"...at last, I entered the world of tea..." Yuan Mei, Chinese poet, Qing Dynasty

Who could imagine that an accidental event from five thousand years ago would have such importance in the lives of people through the ages? In the year 2737 BC, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, a scholar and a herbalist traveling through a distant region took rest under a tree while his servant boiled drinking water for him. Some leaves from a nearby bush dropped in the water turning it to a golden brown color. The Emperor drank the infusion and found it immensely refreshing and so tea became to be known for its properties as a healthy drink. As Buddhists priests traveled in China and Japan, the cultivation and popularity of Ch’a (tea drinking) spread in these countries and then beyond to Europe where it became a rage of fashion turned into a profitable commodity for trade for the Dutch, Portuguese, British and American sea faring companies.

The modern term “Tea” is derived from early Chinese dialect words that describe both the beverage and the leaf. An evergreen plant of the Camellia family, Camellia Sinensis is a bush with shiny green leaves grown and cultivated in tea estates located primarily in China, India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Numerous varieties of green, black, white tea are grown for tea consumption making it high aesthetic art for some, social gathering for others and a hearty drink for the common man in the street- tea is a part and parcel of people’s lives today.

The events planned by the Asian Arts & Culture Program reflect this important status of tea as high art, contemplation, social gatherings, know-how on buying and brewing it, containers, places to enjoy a good "cuppa".

For a complete listing of events visit www.fineartscenter.com/asian .