中国是一个礼仪之邦。当有客人来访时，一定会用茶水招待客人。上茶之前，他们会询问客人的爱好。如果你有机会来中国，一定不要忘了喝上一杯中国茶。
China is the home country of tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea, first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia and, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. Today, we will talk about the Chinese Tea Culture.
中国是茶的故乡。早在唐朝，中国茶远销海内外，先到日本、韩国，然后至印度中亚。明清时期，远销阿拉伯国家。今天我们来介绍一下中国茶的文化。
In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe, where the upper class adopted the fashion of drinking tea. Chinese tea—like Chinese silk and china—has become synonymous(同义的tónɡyìde) worldwide with refined(精致jīnɡzhìde) culture. China traces the development of tea as an art form to Lu Yu, known as “the Saint of Tea” in Chinese history, who lived during the Tang Dynasty and who wrote The Book of Tea, the first ever treatise(论文lùnwén) on tea and tea culture. The spirit of tea permeates(渗透shèntòu) Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of teas, teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts(工艺品ɡōnɡyìpǐn) and tea customs. Better-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing noted for its variety of teahouses; Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups; the West Lake in Hangzhou, also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs(鉴赏家jiànshǎnɡjiā) Association(协会xiéhuì), noted for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where the ethnic(民族的mínzúde) groups less affected by foreign cultures retain tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas.
在17世纪初期，中国茶叶又远销至欧洲各国，很多上层社会的贵族、绅士都养成了喝茶的习惯。中国的共和中国的丝绸及磁器一样，已经成为了中国在全世界的代名词。追溯中国的茶文化不得不提到茶圣—陆羽，他生活在唐代，是中国最早撰写《茶全》的人，这本著作中包含了做茶的全过程，包括茶的品种、茶室、茶的传说、茶的工艺品以及茶的文化。在中国品上一壶好茶的地方最出名的是北京茶室；福建、广东和其他中国的南方城市泡出的功夫茶；杭州西湖的绿茶也是极具特色的；再有就是云南的茶，已经成为茶文化中不可或缺的角色了。
The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of “savoring(品尝pǐnchánɡ).” “Savoring tea” is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens, ornaments(装饰品zhuānɡshìpǐn) and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring tea. Atranquil(宁静的nínɡjìnɡde), refreshing, comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable for drinking tea. Chinese gardens are well known in the world and beautiful Chinese landscapes are too numerous to count. Teahouses tucked away in gardens and nestled beside the natural beauty of mountains and rivers areenchanting(妩媚的wǔmèi de) places of repose for people to rest and recreate themselves.
中国人饮茶， 注重一个”品”字。”品茶”不但是鉴别茶的优劣，也带有神思遐想和领略饮茶情趣之意。在百忙之中泡上一壶浓茶，择雅静之处，自斟自饮，可以消除疲劳、涤烦益思、振奋精神，也可以细啜慢饮，达到美的享受，使精神世界升华到高尚的艺术境界。品茶的环境一般由建筑物、园林、摆设、茶具等因素组成。饮茶要求安静、清新、舒适、干净。中国园林世界闻名，山水风景更是不可胜数。利用园林或自然山水间，搭设茶室，让人们小憩，意趣盎然。
China is a country with a time-honored civilization and a land of ceremony and decorum. Whenever guests visit, it is necessary to make and serve tea to them. Before serving tea, you may ask them for their preferences as to what kind of tea they fancy and serve them the tea in the most appropriate teacups. If one day you come to China, remember to drink a cup of tea, and enjoy the scenery around yourself, and you will find the world in fact is very beautiful and the world is different before what you thought.
