BRISBANE, Australia—Westerners may think of English high teas when tea is mentioned, and the black tea’s origins being India or Ceylon, but the majority of tea is grown in other Eastern countries where tea culture is more refined and varied.
Tea plays a big part in Taiwanese celebrations, especially on Taiwan’s National Day. The Taiwanese being such friendly people, they share this tea ceremony with those lucky enough to attend their gatherings. According to webmaster Ross MacIver, “Tea is part of the social fabric of Taiwan,” and “Come in and drink tea,” is a standard greeting to guests.
This year Taiwan celebrated its 104th birthday on Oct 10, Double Tenth Day, at an evening gathering at Brisbane’s Hilton, where many Westerners were introduced to the delightful experience of tea tasting, as opposed to wine tasting.
As guests arrived in the reception area, a small pouch containing a tea cup was given to each person as name tags were collected.
Moving, from tea table to tea table, guests used their personal teacups as they tasted and learnt about a variety of Taiwanese teas, and at the same time were able to meet other guests through informal conversations.
The ballroom filled as a warm welcome to the birthday celebrations was given by Taiwan’s Director General Ken Lai, of Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane, who expressed his appreciation to all attendees saying, “Your gracious presence ... has made the event more meaningful.” As part of his opening speech he introduced Taiwan’s award winning malt whisky news together with an informative and entertaining NTD Television ‘Thank You Taiwan’ video.
Australian officials talked about sister cities, economic partnerships, and the benefits of friendship with Taiwan—how they were learning a little about Taiwanese hospitality throughout this National Day reception.
