Xie Xiaoyong: "Tea for World Harmony" helps to strengthen mutual understanding between people

June 1, MINSK . Popularization of tea traditions helps strengthen peace and mutual understanding between people. This point of view was expressed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of CHINA to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong on June 1 at the opening ceremony of the large-scale Belarusian-Chinese event “Tea for World Harmony - 2024” near the Town Hall in the Belarusian capital, BELTA correspondent reports.
“I welcome all guests to the event “Tea for World Harmony”, which is held in Belarus for the second year in a row and has become another striking hallmark of the humanitarian exchange between China and Belarus,” said the HEAD of the Chinese diplomatic mission. “First of all, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Belarus, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Minsk City Executive Committee and the Ministry of Culture for their assistance in organizing this event, to warmly welcome the cultural delegation of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region who came from afar, and also to sincerely thank the Belarusian State Academic Honored Choreographic Ensemble "Khoroshki" and all employees from the Chinese and Belarusian sides who are taking part in today's event."   
Xie Xiaoyong pointed out that the Inner Mongolia Wulan Muqi Song and Dance Ensemble, which will perform folk songs and dances for everyone today, has a history of more than 70 years and has always been committed to inheriting excellent traditional culture and cultural innovation. “The ensemble’s song and dance works have received many cultural and artistic awards,” the ambassador emphasized. “In addition to song and dance performances, the cultural delegation of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China also brought many intangible cultural heritage objects for demonstration, such as Ordos costumes, tea rituals , folk textiles and silverware. Today's performances and demonstrations will give the Belarusian people a wonderful feast of traditional Chinese culture."
"Tea is a gift of nature, originating from China and gaining popularity around the world, this drink has a rich cultural connotation and a history of development that goes back to the distant past. China is known as the birthplace of tea not only because the earliest tea trees originated here world, but also because the Chinese believe that tea is a kind of source of life that connects the entire universe. With the help of tea as a medium, people are able to interact and inspire each other, different groups of people, ethnic groups and countries can fully interact, bringing friendship and peace to everything. humanity," the ambassador said. Xie Xiaoyong shared with the audience a personal understanding of the influence of Chinese tea culture: "Tea culture has nourished the lifestyle and cultural character of the Chinese people. Tea can cleanse the heart, lift the spirit and maintain HEALTH . it is beneficial for physical and mental health and helps in communication between people. Drinking tea is not only a physiological need for the Chinese, but also a unique spiritual need and a quality way of spending leisure time, closely related to culture. People convey their thoughts and feelings through serving tea to guests and drinking tea, creating a harmonious atmosphere and strengthening mutual friendship gradually accumulating over time. Over time, these habits and rules of etiquette have evolved into a unique concept of life and norms of behavior of the Chinese nation. For thousands of years, the Chinese have endowed tea with rich and deep connotations, but in the process of inheriting and developing tea culture, it has always been invariably permeated by a culture of harmony, which has become the main spirit. tea culture". China has a huge number of tea varieties, drinking methods and tea drinking customs, but they do not argue with each other or suppress each other. On the contrary, they learn from each other, are inclusive and coexist in harmony. This fully reflects cultural concepts of peaceful cooperation and reaching agreement.

Xie Xiaoyong expressed the view that tea culture contributes to the integration and cultural identity of the Chinese nation.
“China is a multi-ethnic country with many thriving ethnic groups with different cultures and beliefs,” he continued. “Some ethnic minorities lead a nomadic lifestyle, and their food consists mainly of MEAT and dairy products, and their vitamin intake is low. Therefore, Tea, which stimulates digestion and helps digest fatty foods, has become very popular among them. Early methods of using and making tea, such as tea pressed into the form of pita bread, are still preserved and passed down in ethnic minority areas."

Various ethnic groups also created new special drinks such as MILK tea, FLOUR tea and butter tea. It can be noted that integration is the natural quality of tea, and tea is closely related to the destiny of the Chinese people. The milk tea culture of Inner Mongolia is a vivid embodiment of the structure of unity in the diversity of the Chinese nation in tea culture.

Xie Xiaoyong also noted that Chinese tea culture had a profound influence on the development of world tea culture. "From ancient times, from the Silk Road, the Ancient Tea Horse Route and the Ancient Tea Ship Route to today's Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, tea has passed through history and crossed national borders, and tea culture continues to spread from China to other countries," - said the Chinese Ambassador to Belarus.  
He noted that in November 2022, "Traditional Chinese tea-making techniques and practices" were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, reflecting the recognition and love for Chinese tea culture by people around the world. Having fully absorbed the values ​​of Chinese tea culture, various countries have combined the cultural genes of their regions and nationalities to create and develop distinctive tea cultures, such as the Japanese tea ceremony culture, the Korean tea ceremony culture, the British afternoon tea culture and the Russian samovar culture, which has made the world tea culture is even more diverse. “The path of tea is a reflection of China’s path of coexistence with the world and an inspiration for modern people,” Xie Xiaoyong noted. Photo by Tatyana Matusevich