Tea scholar Didi Liu demonstrating Chinese Gong Fu tea ceremony

2010.11.24, the distinguished young tea scholar Didi Liu demonstrated her Chinese style Gong Fu tea ceremony at the specialist tea shop "Postcard Teas" in London. You can see a more recent demonstration on here channel here: • Puerh Tea presentation
www.postcardtea...

[@Silithixx]

A lot of people missing the point of gong fu. Gong fu is not meant to be a super formal ceremony. The point of gong fu is to entertain your guests, or yourself, by making tea the focus. It's not about procedure, it's not about ambience and it's not about perfection. It's about uniting people through tea.

[@muizzy]

And most importantly it's about great tasting tea!

[@BooBoo-pu1jh]

I come back here every year. Love this video

[@ohtaste]

Well said!

[@krestonosets68]

Go to the bar then

[@djlowtek]

Exactly, that's why this Didi Liu needs to lighten up a bit and stop making it so formal.

[@hd66vweer]

So beautifully present in the many moments of tea ceremony! She has so much control, even with cameras on her. Inspiring 🙂

[@FlytoZenith]

I'm tired of all the people pretending to be some cultured person. Saying how awful and disrespectful these tourists are. First of all this is in London. These people probably aren't tourists. Secondly: The reason why they wanted to smell the tea and what not is because if you were paying attention she offered it to them. Thirdly: Those people who are talking aren't even in the same room as these people. Or at least quite a distance away. Because if you listened carefully the shutters of the camera are quite louder than the talking. Now on video recording devices with a built in microphone have the microphone on the front for obvious reasons. So the people at the table in front of the camera would be extremely easy to hear even I try where whispering. And finally the camera. Because god fucking forbid anyone wants to look back on their experiences and remember them. Stop pretending to be superior than these people. You're not. For every "bad thing" they do in this video. I guarantee you do something worse.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

+ReikaHisui WELL SAID!!! I get tired of these arrogant, pretentious people as well.

[@channelfreedom1524]

Finally someone who tells it how it is.

[@TinyGuyTinyHouse]

Get em tiger

[@streamylc]

taking photos and taking over an environment with your photos are two different things, IMO... candid photography is a wonderful thing.

[@Blue_Lugia]

This woman deserve all respect for being so patient with these people and everything that was going on around her. I don't know how she managed to keep so calm and focused. If it was me, I would be super annoyed and about all these noises and even that these people not being careful enough with the cups. Literally slaming them into the table.

[@numunumu16]

She took every step elegantly that's amazing

[@aznauk]

Wow! That was hypnotic! I loved watching her hands. How she holds them reminded me of a flower. Graceful and beautiful Thanks for sharing :)

[@LittleMissWartooth]

Clay holds heat incredibly well and the water that was in the cups was probably hot keeping everything nice and warm.

[@mrbanana69]

"want a quick cuppa?" "aye" *whaps table out and cracks knuckles*

[@andrewoost9048]

2 years late but lol

[@teastudent9794]

Yes, I love a great GongFuCha session!

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

That little brown teapot she is using is called a 'Yixing Teapot' it was traditionally carried around and over the years, the tea would soak into the material to such an extent that only water was needed... a Chinese friend of mine was kind enough to give me one for my birthday

[@kellyfarrell4971]

beautiful table

[@Sulien77]

Beautiful! I would love to get a tea set like this, though nothing quite so elaborate and expensive, just something to use at home for a morning ritual to clear and wake the mind and to truly enjoy my tea. Thank you for sharing this.

[@mrwatermelon3221]

Beautiful .. subtle .. delicate hand movements and gestures. Really appreciate and enjoyed this video. Thank you. The beauTEA is in the sharing .. :)

[@tiedyekris]

she truley demonstrates the grace and graciousness of the tea ceremony!

[@dariowiter3078]

Outstanding tea ceremony video! Very relaxing! 😀

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Thanks for posting this, I was trying to find how to do a gong fu ceremony to learn a new brewing technique.

[@narancsenator]

Yes, I've known it that way, too. I've been taught that they also name it (the first infusion) as feet water..

[@orixaguy]

It is a ritual or ceremony in that "gong fu" implies "the Practice." For Chan monks, the practice of meditation transcends the sitting cushion. Sitting meditation inspires Mindfulness; eventually, the same awareness given to the breath in sitting meditation is applied to other facets of daily life: walking, eating, even using the toilet! Mindfully preparing, drinking, and enjoying tea with a good friend is gong fu.Mindfulness leads to Enlightenment. Mindful=FULLY Present in THIS moment:here&now.

[@datinyone]

I love the Gong Fu method of brewing tea. It's the only way I drink tea.

[@jdn94]

The ceremony IS THE RELAXING PART. The tea is for tasting. It's like wine tasters; they have special rituals and stuff before they taste the wine.

[@chisaoboy]

Very beautifully done! Thank you for posting.

[@pantarhei7]

Did we watch the same video? Because I watched a demonstration FOR the visitors and it was a demonstration of a tea-ceremony, and smelling the tea and observing it belong to the ceremonial part. Not speaking about the fact that drinking tea is a social happening.

[@duearklar5795]

Beautifully done - thank you...

[@puerhguy]

This is not a ceremony... Japanese do a tea ceremony... Chinese just have a specific way to prepare tea... there is no ritual associated with it.

[@somerandom7672]

I realise this comment is from before I was born, but what is the difference between a ceremony and... this? Didn't it originally become popular at a time when it was ritually made for important events?

[@hydrophiliak]

I really wish she'd end it with an announcement in a strong cockney accent. It'd be hilarious.

[@zazaegg]

ok????

[@Jomyut]

Thank you for posting

[@777fiddlekrazy]

Delicately Enchanting!! Every Move and essence gifted down generation to generation. I Love this culture. sweet inner peace and humble beauty. how can you not love it? haha! and I arrived here to learn how to care for my Zisha Purple clay Dragon Set (Tea set) I will learn more before inviting Huanhuan's Family for Dinner and Tea. haha! and of course Bai Jiu or Pijiu!!!

[@britneybeautiful1919]

Is always time for tea, most amazing! Thanks!

[@staskorneev]

Nice, liked it. Ceremony greatly depends on who does it.

[@mihugong3153]

oh, wow! She gets to use a Tetsubin AND a Chaozhou charcoal stove :D But seriously, very nice, breathing tranquility. I love how she on the one hand answers the questions in a friendly manner, on the other hand still manages to get back to the brewing without getting interrupted.

[@TheEatMeDrinkMe69]

It's not really supposed to be casual, that's why it's a ceremony. It's supposed to be beautiful and meditative. The point is to enjoy your surroundings and the company. The beauty and time taken to consider each aspect is all a part of it.

[@michaelqdlap]

After all that I imagined her saying "Aaagh... That's a good chuffing brew lad, I tell thee..."

[@XerosXIII]

No second-guessing or wasted movement, every action is with intent and grace. no shame applying these to your daily morning coffee

[@PerryThePlatypoos]

Oddly relaxing..

[@Blue_Lugia]

Ikr. She looks so calm doing the ceremony.

[@hayabusa1329]

Asmr

[@neontetra1000]

I’d die of thirst waiting for that cuppa!

[@teawetea1197]

I like her top.

[@ttungus]

Folks,this is for show only - not sure what type of tea that could be consumed at temperature below luke warm based on the time of showmanship takes from infusion to serving.

[@s1rpala1nen]

Enjoy the silence, i love this stuff.

[@KeithJCarberry1]

I assume all this teaware is chaozhou zhuni, and i've seen bowls like the one in this video before, sometimes yixing, but i'm having trouble finding a retailer that will sell me one. maybe it's got a specific name that i dont know?

[@armandomacias6619]

OMG. I Love her! She's Beautiful

[@pascalerichard3886]

tres mauvais son, j'ai une adresse pr enregistrements si vs le souhaitez, faire decouvrie bvotrev musique, passe, tout d'abbord , me semble t il un son impeccable sans bruit de fond!! quel dommage

[@pausemental]

Dope. Respect.

[@CarlyCorrigan1]

Me thinking she was getting people to put tips in the envelope 🤣🤣

[@mimitorres1796]

Why are the cups fun size?

[@seekersofthoth9036]

what are the customs of the White lotus?

[@askapk]

Why such small cups?

[@Chemicalkinetics]

Short answer: because many guests to share a small teapot, so many small cups. Long answer, good quality tea should be steep in small quantity and short duration.... thus resulting small teapot, small cups.

[@mercedeswalt6621]

Ah, so lovely!

[@vgylsen]

Does anyone known how can one become her student?

[@mmmygc]

actually, i'm surprised she didn't pour away the first brew, to clean the cups... different teas have different brewing temperatures, there is quite an art to brewing a tea. There's the tea ceremony, and the variables such as what temperature to brew, how long, type of water, which determines whether the desired taste of the tea is brought out.

[@skadi6750]

Amazing!

[@callisto8413]

Agreed.

[@2youngbon2]

Lovely!

[@puerhguy]

Chinese do what is called, Gong Fu (KungFu) style of tea serving. Most people think that the term refers to the martial arts, but in reality, Gong Fu means, to do something to the best it can be done. In tea serving, this would mean, to get the ultimate cup of tea. The do this by choosing the best tea leaves, by using quality pots, by using pure waters, by heating up the serving vessels to the optimum temperature, and by steeping the tea for the best amount of time. This is not ceremonial.

[@bluebell2hell]

Does anyone know the proper name of that round waste water bowl that looks to be made of clay? I want to get something like that for my own personal use, maybe even a bit smaller sized one... even though I'd still love to get a Tea Table that drains the water. Thanks for any help!

[@elijahwagner9881]

I bought a full set online and they just called it a tea bowl

[@zoelintw]

水方 or 水盂 Any bigger bowl is okay actually

[@jellenka9]

+bluebell2hell Kensui... but this is not a typical kensui. It looks like she used a small yixing tea tray.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

These demos are very elegant to watch, but you have to be careful. In Shanghai, I got charged 600 RMB (about £60) - it was very brief and we weren't even allowed to take pictures. They were also less than welcoming. But in a much smaller city, a guy in a shop gave us a demo for free. My point is , ALWAYS be sure of the price up front. It was interesting, but sure as hell not worth 600 RMB

[@funnyremyfrench]

My husband went to China for the first time in Shanghai and was approached by some student looking people, and asked him to join them to a tea ceremony, he got charged 800RMB! Yep, that's the so called Tea Scam! In my city, people just walk in to a tea shop and the shop owner usually demonstrates a tea ceremony for free, they'd call it tea tasting. Usually they expect you to buy some tea afterwards.

[@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

Lin Huang- yes, that was exactly my experience in Shanghai. However, I was teaching in Yongzhou, Hu Nan province and my own students brought me to a ceremony - very informal, none of the elegance (just a guy doing it in modern clothes) but it was free and very interesting. May I ask where is your home city?

[@funnyremyfrench]

I'm from Nanning city, Guangxi Province. It's on the boarder of China and Vietnam. Maybe Guilin is more familiar for most people, but Nanning is actually the capital city of the province, similar situation with Canberra in Australia I suppose haha! There's a tea street in my city filled with hundreds of tea shops, no fancy tea ceremonies demonstrated either. In my home city, tea drinking is just like the so called tea ceremony without the gowns and elegant presentations, procedures are the same. But I guess once something is commercialised, it becomes unreal and expensive :)

[@Klassenfeind]

+Lin Huang Greetings from Nanning :) Could you tell me which street is the Tea Street here? I usually just order on Taobao, but I'd like to get some tea toys for my family :) Thank you in advance!

[@funnyremyfrench]

+Julius Machinebacon it's on Ting Hong Road in Jiang Nan District, also known as the 10+1 street. Just say 10+1 to any taxi drivers, they'd know. PS. I just came back from Nanning yesterday!

[@DoWnAzZAzN]

she's wearing a hmong inspired shirt... yay my hmong people! long live the miao kingdom

[@halomegabloks97]

Where did you get the tea tray if I may ask!

[@fromtheflightdeck252]

China

[@SolarWarden613]

Beautiful

[@Blue_Lugia]

Is this how Chinese people always have their tea or just for special moments?

[@Smokdeel]

Sit quiet ,observe and learn.

[@aramisaram3544]

It's an exercise to be patient

[@SherwinAng78]

I'm surprised she didn't rinse the tea...

[@JinTaoJun]

True. I always rinse the tea leaves.

[@blaqice1228]

Sherwin Ang I was surprised also. I was to understand that Gong-Fu Cha was actual form and function rather than ceremonial like Cha No Yu (Japanese).

[@jaketan510]

It depends on the quality of the tea.

[@europa7214]

Not all teas need a rinse.

[@mannaz2525]

Cha No Yu just means tea gathering the ceremony part more of a translation error.

[@lucrecevonkasm]

Fascinating! 🖤💀🖤

[@user-hc2fy6ci4p]

奥が深い

[@hlongjing]

where do you get your yixing teapots?

[@fromtheflightdeck252]

China

[@gardenvarietypenis]

imagine if she had to bake a cake

[@Sklb]

2 years later, cake still not baked.

[@leesharon19]

Tea does its magic... lol calm peaceful and relaxing....oh great my kids r bak. Lol

[@danzinnyman]

@thecb5online I was thinking the same thing

[@quissy4541]

What a sweet lady

[@Jellyfishhie]

"Chinese just have a specific way to prepare tea". Hence its called a ceremony?

[@maryfreedom5]

amazing beautiful lovely

[@niccoloaurelius1587]

Not meaning to be offensive, but it's very clear that she doesn't know how to brew gongfu style. She's doing her own thing, making a "ceremony" of it, rather than the emphasis being on the quality of the tea.

[@colemattia6459]

It's Cha Yi, tea art, it focuses on beautiful preparation rather than the tea itself.

[@niccoloaurelius1587]

@@colemattia6459 the video shouldn't have been called gongfu.

[@fishypaw]

Thank goodness for tea bags.

[@mikestewart6517]

I guess you learn a lot about the taste of various sorts of paper.

[@AymanMac]

shes mother of zen

[@lecume]

Imagine Cinese Gong Fu tea ceremony Starbucks style ...

[@mercedeswalt6621]

Hahaha!

[@chisaoboy]

@irunxboxlive You're a real classy guy.

[@angeloavelinoselemaneselem8818]

Angelo Avelino Selemana Selemane

[@ninjaspion]

@uspowwow Make a video, show us. It would be awesome!

[@fwwryh7862]

So many careful timings until someone asks a question and she pauses. Now's it's screwed or just bullshit to begin with.

[@morganolfursson2560]

That's a Japanese kettle .

[@theoriginalrabbithole]

She served the rinse?! I could overlook leaving the lid on but there's an old Chinese saying.."The tea wash is for your enemies, the first infusion you give to your wife and the second infusion you keep for yourself." I guess things are different for British Chinese people but being kind and understanding aside, this is NOT how it's done.

[@noahconstrictor100]

Who rinses an oolong tea? I only ever rinse pu-erhs. I also try the rinse, to see if it tastes good enough to drink the rest, although it often doesn't. Rinsing an oolong is just wasting the first batch. Pu-erhs can be fishy on the first steep, which is why they're rinsed. I've NEVER had that with oolongs. People like you, who over think the tea, make it to complex to enjoy. There's no right way to enjoy tea. If you want to rinse everything, I don't care. Just don't go proclaiming that you have the perfect solution to tea, because you don't.

[@Dimasterim]

@@noahconstrictor100 you can actually rinse oolongs. Heavy roasted oolongs can have an overbearing charcoal note that can be reduced with a quick rinse. Ball rolled oolongs that are very compressed might take a while to open up. You can do a very long first infusion or rinse first to get the leaves ready. It’s all up to taste, there are no hard and fast rules for when to rinse a tea.

[@orenji196]

She's so cute! lol XD

[@bizou154]

gyokuro for sure

[@mannaz2525]

No

[@johntedonneraipasmonnom713]

She's serving the first brewing, wtf ?

[@Peripatetic45]

:o

[@YardPimp]

Longest wash I have ever seen.

[@askapk]

"There's a hair in mine!"

[@visinclair3766]

Lol, they're so quiet. Gongfucha should be social.

[@roxterat]

Xie Xie! :)

[@nvrsk_tea]

fkn

[@ttungus]

This is going to be one hell of expensive cup of tea. Many of the rituals are for show and superferous rendering tea to become luke warm. Tea should be consumed hot.

[@TribeBangZealot]

"Tea scholar" displays tea in packet, uses a Japanese kettle, decants and pours low to rinse, decants again before she pours high to steep, places way too much in the yixing pot, and offers guests to shove their noses in the tea they are about to consume. Maybe she needs more scholarship, but this isn't gongfu cha.

[@niaodan26]

TribeBangZealot I think you do not know too much about tea. I believe she's preparing Oolong Tea, most likely to be some Yan Cha. She let them smell the dry leave first, then warm up the tea pot and uses the tea to let off the tea dry aroma is the proper way to appreciate the Oolong tea. The kettle with a long handle she uses to pour hot water in is called Wo Ba Hu, the chinese had been using it since Tang dynasty. The only not so perfect thing I can think of is that she didnt use a clipper to distribute the cups

[@JinTaoJun]

I practice Gongfu tea ceremony.I sometimes let the guest smell the tea leaves before and after washing and brewing them.And I always use the utensils for for more politeness.

[@Noname-iz9uo]

Please don't talk to the performer

[@noahconstrictor100]

In a European country, that rule is less strict. That makes sense, given the lesser understanding of Asian tea culture, as well as the fact that they're not in Asia. As long as she enjoyed making the tea, and the guests enjoyed drinking it, who cares?

[@thecycleof]

haha, tourists destroying ambiance and culture... never, lol

[@garektyrael]

Unwatchable because of the jerks talking in the background, the guy with the flash camera, and the people who want to touch and smell everything. I would have loved this otherwise

[@teaandphysics3846]

Smelling the tea is a part of the ceremony and the people talking are clearly in another room...

[@slammerLo525]

what nonsense is this ? This us no tea ceremony....waste you time go all way to china lol i could recomend the one in karate kid was far more like it ,,,save you money to go n didnt get the real thing

[@ayessel5393]

This was in London, check the description

[@teaandphysics3846]

So then what is a tea ceremony, if you know so well?