On September 11, 2019, Mr. Zheng Peikai, a well-known cultural scholar and Chairman of the Hong Kong Intangible Heritage Advisory Committee, visited the base and gave a lecture titled Tang and Song Tea Ceremony and Sino-Japanese Heritage.
Professor Liu Yuebing, a full-time researcher of the base and dean of the Japanese Research Institute, presided over the lecture.
Mr. Zheng Peikai first gave a detailed discussion on the formation of tea ceremony in China.
Mr. Zheng emphasized the importance of Lu Yu and his Tea Classic in the formation of the tea ceremony.
Although Lu Yu came from a humble background, his keen interest in tea and his hard work have allowed him to raise the tea originally used for quenching thirst and relieving heat to the realm of Tao.
Lu Yu assigned certain rules and procedures to the utensils, water, fire, location and various steps of making tea, making tea drinking a spiritual enjoyment that cultivates the heart.
The tea ceremony of Tang and Song dynasties initiated by Lu Yu had a significant impact on the subsequent tea ceremony in China and the tea ceremony in neighboring countries such as Japan in terms of style and material carrier.
Mr. Zheng Peikai then talked about the inheritance relationship of Chinese and Japanese tea ceremony.
Mr. Zheng pointed out that Japan has a time gap in the inheritance of Chinese tea ceremony.
The tea ceremony of the Tang and Song Dynasties was introduced to Japan during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and it emerged during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Similarly, the introduction of the tea ceremony of the Ming and Qing Dynasties had to wait until the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
It is worth noting that recently some Chinese craftsmen once again picked up black glaze bowls that were thought to only survive in Japan, and achieved remarkable results in the production technology, which also reflects the tea ceremony and cultural exchanges between China and Japan.
It continues to this day.
At the end of the lecture, Mr. Zheng Peikai summarized the differences between Chinese and Japanese tea ceremony.
He pointed out that China’s tea ceremony is diverse, and Japan’s tea ceremony is single; Chinese tea ceremony has historical changes, the Tang, Song and Ming and Qing tea ceremonies are different, while Japanese tea ceremony inherits the matcha tradition of temples in the Song Dynasty and has basically not changed; Chinese tea sets and tea ceremony have undergone major changes.
Japan’s tea sets and rituals have basically not changed; Chinese tea ceremony has changed due to tea-making technology, but Japan has not; Chinese tea ceremony is diverse and interesting, while Japan abides by canons; China has fun in life, while Japan abides by religion
In the ceremony, the Chinese tea ceremony is open, lively and innovative, while the Japanese tea ceremony is strict, closed and conservative.
After the lecture, the teachers and students of our school and the School of Foreign Languages had an enthusiastic interaction with Mr. Zheng.
Sino-Japanese cultural exchange is an important subject of Japanese studies.
Mr. Zheng Peikai’s lecture is undoubtedly of great value for us to further understand the origin of the tea ceremony between China and Japan, to understand the exchange process between China and Japan, and to understand the differences in the tea ceremony between China and Japan.