Lifestyle
Tales of tea enter a salon discussing young power in modernization at Xia Da
By Elsbeth van Paridon  ·  2023-03-06  ·   Source: Web Exclusive

 

Students stroll along an idyllic palm tree-lined avenue on the Xiamen University campus in the eponymous city in China's coastal Fujian Province on February 26 (ELSBETH VAN PARIDON)

Sprawling views of lush green gardens and the distant glistening of sunlight dancing on the harbor's deep waters, Xiamen University, located in the eponymous city in southeast China, features what is arguably one of the most beautiful college campuses in all of China. Crisscrossing the site, if you just squint--and give your creativity full rein, you might imagine yourself sauntering along Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard.

Marnix Groot, a Dutch airport development expert who spent almost one decade living and working in China--as well as a dear friend of this author, studied at the renowned institution in 2003 and reminisced fondly of his time spent there.

"Mind you, this was 2003. China wasn't exactly 'in the picture' the way it is today," Groot told Beijing Review. "Til then, my travels had always taken me across the Atlantic; I had not yet set foot in Asia. So when I got the opportunity to go study in China, my first choice was to go to Beijing. But as that spot had (apparently) already been scooped up, I opted for the next (and only) one in line: Xiamen University—or Xia Da. Foreigners were, as was to be expected, few and far between there. FYI, when I first landed, I couldn't even pronounce the word 'Xiamen'," Groot added--laughing.

Twenty years have gone by since the Dutch airport aficionado set out on his first China voyage and times have certainly changed in Xiamen--and China by large. But… some things have stayed the same: The city still bursts with color and verve by day, its high-rises light up the urban nightscape and its longstanding picturesque tradition weaves itself through the city at all times. Which brings us back to Xia Da.

On February 26, this particular beacon of education and tradition served as the home to a salon centered on youth power in the process of modernization. The meeting was part of the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) China Tour--Xiamen. The GYLD is a program jointly initiated by the Center for China and Globalization and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies that regularly takes international participants on tours of different regions across China to offer them the chance to gain a more in-depth understanding of the country.

This time around, a group of international youth from some 10 countries visited the rather exotic port city in coastal Fujian Province from February 25 to 27.

"Young power can light a fire within society and lend it a sense of more open-mindedness, which in turn will lead to innovation and thus modernization," Yu Yunquan, President of the Academy of Contemporary of China and the World Studies, said in his opening address at the meeting. Liu Yue, Vice Dean of the Foreign Languages School at Xiamen University, on her part, chimed in with more specific example of cultural connection, elaborating on the topic of tea.

At the heart of Xiamen's extensive and well-documented tea culture lies the tea ceremony, or the gongfu tea, i.e., a ritual for brewing tea leaves, using specific tools and with great care given to timing, temperature and the environment. "Tea has enabled us to sip across continents and eras for almost two centuries, ever since the Xiamen Port first welcomed international traders in the early 19th century," Liu said, adding "The word 'tea' itself is actually a transliteration of a southern Chinese dialect. 'Tea' is just one example of how cultural and youth exchanges and intercultural communication have had a great effect on global development historically."

Taking a leaf out of Liu's book, this author, who looks at China through the lens of fashion and urban culture, elaborated on Liu's tea topic, pouring in the element of youth power within the country. Today, stove-boiled tea is becoming one of the latest trending lifestyles among young Chinese. The reason why it is gaining such popularity, apart from its embodiment of traditional Chinese tea culture, is because the activity encapsulates young people's pursuit of a sense of ritual, with their yearning for traditional tea culture reflecting their aspirations to return to a more laidback, natural, sustainable lifestyle. Younger generations can paint brighter prospects with their latest ideas and technologies. They are the ones who can change people's minds and spur new trends, for example by placing a heavier focus on sustainability and all that comes with.

One thing all GYLD X Xia Da salon participants agreed on was that through innovation and imagination, youth have the potential to generate a positive social change in the world.

Comments to elsbeth@cicgamericas.com 

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