As I got acquainted with the real Chinese ceremony of a tea drinking

All hello!
Wanted to tell everything how I got acquainted with the real Chinese ceremony of a tea drinking.

In 2012 I studied on a third year of Voronezh State University. On our course many foreigners, including students from China, Africa, France and other countries studied. I always well got on with foreigners. And once of the Chinese girl invited me and some other students to themselves on a visit. All students foreigners lived at that time in the hostel. What our surprise when we were filled up with all crowd to the hostel was. It appears, girls from China prepared for us a surprise. They organized for all the real tea ceremony. What it consisted of. The tea ceremony in China is called Kunfu-Cha. For us special ware from which we had then tea was prepared. Everything was so interesting that I did not even manage to imprint such interesting event.

So, the Chinese ware from which we had tea is called "гайвань".

It looks in the form of a cup, a saucer and a cover. Not only the cover on ware is considered obligatory, but also the drawing has to be identical on all ware. Any divergences in drawings are not allowed. "Gaiwan" acts as a zavarnik and a cup at the same time. Drawings and a cup symbolize the earth, the sky and the person. But here nevertheless tea was ready not in cups, and in such clay teapot which is called Isin.

The teapot is made of violet clay (though at first sight so you will not tell). Such teapot slowly cools down and the tea made in it has an opportunity "to breathe".

As Chinese consider, the tea drinking not just has to bring pleasure from process, but also clean and sate a human soul and reason.

The important component of a ceremony of a tea drinking makes the "correct" water. Not that that flows from under the crane. It became interesting to me that for water it is necessary. At first I thought what they do with deep-well water. It appeared, I did not guess. Spring water is suitable for a tea drinking. As Chinese besides consider, spring water takes the sources from the subsoil of the earth therefore it is capable to spiritualize the person.

Generally, Chinese girls heated water in a separate kettle. Repeated heating of water is not allowed. There were two types of the real Chinese tea: oolong tea and Pu-erh. They made Pu-erh therefore water was heated to 100 degrees.

Besides a teapot (Isin), cups (Gaiwan), there is also other ware. For example, tea jug of Cha-Hai.

It appears, in it the infused tea merges. If somewhere there were tea droplets, then they are not wiped by a hand as it is done by us, and a special linen towel. On a tray bamboo sticks and a porcelain spoon lay. On it of course not everything, but I already will definitely not remember, but I will tell that objects the tea ceremony requires much.

In movies, I many times saw how people have tea on a floor. But we had tea at a table. Forgot to tell that girls were dressed in the national clothes that added intrigues to all process. As we were told by Chinese women that on their etiquette, it is necessary to take not less than three sips of tea for the first time. I admit, it was difficult to me to make it as I do not drink very hot drinks. The taste of tea just unusual was.

At the very end of the tea ceremony, girls got tea leaves and clockwise all guests took them in hand and told the words of gratitude. At the same time, all leaves returned to hostesses.

All process very much was pleasant to me. More I did not participate in such ceremony so far and did not see it.