Friday – The Tea Man Returns

So I had been hearing about the famous Tea Man from last year’s China students, but somehow I neglected to stop by his shop until today. What a mistake. Mr. Ye specializes in high-end teas, and when Dawn and I walked in he sat us down and began a very ceremonial tea brewing process. He made five different kinds of teas for us to sample, including some that started out as little globes of tea leaves and sprouted into beautiful blooming flowers when soaked in hot water. Like those sponge animals I had as a kid, except cooler, and drinkable. It was the most amazing tea I’ve ever had, and I bought a bunch to bring home, so you can expect to get an invitation to a tea party when I’m back. We found out in the process that his family was moving from their hometown in rural southern China to Beijing after being separated for 2 years while he saved up enough to move them there. When I stopped by later that afternoon I saw him with his two children and a suitcase moving them into the tea shop, and I stayed to take some pictures of them and interview him about their arrival (I’ll let you know when that story posts to the class website). He was so happy to have them there, and even though they will all be sharing one bedroom in the back of his shop, he was really excited for the future. It was a great experience, and I promise that’s not colored at all by the fact that I had 16 cups of highly caffeinated tea while I was there. The Tea Man is awesome.