The 2025 Tea Culture Experience Event for International Students at Universities in Hangzhou, hosted by the School of Health and Leisure of Tourism College, recently took place. ZJSU international students participated actively, embarking on a journey of deep cultural exploration amid the fragrant warmth of tea.
Under the theme "Eastern Tea Charm, Graceful Hospitality," the event brought together more than 30 international students from multiple universities in Hangzhou. It opened with a calligraphy experience and a welcoming tea ceremony, allowing the international students to feel the understated elegance of traditional Chinese culture. Through every brushstroke and every sip of tea, they began to build an emotional connection with Chinese culture.
In the core experience sessions, the international students immersed themselves in the multifaceted charm of tea culture. In the "Wearing Hanfu, Learning the Yi Salutation" session, under the guidance of Professor Kang Baoling, everyone dressed in traditional Hanfu and carefully learned the ancient Yi salute, personally experiencing the cultural meaning behind China's reputation as "a land of etiquette."
This was followed by a tea ware and tea appreciation session, where Song-dynasty tea powder preparation, whisked tea (dian cha) technique, and contemporary tea-drinking styles came together on themed tea tables. Red tea and modern-style tea beverages freshly brewed by tea art students on site gave the international students a taste of both the continuity and the innovation of tea culture.
Learning to whisk tea and a fun tea contest were highlights of the event. Professor Kang Baoling explained the origins and development of whisked tea culture in detail, while Yao Yu'ang, a tea art major, demonstrated the technique on stage. The ZJSU international students took turns completing each step — warming the bowl, adding tea powder, pouring water, making a paste, and whisking — creating their own bowls of whisked tea with fine, long-lasting foam that clung to the sides. In the tea contest, everyone used tea as a medium, infusing creativity and blessings into their bowls, producing a whisked tea presentation that was both visually appealing and entertaining.
"Distance cannot separate true friends who remain close though thousands of miles apart." The international students shared their own experiences and reflections. They said that this immersive tea culture journey not only let them master the hands-on skills of warming bowls and whisking tea, but also, through practicing the Hanfu Yi salutation and appreciating tea ware and tea tables, gave them a tangible feel for the profound depth and unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.
The event opened a cultural window for ZJSU international students to understand China. Through hands-on participation, it deepened their appreciation and love for fine traditional Chinese culture, and used tea as a bridge to build cross-border connections, allowing Chinese tea culture to convey the civilizational power of inclusiveness and mutual learning through cross-cultural interaction.
