A workshop on Chinese tea culture held in Royce Hall on April 28 introduced attendees to the tea preparation process, as well as the occasions on which tea is consumed in China, which varies from tea customs in European culture.

Assistant director of the Confucius Institute, Victor Yu, presented a PowerPoint about Chinese tea brewing. Tea culture has a long history in China and there are many elements that go into the making of tea. After the PowerPoint, attendees watched a documentary on tea, which introduced different types of tea. There was also a variety of tea for attendees to try.

Yu demonstrated proper etiquette for a tea sitting, including how to properly thank the person who serves the tea.

The workshop is part of a schedule of Chinese cultural events designed a year in advance, and hosted by the Confucius Institute. Other events this semester have included calligraphy and tai chi workshops.

“Every Tuesday and Thursday we have cultural workshops and cultural lectures and sometimes on Monday evenings we have forums,” Yu said.

The cultural workshops are one way that diversity is promoted on the UW-Platteville campus, and are a way for interested students to learn more about China.

“We really think that this is a great opportunity to let other people know about China and the Chinese culture,” Chinese instructor Kathy Zhang said.

Zhang said she believes these workshops are a great way to increase diversity in student life because they present a very different culture from that of mainstream American culture.

“I liked watching the demonstration of how to serve [tea],” junior criminalistics major Alex Mines, who attended the workshop, said. “Getting to interact with the demonstration and getting to see how you’re supposed to react to how it is made was my favorite part.”

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