MTSU’s Asian Arts Association presented a traditional Chinese tea-making workshop Thursday in the Student Union. The event, called Tea Meets Kettle, featured a local tea shop owner teaching students about the art.
Water boiled and glassware clinked as Jinlan Zhong, the event’s special guest, set the stage for Tea Meets Kettle. Zhong owns Music City Tea in Murfreesboro and has an interest in introducing Americans to Chinese culture and the history of tea making.
“There’s not many Chinese tea shops in the U.S. at all,” sophomore Rae Wehby said. “The only other one I’ve been to was in Seattle, so I was surprised to see one in Murfreesboro of all places that is a Chinese-style tea shop.”
The Asian Arts Association shares Zhang’s vision.
“Our overarching goal is to have Asian culture-related events from various Asian countries, and to just try to promote the cultures with different activities,” Austin Gurley, senior and President of the Asian Arts Association said. “We’re having a Chinese tea ceremony to promote the Chinese subculture of tea — it’s a big part of their history and culture.”
The tea-making event featured different Chinese brews, from more popular teas such as green tea and black tea, to options that are typically obscure for Westerners, such as white pomegranate and oolong tea. Each tea had a unique flavor depending on how long it steeped, from bitter to smoky, and sweet to sour. Attendees also got the opportunity to try bitter medicinal tea mainly used for throat health.
Attendees learned to brew their own tea, and served other attendees using traditional tea sets provided by Zhong. The mingling aroma of different teas filled the classroom as attendees got to slurping.
“I am a Dietetics Major in Food Science,” Wehby said. “The way that I personally see nutrition is that it’s very individual, so people should be allowed to enjoy stuff like this, especially relating to their culture because tea has spread around the entire world nowadays.”
Although the Chinese tea making is over, the Asian Arts Association still has multiple events brewing.
“This semester, we’re also doing Arabic calligraphy,” Gurley said. “And we’ll be going to the Wat Lao Buddhist temple for a Buddhist visit and a lesson ceremony. We’re also doing a Japanese tea ceremony.”
Those interested in joining the club can contact Gurley via the Asian Arts Association Instagram account. They meet in STU 210 every other Thursday from 5-7 p.m.
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