Three Course Tea
Three Course Tea is a custom of the Bai, Yi and Hui in welcoming guests to their homes. We were served the Three Course Tea after our halal lunch when we visited the East Lotus Village (东莲花村), a short distance from Shaxi Old Town. We sat around at the central courtyard’s admiring the stone and woodcarvings and well-carved verses on the halls of this multiple-courtyard mansion, whose original owner used to be a prosperous merchant engaged in the Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Trail trade in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
The first cup of tea was slightly bitter, giving the implication that “to do business or to have a career, one must bear hardship.” This was followed by a sweet tasting tea brewed with ginger, jujube and bits of walnut meat, lending an extra texture to the gingery concoction. The third cup of tea represented the lingering memory of life’s sweetness.
Our next stop is Shangri-La - the Spiritual Land of Tibetan Buddhism.
Comments