My Tea Story - Predestined With Chinese Tea

by Peter Valk
(Woerden, the Netherelands)

Ancient Chinese people believe in "predestined relationship", I like to tell about my predestined relationship with Chinese tea.


Years ago I was in Guilin city where a passerby started a conversation with me, I didn't want to be impolite but felt that he had some kind of intention, as we started chatting we came across a teashop, he all of a sudden asked me if I wanted to go with him and drink a tea at his friends shop.

I hesitated but followed him when I entered it seemed as if the boss was already waiting for me. I had to sit down and they brewed me a tea, I felt uncomfortable and just wanted to leave. I made up my mind to buy something cheap, as I didn't care about tea anyway, and just get out as soon as possible.

I randomly bought 25 grams of "Lan Gui Ren" tea(beginners tea) and 25 grams of another bitter sweet tea. They charged me something in between 100 and 200 yuan and they looked very happy when I walked out.

I felt cheated and continued my tour. When I arrived home I brewed some tea and to my surprise really liked it. Soon thereafter I bought my first Yixing teapot and read my first tea books, it was the beginning of a wonderful journey.

So to this day I am thankful for that passerby and cherish my predestined relationship with Chinese tea.

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May 26, 2008
Yuan
by: Julian

Peter, thanks for the post.

The Chinese people call predestination Yuan. It is a strange concept, but once that makes a lot of sense. There is a saying that with Yuan, you will meet across a thousand miles. Without Yuan, you won't meet even you live next door across each other.

I don't really know if there is an English word for it. It is not the same as fate (fatalism). It is a nice cross between pre-deposition and sychronicity. It is not good and bad. It is who you really are in the inside and outside.

And with Chinese tea, it is such a beautiful culture that it is just too hard not to fall in love with. Hey, join the gang!

May 26, 2008
Yuan Fen
by: Kitty

In chinese Yuan Fen (Predestined Affinity) is always a positive word. You might meet something or somebody unconciously at any time. Yuanfen will tell whether you would got relationship with or not. It's wonderfully arranged. right?

May 27, 2008
Yuan Fen
by: Julian

Hey, Kitty.

Yuan Fen is always wonderfully arranged, I wholeheartedly agree with you. But whether it is positive or negative, I think, depends on what you do with it.

Things that are pre-disposed doesn't mean it comes with a silver-lining - you still have to work with it.

We can be born in the most lucky of circumstances (like many of us are, but we just don't appreciate it) and still come to regret badly what we have done with our lives.

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