China
China, the place where tea began. It is also the largest country in Asia, and the most populous country in the world. I have known people from China, and Americans who have lived and worked there. The linked resource has 57 pages of information about the country, and I'm not going to attempt to summarize them here. I do know that it is a culture that values beauty and uniformity. People I have met from there are always amazed by my diverse collection of jobs that I have worked. In their culture, people learn one thing very well, and that is what they do for the rest of their life. I'm glad that I don't have to try to fit myself into the conformity mold. It wouldn't work well.
Trying to find a tea to represent China has been a difficult task. At first, I just thought of green tea. After all, China green tea is common in the world of tea. It also seemed rather plain, and boring. When I started researching tea in China, I found that the people who live there enjoy all forms of tea. White, green, oolong, black (which they call red tea because the color of the brew is red), pu-erh, and herbal. In the end, I decided to choose several teas to represent China. But first, let's explore the country a bit. A small piece of Asia resides less than 2 hours from my home. This was built to honor the state governor who welcomed the boat people from Vietnam, and refugees from all over the globe. I like his sentiment. People fleeing conflict need somewhere safe to live, so we should welcome them.
I have always been intrigued by the intricate and colorful pagodas of China. They are fascinating puzzles of interlocking pieces of wood with different colors painted on each surface to make the designs even more spectacular.
As you can also tell from the pictures, it was a really wet that day. As the storm clouds cleared away, I had to go check it out.
Unfortunately, a lot of the decorative finials on the bridge have been chipped off by vandals - especially the lions (notice the security camera in the picture above). It is still a neat place, and the flat carved designs are still intact.
I thought that the inside of the roof was neat. You can see all the way to the top!
I also had to take some detail shots. I couldn't quite tell what the figures were on the edge of the roof.
These are really magnificent works of art and engineering.
The proximity to the river also gives it a nice ambiance. I will admit that it is a little tricky to photograph this because most angles have downtown in the background. While there's nothing wrong with having the modern buildings in the background, it does cause a certain loss of ambiance. It was originally designed to have a koi pond underneath, but they do not fill it or put fish in it any more.
As for the tea of China, I will be exploring jasmine pearls, chrysanthemum, and pu-erh tea in my next few posts.
Trying to find a tea to represent China has been a difficult task. At first, I just thought of green tea. After all, China green tea is common in the world of tea. It also seemed rather plain, and boring. When I started researching tea in China, I found that the people who live there enjoy all forms of tea. White, green, oolong, black (which they call red tea because the color of the brew is red), pu-erh, and herbal. In the end, I decided to choose several teas to represent China. But first, let's explore the country a bit. A small piece of Asia resides less than 2 hours from my home. This was built to honor the state governor who welcomed the boat people from Vietnam, and refugees from all over the globe. I like his sentiment. People fleeing conflict need somewhere safe to live, so we should welcome them.
I have always been intrigued by the intricate and colorful pagodas of China. They are fascinating puzzles of interlocking pieces of wood with different colors painted on each surface to make the designs even more spectacular.
As you can also tell from the pictures, it was a really wet that day. As the storm clouds cleared away, I had to go check it out.
Unfortunately, a lot of the decorative finials on the bridge have been chipped off by vandals - especially the lions (notice the security camera in the picture above). It is still a neat place, and the flat carved designs are still intact.
I thought that the inside of the roof was neat. You can see all the way to the top!
I also had to take some detail shots. I couldn't quite tell what the figures were on the edge of the roof.
These are really magnificent works of art and engineering.
The proximity to the river also gives it a nice ambiance. I will admit that it is a little tricky to photograph this because most angles have downtown in the background. While there's nothing wrong with having the modern buildings in the background, it does cause a certain loss of ambiance. It was originally designed to have a koi pond underneath, but they do not fill it or put fish in it any more.
As for the tea of China, I will be exploring jasmine pearls, chrysanthemum, and pu-erh tea in my next few posts.
They're still pretty pictures, even if it was overcast.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I thought it was pretty neat to see up close.
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