Tea master serves up fine frothy art

Inheritor of intangible cultural heritage teaches technique steeped in tradition

Zhang Hongyan has managed to perfect the tea-making technique of dian cha, which used to be a ritual during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province, is the main host city of the upcoming Asian Games, and Jingshan village is a tourist spot. As a villager here and a volunteer inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage, I want to do something for the Games," Zhang, a famous local tea ceremony master, said.

The Games were scheduled to be held from Sept 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, but were officially postponed on Friday. The new dates will be announced in the near future.

In an interview with China Daily, Zhang, 35, explained her artistic process.

"First, I use a tea whisk to make a thick layer of white froth on the tea, then I mix tea powder and water to make a suitable 'pigment'," she said.

"I make artistic designs in the froth by using a teaspoon as a paintbrush and the froth as the drawing paper. I have drawn Games mascots Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, as well as some depictions of competitions such as fencing, weightlifting and archery."

This is called chabaixi in Chinese, which is a unique and ancient art form that expresses calligraphy and painting with tea froth.

"The thickness of the tea froth is very hard to master. Froth that is too thick or too light will lead to failure," Zhang explained.

She said her goal is to bring the old ritual back to modern life and have more people appreciate its charm.

"I want to integrate the elements of the Asian Games into the 1,000-year-old Song Dynasty style and culture, so that more people can inherit and carry forward Chinese traditional culture by the opportunities brought by the Games," Zhang said.