That same person will then proceed to pour tea for the rest of the group, starting from the closest person and going around to whoever received the first cup.
This ceremony says a lot about the Chinese value of patience. 2000 years ago, some people had more leisure time, and by having a slow tea ceremony, they were able to pass large amounts of time. Now, tea ceremonies are used as a sort of meditation and release from the everyday life. Our ceremony instructor explained that she learned how to do it because her mother saw that she was a very restless child. By participating in the tea ceremony, it made her become patient. While not always related to the ceremony itself, music from the guzheng is often included as tea ceremonies are often considered a form of entertainment.
Chinese tea ceremonies use natural tea leaves that are hand-picked. As a general rule, you can expect to find better tea leaves in higher elevations. While this is ideal, not all areas of China have access to these places. Instead, they must rely on keeping their environment clean in hopes of having the best quality tea.
