As the year 2025 drew to a close, a final highlight in the world of tea unfolded: a Tea Studies Thesis Defense Session, marking both a meaningful conclusion to the year and a thoughtful beginning for the international communication of tea culture in 2026.
Although only three tea participants finished the 2-Star Tea Tasting and Sommelier Course, were qualified to present their work, the standards were rigorous and the intellectual exchange profound. This gathering stood not merely as an academic exercise but as a moment of reflection, dialogue, and forward-looking vision for the global future of Chinese tea.
The defense panel featured Teacher Zhu Huaying, a long-term partner from Chongqing, and Teacher Meilan Xiao, a Belgian scholar who has devoted more than 30 years to promoting Chinese tea culture across Europe. Throughout the session, both judges offered generous recognition alongside challenging, insightful questions that inspired deep reflection among all participants.
Judges
The first presenter, LYU Linfang (Afang), defended her thesis “A Multidimensional Ecological Study on the English Translation of Chinese Famous Teas from the Perspective of Eco-translatology.” Her research examined how renowned Chinese teas are rendered into English, combining solid theoretical grounding with extensive data analysis.
The discussion extended far beyond linguistics. Participants reflected on how, after the Opium Wars, China’s dominance in the global tea market gradually gave way to teas from Darjeeling and other regions. Long sea voyages once compromised the quality of early black and green teas arriving in Europe, shaping international terminology that often failed to reflect the refinement of China’s finest teas.This led to a central question: How can Chinese gongfu tea brewing techniques, aging traditions, and aesthetic values be meaningfully introduced to the world together with the premium Chinese tea in the new era? The consensus pointed to a timely opportunity—using pinyin combined with thoughtful explanation—to introduce authentic Chinese tea names and cultural depth while respecting cultural integration and avoiding artificial adaptation. Rooted in origin, Chinese tea can be understood on its own terms by the global audience.
The second presenter, Tang Min from Chongqing, shared her paper “A Brief Discussion on the Meaning and Value of Contemporary Tea Spaces: A Case Study of Qiulan Yueshe Tea House in Chongqing.” Through theory, aesthetics, and evocative imagery, she explored how modern tea spaces embody cultural spirit and how private tea rooms can become intimate sanctuaries of tea culture.
She posed a thought-provoking question: If not everyone can open a teahouse, how can each person cultivate a tea space within their own life? Extending this inquiry overseas, she examined how Chinese tea space culture can localize and adapt abroad when traditional Eastern aesthetics cannot be directly replicated—offering fresh perspectives on the everyday and international expression of tea culture.
The third defense came from Barbara, a tea professional from Slovakia, who presented “The Rising Momentum for High-Quality Chinese Tea in Europe.” Drawing from both history and personal experience, she traced the decline of China’s former export dominance and its long confinement within overseas Chinese communities.
As a second-generation tea professional raised in Slovakia’s first and oldest teahouse, Barbara offered compelling firsthand evidence: high-quality Chinese teas and gongfu-style brewing are quietly gaining momentum across Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and eastern Germany. She emphasized that the convergence of quality, health consciousness, and a slower lifestyle will be key to Chinese tea’s deeper roots in Europe.
From translation and language, to spatial culture, to market transformation, these three defenses addressed the core dimensions of tea’s global journey—grounded in scholarship, yet rich in practical insight(We will share each paper later on).
The final defense of 2025 marked not an end, but a threshold. It revealed a clear truth: the global communication of Chinese tea is no longer a one-way export, but a dialogue of mutual understanding and integration.
As we step into 2026, guided by these reflections and insights, may Chinese tea continue to cross mountains and seas—allowing the fragrance of this Eastern leaf to unfold its unique brilliance in every corner of the world. 🍃
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