杯)子 gai bei [ ~ gai wan or zhong] 盖杯 gai wan [lit 'covered bowl,' i.e. the lidded cup used for brewing tea: see also 'gai bei' and esp. 'zhong'] 盖碗 pin ming bei [tasting cup, lit 'produced/made tea cup'] 品茗杯 tuo pan [lit 'support/hold tray,' i.e. individual tray for the pin ming bei and wen xiang bei in gongfu cha] 托盘 wen xiang bei [aroma cup, lit 'sniff fragrance cup'] 闻香杯 Tea Implements: [cha dao, 茶道] cha chi [tea scraper, lit 'tea spoon,' for nudging tea into the teapot] 茶匙 cha jia [tea tongs] 茶夾 cha diao [tea pick] 茶雕 [also cha tong 'tea open(er)' 茶通] cha lou [tea funnel] 茶漏 [note that this is different from cha lou2, 'tea house'] cha shao [tea scoop] 茶勺 [also cha ze 'tea chooser' 茶則] cha zha chi [tea dregs scraper, for cleaning out a teapot] 茶渣匙 Other Tea-Ware Vocabulary: cha gang [tea-leaf jar] 茶缸 cha he [lit 'tea lotus,' a small dish for measuring and displaying dry tea leaf before brewing] 茶荷 cha ji [small tea-table] 茶几 cha jin [tea cloth, for spills] 茶巾 cha pan [tea tray, e.g. of bamboo, for gongfu cha] 茶 盤 cha qi [tea set] 茶器 [note that this is different from 茶气 , also cha qi4, 'vital energy of tea,' and from 茶沏, cha qi1, 'brew tea'] cha yu ['tea basin,' i.e. a waste-water bowl for gongfu cha; cf 'shui fang'] 茶盂 Jing De Zhen [city in Jiangxi province, famous for its porcelain kilns] 景德镇 or, now, 景德镇市 ['Jing De town city,' marking its prefecture-level size] shui fang ['water vessel,' typically a pot for storing fresh water for brewing tea; cf 'cha yu'] 水方 Locales cha chang [tea factory] 茶厂 cha cun [tea farm, lit 'tea village'] 茶村 cha dian [tea shop -- a place to buy tea leaves for brewing at home] 茶店 cha fang [tea house] 茶坊 cha guan [tea house] 茶馆 cha ju dian [tea-ware shop] 茶具店 cha lou [tea house] 茶楼 [note that this is different from cha lou, 'tea funnel'] cha ye dian [tea leaf shop = cha dian] 茶叶店 cha yi guan [tea arts house, i.e. a cha guan where the elaborate preparation and serving of tea is a form of entertainment] 茶艺馆 cha yuan [tea-garden, -plantation, -estate; note: yuan2] 茶园 cha yuan [tea-garden, -park, -house; note: typically yuan4] 茶苑 cha yuan [tea-academy, -institute; note: yuan4] 茶院 Destinations for the Tea Traveller Hong Kong: cha ju wen wu guan [Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, lit 'tea ware culture museum'; 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Hong Kong Park] 茶具文物馆 cha yi le yuan [Best Tea House, lit 'tea art happy garden'; Flat B, 8/F, Ka To Ind Building, 2 Cheung Yue Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong -- one of the best places in HK to buy tea to brew at home] 茶藝樂園 lian xiang lou ['Lin Heung Tea House,' Cantonese cuisine and dim sum; 160-164 Wellington St, central Hong Kong] 蓮香樓 luk yu cha shi ['Luk Yu Tea Room,' famous old-style Hong Kong dim sum house; 26 Stanley Street, central Hong Kong] 陸羽茶室 Mainland China: hu pao (meng) quan ['Tiger Run (dream) Spring,' the famous spring in Zhejiang province near where long jing cha is grown, and from which it is said the best water for long jing cha is drawn] 虎 跑 (梦) 泉 lu tai cha guan [the 'Terrace Tea House,' traditional tea house in Beijing, just east of the Forbidden City; address: 东华门大街 69号] 露台茶馆 Ma Lian Dao [Xuanwu district, Beijing] -- a street over 1.5 km long with over 600 shops selling tea and tea wares! Be sure to check out the 4-storey Maliandao Tea City, which houses about 200 famous tea companies from all over China. 马连道 wan ling cha wan ['Wan Ling Tea House'; shop A22 at 1829 Beijing West Road, Shanghai] 婉玲茶宛 zhong guo cha du ['China Tea Capital,' a large center in Anxi, Fujian province, showcasing wu long teas] 中国茶都 zhong guo cha ye bo wu guan ['China National Tea Museum,' Longjing Road, Shuangfeng Village, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province -- 中国茶叶博物馆 Taiwan: bie cha yuan ['Tea Academy Annex,' known in English as 'Off-Chaism'; No. 6, Lane 12, Yong Kang Street, Taipei; 別茶院 chan yuan ['Zen Garden,' known in English as 'Shann Garden'; No. 34 Youya Road, Bei-Tou District, Taipei 112 禅園 hui liu ['Return & Remain' -- No. 9, Lane 31, Yong Kang St., Taipei; -- vegetarian food, wild tea, ceramics] 回留 ping lin cha ye bo wu guan [Pinglin Tea Trade Museum, No. 19-1, Sung Chi Keng, Shui Te Tsun, Pinglin;坪林茶業博物館 yeh tang [No. 20-2, Lane 31, Yong Kang Street, Taipei; tel 冶堂 zi teng lu [Wistaria Tea House, lit 'Purple Cane Hut,' 1 Xin Sheng South Road, Section 3, Alley 16, Taipei] -- a historic landmark, meeting-place for political activists, literati, and artists; part of the movie 'Eat Drink Man Woman' was filmed here] 紫藤廬 Purchasing Phrases Delicious! [lit 'good eat'] 好 吃 hao chi! Do you accept credit cards? 信用卡可以吗 ？xin yong ka ke yi ma? Do you speak English? 会说英语吗 ？hui shuo ying yu ma? Do you understand? 懂吗 ？dong ma? Excuse me ... [a polite way to get attention] 劳驾 lao jia ... Good afternoon! 下午好 xia wu hao! Good evening! 晚上好 wan shang hao! Good morning! 早上好 zao shang hao! Good night! [lit 'evening peaceful'] 晚 安 wan an! Goodbye! [lit 'again meet'] 再见 zai jian! Hello! [lit. 'Are you doing well?'] 你好吗 ni hao ma? [answered with 'I (am) very well,' 我很好 wo hen hao] How much does it cost? [lit 'How much money?'] 多少钱 ? duo shao qian? How old is it? 有多少年份？you duo shao nian fen? I don't understand Chinese. 我不懂中文 wo bu dong zhong wen. I need an interpreter. 我需要翻译 wo xu yao fan yi. I want to buy ... 想买。。。xiang mai ... I'll take both of them. [lit 'both item both request'] 两个都要 liang ge dou yao. I'll take this one. [lit 'please, allow me this item'] 请给我这个 qing gei wo zhe ge. I'm just looking. 随便看看 sui bian kan kan. Is that so? ['Indeed?'] 是吗？shi ma? It goes down smoothly. [lit 'smooth/favorable mouth'; said of delicious tea] 順口 May I ask you ...? [lit 'please inquire'; a polite way of getting conversational attention] 请‭ ‬问 。。。 qing wen ... May I have your (sur)name? [lit 'you valuable (sur)name?'] 您贵姓？nin gui xing? -- answered with 'my (sur)name (is) ...'] 我姓 。。。 wo xing ... May I taste this tea? 我可不可以品试这个茶 ？wo ke bu ke yi pin shi zhe ge cha? May I use a credit card? 信用卡，可以吗？ xin yong ka, ke yi ma? No. 沒有 mei2 you3 No problem! [i.e. 'Not to worry!' or 'Never mind!'] 没关系 mei guan xi! No problem! [i.e. 'Sure!' lit 'not inquire thing'] 没问题 mei wen ti! Okay, I'll buy it. 好，我买了 hao, wo mai le. Please show it to me [lit 'allow me look at it'] 给我看一下 gei wo kan yi xia. Please show me ... [lit 'please allow me take a look at ...] 请让我看看 。。。 qing rang wo kan kan ... Please write it in hanzi [Chinese characters]. 请用汉字写。qing yong han zi xie. Please write it in pinyin [roman letters]. 请用拼音写。qing yong pin yin xie. Pleased to meet you! [lit 'meet you, I very high interest'] 见到你，我很高兴 jian dao ni, wo hen gao xing! Thank you! 谢 谢 xie xie! [answered with 'you're welcome!' 不客气 bu ke qi! (lit 'not guest energy'), or 不用 谢 bu yong xie! (lit 'not use thanks')] Thank you very much! [lit 'not ordinary feel thanks'] 非常感谢 fei chang gan xie! This is my e-mail (address). 这是我 的 e-mail。zhe shi wo de e-mail. This is the best (one). 这最好。zhe zui hao. Very good! 很好 ! hen hao! What is the price? 是 什么价格？ shi shen me jia ge? Where can I find ...? 我 能在哪里找到 。。。？ wo neng zai na li zhao dao ...? Yes. 对的 dui de Yes. 是的 shi de Miscellaneous bei di xiang ['cup bottom fragrance,' the aroma left in the cup after the tea has been drunk] 杯底香 cha qi [to brew/infuse (tea); cf. pao] 茶沏 ; note that this word is qi. cha qi 茶气 [traditional form 氣], a different term, would signify the vital energy (qi or ch'i) in tea. gong fu cha [skilled preparation and serving of tea, esp. oolongs] 工夫茶 or 功夫茶 hou zi cai ['monkey-picked,' said of rare or difficult-to-harvest teas] 猴子采 hui gan ['recurring sweetness,' the sweet aftertaste experienced by breathing in after swallowing certain teas, esp. oolongs] 回甘 jia ji ['Grade A'] 甲级 ji pin ['top grade,' best quality] 级品 ke [gramme of weight] 剋 [克] kou gan ['mouth feel,' the perceived texture and density of the tea liquor in the mouth] 口感 ming qian ['pre-qing-ming'] harvested before the qing ming festival 明前 nai xiang ['milk fragrance,' a characteristic taste/aftertaste of prized Taiwan oolongs typically produced from the jin xuan cultivar] 乃香 nong xiang [lit 'dense fragrance,' due to heavier oxidation; cf. qing xiang] 浓香 pao [infuse, steep] 泡 qing ming [the 'clear-bright' festival in April; for the most part, ming qian tea, i.e. the tea harvested pre-qing-ming, is reputedly the best] 清明 qing xiang [lit 'clear fragrance,' a result of little or no oxidation; cf. nong xiang] 清香 shan ['mountain,' whether a single peak or an entire range] 山 you ji ['organic'] 有机 yun ['aftertaste,' lit 'rhyme'] 韵       Journeys in time 2010-06-24 China´s intangible cultural heritage (8)- Tieguanyin tea (30 Minute Documentary)       Tea culture Part 1 - VIDEO Tea culture Part 2                           Best-loved... 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