A comparison between Chinese Tea and Western Coffee Culture

(1) the history of tea culture and coffee culture

Since Shennong tasted Baicao tea, the people of Bashu began to drink tea at the end of Shang Dynasty and the beginning of Zhou Dynasty. King Wu cut down tea as a tribute in 1066 BC. In the later period of the original commune, tea became the exchange of goods. During the warring States period, tea already had a certain scale. In the Han Dynasty, tea became a special tonic for Buddhist meditation. In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, tea was based on the Yangtze River and spread to the north at the same time, and the style of drinking tea spread. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the whole people drank tea, and the tea industry was prosperous, and teahouses, tea banquets and tea parties appeared, which encouraged guests to pay homage to tea. At this time, the Tea Classic, the first tea culture monograph in the world, came into being. At the beginning of Song Dynasty and the end of Ming Dynasty, tea culture reached its heyday, and fighting tea, tribute tea and gifted tea were popular all over the world. In the Qing Dynasty, tea culture developed more deeply, and opera and Quyi entered the teahouse to perform. Tea in the Qing Dynasty has always been in a position of surplus in foreign trade. With the development of history, people have continuously enriched, enriched and developed the tea culture in various activities of tea.

By comparison, coffee beans were not fried in boiling water for the first time until about 1000 AD. Yemen began to grow coffee around the 15th century. Venice merchants first brought coffee to Europe in 1615. By 1683, the first coffee shop in Europe had opened in Venice, the most famous being the Florence Cafe, which opened in St. Mark's Square in 1720. In the process of colonization, the Dutch grew coffee in Malaba, India, and brought it to Java in what is now Indonesia in 1699. Coffee entered America in 1668 and became popular in South America as a fashionable drink, followed by coffee houses in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other North American cities. Coffee entered Taiwan in 1884. It can be seen that the history of Chinese tea culture is much longer than that of western coffee culture.

(2) the Doctrine of the mean of tea culture and the rationality of coffee culture

China is located in the east of Eurasia, facing the sea, with a vast territory and rich products. Chinese culture grows in a relatively closed and broad geographical space, and its cultural tradition is determined by the semi-closed, temperate continental geographical environment and agricultural self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy, that is, the patriarchal society of "family-state integration". For thousands of years, the dominant ideology in Chinese society has borne the brunt of the traditional Confucian ideology and culture against the background of small-scale peasant economy, which is characterized by "Doctrine of the mean", "abiding by normality", "balance" and "symmetry". Confucianism introduced the idea of "Doctrine of the mean" into Chinese tea culture. Tea is born in the mountains and forests, it is moisturized by nectar, its taste is sweet in bitterness, and it can make people's heart clear, peace of mind and clear mind. These characteristics of tea are consistent with the Confucian Doctrine of the mean. Tea is a clean thing, through drinking tea can be introspection, save people, but also can keep clean, give tea with incorruptible, noble character. Confucianism believes that drinking tea can communicate ideas, create a harmonious atmosphere, enhance mutual friendship, coordinate interpersonal relations, and promote harmony. The Confucian idea of harmony derived from the Doctrine of the mean is, in the eyes of Confucianism, harmony is the degree, harmony is appropriate, harmony is appropriate, and everything is just right, no less than mistakes. The idea of harmony is permeated in tea culture from a whole set of tea activities, such as picking tea, making tea, brewing tea, ordering tea, making tea, tasting tea and so on. When making tea, "the sour, sweet, bitter and astringent blend is too harmonious, and the slow speed is moderate"; when entertaining guests, "offer tea as a courtesy to the elderly, prepare tea with a strong intention to show strong affection"; when drinking tea, "drink good tea to know deeply, admire this is the Chinese and English grass"; the environment and state of mind for tea tasting is "common accident elegance to vanity, serenity to far concealment". All these reflect the Confucian Doctrine of the mean, Ming Theory, modesty and frugality.

Western culture originated and developed in a relatively open geographical environment, and there is no typical agricultural region like China, which can always influence the whole cultural trend. The birthplace of Western culture is ancient Greece, Rome, the islands and peninsulas on the north bank of the Mediterranean. Island culture is developed not by agriculture, but by competitive business. The development of commodity economy and the open marine geographical environment make Westerners extroverted and active. They have independent and unruly personality, pioneering spirit and trading concept. Western countries survive in the process of war, competition and struggle. The abnormal development of geographical environment and productive forces does not allow Westerners to "think twice before they act." they must make a prompt decision to make judgments and actions. The lands of European countries are relatively narrow and unable to form the natural and economic conditions of self-sufficiency and long-term isolation like ancient China, the changes of national boundaries, the migration of ethnic groups, and the consistency of ancient customs, myths and folklore, which not only laid a solid foundation for cultural exchanges and exchanges between them, but also created a spirit of cultural openness.

Western philosophers regard rationality as a fundamental symbol that distinguishes human beings from animals, which establishes the rational tone of western culture. Western culture is a rationalist culture, which aims to construct an abstract idea world in self-consciousness. take those abstract subjective laws as the essence of the world, and then achieve the rational alienation of the world. This is also reflected in coffee culture. Coffee brewing from grinding coffee beans to utensils, and then to the water temperature ratio have strict requirements, brewing out of the fragrance, strong flavor. For example, fresh water after boiling will contain the right amount of carbon dioxide can increase the aroma of coffee, but keep boiling water will reduce the evaporation of carbon dioxide, so the best water temperature is 95 ℃, the water temperature is too low will make the coffee taste can not be completely released, the water temperature is too high will make coffee ingredients deteriorate, too much or less is not good. For example, the coffee for one person is 8 grams light, 12 grams strong, and the water is 120cc. All these reflect the rationalism of coffee culture.