如何挑选中国茶（英文版） How to Select Chinese Tea: A Quick Shopping Guide for Travelers to China

外国人选购中国茶的实用指南，图文并茂，方便携带，实用性强。

Why Chinese Tea?
　Turn a Leaf
　In the Beginning —— The Holy Farmer
　Costly Medicine
　A Scholarly Beverage
　Drink of the Gods
　Tea Culture Comes of Age
　Tea Olympics
　Invasion and Adaptation —— Tea Institutionalized
　Tea Comes West
　The Teahouse
　Coffee or Tea?
　A Cure for Life
　Old is New Again
　Tea-Mind-Body Connection
Categories of Tea
　Green Is Gold
　Black Power
　Nothing Wrong with Wulong
　White Makes Right
　Table Talk
　Tea Cultivation
　Tea Producing Areas
　One Plant, Sixty-Two Leaves, Ten Thousand
　Days’ Pleasure
Sharp Eyes
　Green Teas
　Black Teas
　Wulong
　White Teas
　Red Teas
　A Word on Un-Teas
　Cupping, or How to Sound Like an Authority
Tea Ceremony & Teasets
　Tea Ceremony
　Old Tea Ceremony
　The Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony
　Choosing Tea and Water
　Basics
　The Tea Set
　Seven Habits of Highly Successful
　Tea Ceremonies
　Food Pairing
Shopping Spots
　Shopping for Tea, Stopping for Tea
　Making the Most of It: A Visit to Maliandao
　A Modern Tea Market
　A Royal Tea Garden
　Tea Pictures
　A Lady’s Business
　Eleven Trustworthy Teashops
　The Next Big Market
　The Granddaddy of Them All
　If Time Is an Issue
Index: China Tea Markets and Teahouses
Appendix
　A Little Mandarin Never Hurt Anyone
　Watch Your Tone
　At the Teahouse
　At the Tea Market
　20 Essential Tea Words and Phrases

ForewordI had the opportunity to write this book as the result of a practical but inspired idea. Good ideas come from good questions, and the original question was, “As China is becoming more of the focus of the world and more people from other countries are visiting China, what good Chinese things can we give them to take back home?” The answers—tea, cloisonné, calligraphy, and the like are practical in that they are readily available, and not too expensive. The idea, however, to create books about these traditional Chinese crafts and how to buy them, was an inspiration.Beijing’s resultant transformation truly astounds all who witness it. Why, standing in the central business district, gazing at the CCTV Tower, and the endless phalanx of gleaming towers around it, one might not even know this was China at all! It might be any modern city in the world.Such a statement would please the Beijinger, but not the expatriate in China. While the former intones “international standard” as a rallying cry (second only to Jia you!—Add gas!), the foreigner living in China loves it for its lack of monotonous standardization, and sees every new Walmart and Starbucks as an omen, not a step forward.What does all of this have to do with tea and inspiration? Well, if in the rip tide of “Let’s show the world how modern China is,” there are still a few who are proud enough of China’s dusty, old, low-tech treasures to swim against the current, enough so to print books that say, “Have a good time watching sports in our modern metropolis, but don’t forget what makes this place special,” then we are assured that there will always be reasons for us foreigners to linger in China, long after we’ve seen the Wall and the Warriors.A world where tea takes precedence over coffee and wine counts as a compelling reason indeed, and reveals more to the credit of Chinese culture than any other custom a Sinophile may care to name. Coffee stimulates; tea uplifts. Wine blunts the senses, however delightfully at first; tea refines them. This is not to admonish or prohibit imbibing your beverage of choice, but to prod for the realization that must come of the reader’s own volition, if it is to mean anything. The realization that China’s most popular beverage grants subtle and salutary effects, rather than overt and distracting effects, leads the introspective to understanding much of what is most salient about Chinese culture.Whether cross-cultural epiphany appeals to you or not, tea remains a true Chinese treasure, and an ideal gift with which to make your way home from China. Do please keep reading to find out why, with a humble proviso – that you reject the notion that you can find such tea back home. The endless variety, its not-so-exotic pricing, and the fun in buying it; all render an experience that can easily be ranked as one of the best during your stay here. And if you’re not in China as you read this, you haven’t been forgotten. The greater part of this book has been written to reveal why and how to enjoy tea, wherever you are.Ernie Xie

Tea CeremonyThe problem with translation is not so much in the words as in the connotations we associate with them. The average Westerner hears “ceremony” and pictures stiff formalism and unmoving expressions, a delicate procedure in which a mistake means loss of face, and comfort is the last thing on participant’s minds. Enough Chinese people to fill Europe and North America partake in what may be called a tea ceremony whenever they can. Though China certainly has its share of formalism and stringent ritual in its cultural canons, the phrase “tea ceremony” means rest, relaxation, and fun. Most importantly, it’s a time-honored method for making the most of your tea.Best of all, acquiring your own tea ceremony skills and style is part of the process of buying tea in China. The Chinese marketplace, for whatever reason, dictates that all purveyors of a particular product mass together, in cavernous buildings or crowded bazaars. They besiege the shopper with row after row of small stalls and stores that generally do not vary much. They face each other across tiny walkways where one may pass comfortably alone, but are usually peopled three abreast. The proprietor does her own marketing, inviting all and sundry, some with an aggressive tug of the shirt, others with a friendly acknowledgment, after making eye contact.Our appendix lists the best teahouses and markets for whatever city you’re in, but know that they’re pretty much all the same. However, this does not mean boredom, but convenience. Whichever one you visit will offer tea in grade from sublime to mediocre, and will follow the same rule: the customer is god. Any teashop you step into will feature a host who is only too happy to have you sit down and have a quick cuppa, or while the day away sampling different teas.Whatever you do, don’t sweat the cross-cultural small stuff. The Chinese are marvelous at picking up on subtle emotional clues, and will know if you’re tired or stressed, gregarious or reserved, serious or convivial. They will want to know where you’re from, and if you want to hold forth, every last detail about your life. Nobody’s business? Not a problem. They also want to tell you anything you want to know about tea, and a lot you didn’t know that you should know . At the end of your visit, whether you’ve drunk so much as to float a container ship or just pantomimed a few pleasantries, there’s no pressure to buy. What kind of shopping could be more pleasant? Please see Appendix 1 for a brief guide to making it even more so.