2。2 The Definition of Tea Culture
Tea culture is defined by the way tea is made and consumed, by the way the people interact with tea, and by the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking, it includes aspects of tea production, tea brewing, tea arts and media issues(Wikipedia)。 Tea culture refers to the methods of preparation of tea, the equipment used to make tea and the occasions in which tea is consumed。
According to the study of culture, the internal structure of culture has four levels:material , institutional, behavioral and psychological level。 So, Chen Wenhua puts forward that generalized tea culture includes the four levels (Chen 6)。 Material level refers to the sum of products and activities, which contains people’s engagement in the process of tea making。 It includes tea cultivation, production, processing, preservation, chemical composition and efficacy studies, also contains water, tea sets, and tea houses which are visible, tangible objects and buildings。 Institutional level refers to social norms of behavior in the process of people engaged in tea production and consumption, such as the ancient tea affairs, including tribute, taxation, monopoly, domestic sales, foreign trade and so on。 Behavioral level contains agreed common behavior patterns of people in the process of tea production and consumption, usually in the form of tea etiquette, tea custom, and tea art。 Psychological level includes the values, aesthetic tasty formed in the process of tea production and consumption; artistic conception, lasting appeal and imagination pursued in the process of tea etiquette; literary and artistic works reflecting tea production, tea living area, tea tasting。 During the study of tea culture, psychological level is the highest level and the core of tea culture (Chen 5)。
从跨文化视角浅谈中英茶文化(3):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_88062.html