You know, I haven't seen a water "cooler" in China yet, the cultural preference seems to be geared towards water boilers like the ones on the left! Contrary to Canadian water coolers that dispense cold or room-temperature water, their Chinese counterparts dispense lukewarm or boiling water.I'm not sure how these things work exactly, but the water they provide is HOT and perfect for tea which most people seem to use them for! These can be found in public buildings, offices and just about everywhere working people are found. Thankfully, these encourage the use of mugs and thermoses instead of disposable cups. The reason for this is simple: Boiling water + thin paper cups with tea leaves = burnt fingers. There is a strong tea culture in the workplace where disposable Starbucks coffee cups have yet to penetrate.
On that note, Michael and I went to a Tea shop in Beijing which was gorgeous on the inside. The decorations, seating and, of course, the tea reflected a true Chinese cultural experience. To our surprise, this splendidly decorate teashop was nearly deserted. Conversely, the Starbucks, and its "standard" decor a few stores away was packed full of local Chinese flocking to experience a bit of Western "high class" culture. I have no problem with the Chinese people and their fondness of new things, my only hope is that they will always have an inner fondness for their own culture, lest it be lost in favour of a more "western" one.
Image credit: http://www.filtersource.co.nz/popup_image.php?pID=95&osCsid=5e956329ef3259042b4d02aa449c981b
2 comments:
People provided hot water to their visitors,friends to show respects. Even though there's no tea in your home, you should also provide a cup of hot water to your customer. If you want to see more tea-house and want to get a feeling of traditional Chinese's lifestyle, come to Hangzhou. This is a city with great tea culture!
Interesting, I didn't know that. Where can I go to find the places where they serve tea from kettles with a meter long spout? If I ever get the chance to pass through Hangzhou, I'll do my best to experience a tea house there as well.
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