Gongfu tea ceremony?

I can completely understand that there is a big market for the tourist industry for novelties and performances. However, there is a thin line between a lie and a show. There has been no history of Chinese tea ceremony until some merchants found that putting up a performance as such could attract more business. That was only about 25 years ago. Japan’s tea ceremony has always been an unique development that has never taken place in China.

In a country where even all open religious activities are safe only under the pulling strings of the “big brothers”, and successful ones are those heavily commercialized, “tea ceremony” is only a side show for the tourist industry laden with pretensions and fictitious comments to satisfy a market demand for exoticism. The reality of the richness of the material culture of Chinese tea is far too complex for the nouveau riches that are the Communist party leaders to understand to open up as the true attractiveness of the tradition.

I hope people understand that gongfu tea making is a culinary practice and it is only by so approaching tea that the greatness of fine tea can be more popularly appreciated. Exoticism is only marginalizing real tea as a mere souvenir.