Eating Your Way Across China 127moisture is released from the leaves. It seals in the flavour
which is released when moisture is added back as the tea
leaves are seeped in hot water to make tea.
Pouring Tea
Throughout China’s history, making tea has been considered
a delicate art. A full tea ceremony is a show of grace. A
standard teapot is a round white porcelain pot with a short
spout. Different regions have variation to their teapots. When
eating at restaurants whose food origin is along the silk road,
they have pots that look as if they came directly from an
Arabian nights story, complete with its own genie.
These pots are a direct result of vibrant trade through
the ancient Silk Road. When used in a restaurant, pouring
is a cross between an athletic event and an art form. There
is usually one person who is the designated server of the
hot water that streams from the very long spout of this
pot. It is used to pout hot water into cups of ba bao cha,
eight treasures tea. To pour, the server pumps the pot with