Tea Culture Identity Construction of the Tea Culture in Hui Folk Literature

Abstract

The objective of this article is to explore the identity construction of the tea culture in Hui folk literature written by Li Shujiang and Wang Zhengwei (2009). The literature shows that Hui ancestors have preferred drinking tea from B.C. 618-907 until present day. The tea drinking culture of the Hui people is notable because tea is a significant beverage in their traditions and lifestyle. One hundred and fifty seven stories of Hui folk literature were examined and out of that, 18 stories specifically related to this tea culture were identified.  The perspective of the analysis is based on identity construction via literature. The results reveal that Hui folk literature was an important tool for identity construction of the tea culture of the Hui people. The tea culture construction utilized a process to demonstrate the important role of the tea culture embedded into the Hui identity. This is categorized by 6 topics. 1) tea and food identity of the Hui identity from Gaiwan and Tang tea,  2) tea and traditional inheritance of the Hui identity 3) tea and cultural construction regarding the greeting of guests by the Hui people 4) treatment from the medicinal properties from the Er and Babao tea 5) tea and multicultural signs of the Hui people and 6) variety of tea cultures of the Hui people. Tea was a philosophy of sociability of the Hui people. This philosophy reflects their souls as highlighted in the teaching of the Hui people from Ningxia county as “a person who endured and worked hard should be called ‘Xia Cha’”.