On May 16, 2026, a tea culture event titled “Experience China: Sharing Tea to Tell Chinese Stories and Promote Traditional Chinese Culture Internationally” was held at Shanghai Ocean University’s Public Experiment Building A402. Organized by the China Scholarship Council and hosted by the university, the event brought together over 40 international students from countries including Ghana, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. The event featured four sessions: a cultural lecture, hands-on practice, an interactive fair, and cross-cultural dialogue. With tea as a bridge, students explored the rich tradition and lasting appeal of Chinese tea culture.

The event kicked off at 10 a.m. The Luming Tea Art Club invited an experienced senior student of tea culture to give a systematic talk on China's long tea tradition, covering four key aspects: origin, characteristics, benefits, and etiquette. On origin, he started with the legend of Shennong tasting herbs, then explained how tea became part of daily life and a cultural symbol of Chinese civilization. On characteristics, he introduced the flavor differences of the six main tea types, which come from varying levels of fermentation. On benefits, he talked about the health value of the beneficial compounds found in tea leaves. On etiquette, he demonstrated respectful gestures in tea serving — such as passing the cup with both hands, observing proper order between elders and youngsters, and handling the cup gently. His lively presentation gave students a deeper appreciation of the humility and warmth embedded in Chinese tea culture.

After the lecture, students split into groups by tea type — green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and dark. Each group had tea samples and basic tea sets. With guidance from the tea art club members, they observed the dry leaves, smelled the aromas, and practiced the core steps: warming the cup, adding leaves, pouring water, and decanting. Then they brewed their own tea.

Hassan Raza from Pakistan was trying black tea for the first time. Watching the leaves slowly unfurl in the hot water and the fragrance spread, he said, "This is amazing. I'm truly enjoying it."

By making and tasting tea themselves, the students truly understood what they had just learned in theory.

At 1 p.m., the event moved to a Japanese language lab for a tea culture fair. Each student received a stamp card and visited six interactive stations: “Smell to Identify” (guessing tea types by scent while blindfolded), “Taste to Match” (matching tea flavors to their names), “Brewing Challenge” (completing the brewing process within a time limit), “Water Pouring Game” (practicing pouring stability and control), and the two most popular ones — tea bag DIY and scented pouch DIY.

At the tea bag DIY station, students could choose green tea, black tea, or oolong tea as a base, then add flowers or herbs like osmanthus, orange peel, rose, or mint before sealing the bag to make their own blended tea. At the scented pouch DIY station, the table was covered with Chinese medicinal herbs such as wormwood, clove, mint, and angelica. Under staff guidance, students mixed the herbs to their liking and filled embroidered sachets. The pouches help repel mosquitoes and calm the mind, reflecting the traditional Chinese medicine idea of “using aromatic herbs to ward off harmful influences.” Both stations were constantly crowded with long lines. Many students made one and then wanted to make another. “I used to think drinking tea was just a habit,” said Tahmina Akhter from Bangladesh. “I never thought tea leaves and herbs could be combined like this.”

After collecting all the stamps, Chinese and international students sat down together for a relaxed cross-cultural conversation. Kwame Addo from Ghana shared how ginger tea and spiced black tea are served to guests in his hometown. Shukhrat Karimov from Uzbekistan talked about the local way of drinking green tea with bread and jam. Chinese students told folk stories from different regions, such as “offering tea to guests” and “making friends through tea.” As they exchanged their tea traditions, cultural differences faded and they grew closer over cups of tea.

Through listening, watching, doing, playing, and talking, the event turned Chinese tea culture into something students could smell, taste, make, and take home. Each student left with a bag of their own blended tea, a herbal scented pouch, and a stamp card full of stamps.

Shanghai Ocean University plans to continue offering this type of cultural experience to help international students better understand and connect with China. The university also aims to improve the quality of its international education through such hands-on activities.

Source: Shanghai Ocean University