From September 23 to October 1, 2015, the Multilingual Base for International Promotion of Chinese Language at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) organized a program named “Lecture, Performance and Exhibition” of Chinese Tea Art, to introduce traditional Chinese culture to people overseas on the “Global Confucius Institute Day”. A touring team of experts held activities related to Chinese tea art at Confucius Institute at Düsseldorf (CID), Confucius Institute of Munich, and Confucius Institute at Palacky University, attracting nearly 200 audience, and gaining broad praise.

This program was hosted by BFSU, and co-organized by ZhongchuanDisheng Folk Culture (Beijing) Co. Ltd and Confucius Institutes overseas. Activities included lectures by experts in folklore, performance by tea-ceremony masters and zither players, on-site painting by calligraphers, and exhibition of tea set and tea leaves. A famous expert in folklore from Chinese National Academy of Arts delivered a lecture named “Tea and Chinese People’s Life”, introducing tea art from tea’s origins to the forming of tea-drinking habits, from methods of making tea to the use of tea set, from tea culture to Chinese people’s philosophy of “observing the law of nature and integrating human being with nature”, through which audience got a deep and detailed understanding of Chinese tea. Senior tea-ceremony specialists from Beijing College of Finance and Commerce performed ceremonies in making oolong, jasmine tea and green tea respectively, and invited audience to try their taste and smell, allowing audience to feel the unique charm of Chinese tea.Zitherplayers from China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater performed various masterpieces in music, includingA Night of Flowers and Moonlight by the Spring River,Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water, andWhisper from Pipa, perfectly matching the tea-ceremony performance. Activities reached a climax upon on-site painting and writing by a famous calligrapher from Chinese Painter Calligrapher Association.

This program drew close attention from relevant Confucius Institutes. Alfons Labisch, senior advisor at the Confucius Institute Headquarters and chairman of the council at CID, and Zhu Wanjin, Chinese Consul General in Munich, attended the program. Freistaat Bayern TV station in Germany and the international channel ofXinhua Netin China gave special reports on it. Moreover, the related three Confucius Institutes also reported on thisprogram.

The program, “Lecture, Performance and Exhibition” of Chinese Tea Art, serves as a new endeavor of BFSU in “promoting Chinese culture overseas”. Based on requirements from overseas Confucius Institutes to understand and experience Chinese tea culture, BFSU has carried out its first cooperation with companies specializing in cultural creativity at home, building a new brand overseas for cultural events through collaborative innovation and by use of social resources. This program has achieved good results, allowing audience to have first-hand experiences of the extensive and profound Chinese culture of a long history through lectures on tea culture, tea-ceremony performance, exhibition of tea set and tea leaves and appreciation of Chinese calligraphy and paintings.