Comparative Analysis On Connotation Of The Sino-british Tea Culture

When tea was discovered by Chinese, it was initially used as herb. After it was integrated with cultural, tea culture was formed. In China, under the influence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, Chinese tea culture was formed on the basis of cultivation culture. In the 17th century, tea began to enter European market. Although many countries had joined Chinese tea consumption, only British established their own system of tea culture. China and British formed their respective systems of tea culture toward different cultural backgrounds. In this system, the connotation of tea culture epitomized all kinds of cultural phenomena produced from the combination of tea and culture.The contrasts in the connotations of tea culture between China and British given in this paper were in material, spiritual and linguistic, these three respects, and in the end, the author sums up deep reasons that led to the differences of tea cultures between China and British. The first part introduces the origin of tea and the spread of Chinese tea in Western countries. The second part emphasizes the definition and connotation of tea culture, and explains the formation of Chinese culture and British culture, gives quite detailed description on impacts produced by the factors of history, economy and politics in two countries upon the formation of tea culture. The third part is the core part of this paper, which mainly analyzes and contrasts the embodiment of the connotations of Chinese and British tea cultures from material, spiritual and linguistic respects. The fourth part of this paper, based on the analysis and contrasts made in the third part, makes a summary statement about reasons that lead to the differences between Chinese tea culture and British one.Tea originated from China and then was spread to Britain. Tea has become the common symbolic characteristic of both China and Britain, and has profoundly impacted people's daily lives and spiritual world. This paper takes the contrast between the connotations of tea culture in Chinese and British as its study subject, tries to deeply analyze Chinese tea culture and British one through material, spiritual and linguistic aspects in tea culture connotations and then reveals the essential differences between the two kinds of tea cultures.