When Eastern Tea Aromas Meet New Zealand Sunshine
当东方茶香遇见 新西兰阳光
2025年6月21日，「阳光文化」与「新西兰茶学院」共邀爱茶人，展开一场跨越山海的茶叙。三款中国名茶，在南半球的冬日里，书写了一段温暖的味觉诗篇。
白毫银针 —— 如初雪般纯净，鲜甜似春野晨露 正山小种—— 蜜香交织松烟，红茶鼻祖的温柔力量 武夷岩茶—— 岩骨铿锵，一盏饮尽武夷山水
“从未想过，中国茶的千般风韵，能和新西兰的阳光如此相配。”一位茶友的感慨，或许正是这场茶会最美的注脚。
白毫银针 —— 如初雪般纯净，鲜甜似春野晨露 正山小种—— 蜜香交织松烟，红茶鼻祖的温柔力量 武夷岩茶—— 岩骨铿锵，一盏饮尽武夷山水
“从未想过，中国茶的千般风韵，能和新西兰的阳光如此相配。”一位茶友的感慨，或许正是这场茶会最美的注脚。
点击新闻报道链接《新西兰茶学院》“茶和天下”雅集点亮奥克兰社区
.JPG)
When Eastern Tea Aromas Meet New Zealand Sunshine
Tea Gathering Recap: When Eastern Tea Aromas Meet New Zealand Sunshine
21 June 2025, Sunshine Culture Center and the New Zealand Tea Institute jointly invited tea lovers to a gathering that transcended mountains and seas. Three renowned Chinese teas wove a warm, poetic tasting journey in the heart of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter.
Baihao Yinzhen (White Hair Silver Needle) — As pure as the first snow, with a fresh sweetness like morning dew in springZhengshan Xiaozhong — A gentle strength, where honeyed notes intertwine with pine smoke; the original black teaWuyi Yancha (Rock Tea) — Bold and resonant with “rock bones,” capturing the spirit of Wuyi’s mountains and waters in a single cup
“I never imagined that the myriad charms of Chinese tea could pair so harmoniously with New Zealand’s sunshine.”This reflection from a guest may just be the most beautiful footnote to the entire tea gathering.
21 June 2025, Sunshine Culture Center and the New Zealand Tea Institute jointly invited tea lovers to a gathering that transcended mountains and seas. Three renowned Chinese teas wove a warm, poetic tasting journey in the heart of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter.
Baihao Yinzhen (White Hair Silver Needle) — As pure as the first snow, with a fresh sweetness like morning dew in springZhengshan Xiaozhong — A gentle strength, where honeyed notes intertwine with pine smoke; the original black teaWuyi Yancha (Rock Tea) — Bold and resonant with “rock bones,” capturing the spirit of Wuyi’s mountains and waters in a single cup
“I never imagined that the myriad charms of Chinese tea could pair so harmoniously with New Zealand’s sunshine.”This reflection from a guest may just be the most beautiful footnote to the entire tea gathering.
The "Tea and the World" gathering
by the New Zealand Tea Institute lights up the Auckland community
Auckland, New Zealand News – June 21, 2025:
Hosted by the New Zealand Sunshine Culture Foundation and supported by New Zealand Tea Academy, the themed tea event “Tea for Harmony: A Fragrant Gathering of Tea and Culture” was successfully held in Auckland.
Designed with a fusion of scientific tea-tasting logic and Eastern aesthetics, the event attracted tea enthusiasts from various sectors, offering them a cultural journey through the world of tea. Founding director of New Zealand Tea Academy, Mr. Ansheng Chen, joined representatives from the Sunshine Culture Foundation and fellow tea lovers for a cross-industry dialogue, embarking together on a harmonious sensory and cultural experience.
Event Highlights: A Progressive Tasting & Cross-Boundary Resonance
1. A Gradual Journey of Taste – Guided by Flavor Progression
The tea ceremony followed a deliberate progression of taste, showcasing three premium Chinese teas from across mountains and seas: Lapsang Souchong (Black Tea), Silver Needle (White Tea), and Wuyi Rock Tea (Oolong Tea) — all presented with a carefully curated balance of scientific tasting logic and oriental artistry.• Opening: Silver Needle (White Tea) – With its pale apricot liquor and delicate downy aroma, this tea awakened the palate to subtlety and refinement.• Transition: Lapsang Souchong (Black Tea) – Smooth notes of longan and a hint of pine smoke served as a flavorful bridge between the lightness of white tea and the depth of oolong.• Finale: Wuyi Rock Tea (Oolong Tea) – Its robust “rock-bone and floral fragrance” and lingering sweetness elevated the tasting experience to a climactic high.
2. A Five-Sense Immersive Experience – A Narrative of Objects and Space• White porcelain gaiwans reflected the clarity of white tea; Yixing clay teapots embodied the intensity of Wuyi oolong.• Bamboo blinds, celadon ceramics, and woven crafts formed a visual symphony where Eastern elegance met South Pacific cultural motifs.• Traditional Chinese music enhanced the ambiance: “Moon over the Mountain Pass” on guqin accompanied the white tea, “Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake” on xiao flute warmed the black tea, while the passionate “Guangling Melody” echoed the vigor of the rock tea.
3. Intergenerational Participation – A Living Transmission
Children raising teacups to inhale aroma created touching scenes of cultural inheritance and familial interaction.
Localized Innovation: The Symbiosis of Water and Tea
This tea gathering uniquely incorporated New Zealand’s natural water sources to infuse the tea: glacial snowmelt from the South Island was used for brewing Silver Needle, and volcanic aquifer water from Rotorua for Wuyi Rock Tea — forming a poetic “living water meets living tea” narrative that embodies the philosophy of human-tea symbiosis across oceans.
1. Glacier Water × Silver Needle: A Dialogue of Purity and Lightness
Filtered naturally through volcanic rock strata, South Island glacier water contains potassium, silica, and other trace minerals, with a slightly alkaline pH (6.5–8.5). Its low mineralization and crisp profile perfectly enhanced the subtle honeyed aroma of the white tea, yielding a brew as clear as fresh snow — resonating with white tea’s natural essence of “being one with nature.”
Cultural Metaphor: Just as glacier water originates from melting ice, white tea comes from the first spring buds. Their shared purity symbolizes the Taoist ideal of “supreme goodness like water” and Lu Yu’s minimalist tea philosophy.
2. Volcanic Water × Wuyi Rock Tea: Earth’s Power and Rock Aroma in Harmony
Porous volcanic rock in Rotorua (40% porosity) filters impurities while releasing iron and manganese minerals. Its slight astringency and mineral complexity amplify the roasted aroma and minerality of rock tea. The sulfurous undertone of the water blends seamlessly with the tea’s characteristic “rock-bone” flavor, creating a powerful interplay of “fire and water in harmony.”
Ecological Wisdom: Volcanic aquifers are formed through geological movement and microbial cooperation. Similarly, the famed yan yun (rock rhyme) of Wuyi tea comes from tea trees nourished by weathered rocky soil — together reflecting the ecological ethos of the Blang people: that human flourishing follows nature’s rhythm.
Core Philosophy: A Borderless Practice of Community through Tea
In his speech, New Zealand Tea Academy founder Ansheng Chen emphasized:“Tea culture must move beyond ideological rigidity and embrace diversity with an open heart. By fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and inclusive strategies, we can expand the cultural influence of tea, achieve synergy, and realize shared growth.”
Conclusion
When white tea unfurls like cloud in glacial water, and rock tea rolls like lava in volcanic spring — the tea table becomes a miniature landscape theatre. New Zealand’s waters breathe new life into Chinese tea, while the soul of Chinese tea brings poetic meaning to foreign water.Tea knows no borders; landscapes share the same seat.This harmony is a living allegory of the Chinese saying:“Let each flower bloom in its own beauty, and let all beauty coexist in harmony.”The tea gathering may have ended with “mountains and waters sharing the same seat,” but it began with “tea knows no boundaries” — proving that the inclusiveness of a single cup of tea is quietly weaving new threads of cultural exchange between New Zealand and China.
Designed with a fusion of scientific tea-tasting logic and Eastern aesthetics, the event attracted tea enthusiasts from various sectors, offering them a cultural journey through the world of tea. Founding director of New Zealand Tea Academy, Mr. Ansheng Chen, joined representatives from the Sunshine Culture Foundation and fellow tea lovers for a cross-industry dialogue, embarking together on a harmonious sensory and cultural experience.
Event Highlights: A Progressive Tasting & Cross-Boundary Resonance
1. A Gradual Journey of Taste – Guided by Flavor Progression
The tea ceremony followed a deliberate progression of taste, showcasing three premium Chinese teas from across mountains and seas: Lapsang Souchong (Black Tea), Silver Needle (White Tea), and Wuyi Rock Tea (Oolong Tea) — all presented with a carefully curated balance of scientific tasting logic and oriental artistry.• Opening: Silver Needle (White Tea) – With its pale apricot liquor and delicate downy aroma, this tea awakened the palate to subtlety and refinement.• Transition: Lapsang Souchong (Black Tea) – Smooth notes of longan and a hint of pine smoke served as a flavorful bridge between the lightness of white tea and the depth of oolong.• Finale: Wuyi Rock Tea (Oolong Tea) – Its robust “rock-bone and floral fragrance” and lingering sweetness elevated the tasting experience to a climactic high.
2. A Five-Sense Immersive Experience – A Narrative of Objects and Space• White porcelain gaiwans reflected the clarity of white tea; Yixing clay teapots embodied the intensity of Wuyi oolong.• Bamboo blinds, celadon ceramics, and woven crafts formed a visual symphony where Eastern elegance met South Pacific cultural motifs.• Traditional Chinese music enhanced the ambiance: “Moon over the Mountain Pass” on guqin accompanied the white tea, “Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake” on xiao flute warmed the black tea, while the passionate “Guangling Melody” echoed the vigor of the rock tea.
3. Intergenerational Participation – A Living Transmission
Children raising teacups to inhale aroma created touching scenes of cultural inheritance and familial interaction.
Localized Innovation: The Symbiosis of Water and Tea
This tea gathering uniquely incorporated New Zealand’s natural water sources to infuse the tea: glacial snowmelt from the South Island was used for brewing Silver Needle, and volcanic aquifer water from Rotorua for Wuyi Rock Tea — forming a poetic “living water meets living tea” narrative that embodies the philosophy of human-tea symbiosis across oceans.
1. Glacier Water × Silver Needle: A Dialogue of Purity and Lightness
Filtered naturally through volcanic rock strata, South Island glacier water contains potassium, silica, and other trace minerals, with a slightly alkaline pH (6.5–8.5). Its low mineralization and crisp profile perfectly enhanced the subtle honeyed aroma of the white tea, yielding a brew as clear as fresh snow — resonating with white tea’s natural essence of “being one with nature.”
Cultural Metaphor: Just as glacier water originates from melting ice, white tea comes from the first spring buds. Their shared purity symbolizes the Taoist ideal of “supreme goodness like water” and Lu Yu’s minimalist tea philosophy.
2. Volcanic Water × Wuyi Rock Tea: Earth’s Power and Rock Aroma in Harmony
Porous volcanic rock in Rotorua (40% porosity) filters impurities while releasing iron and manganese minerals. Its slight astringency and mineral complexity amplify the roasted aroma and minerality of rock tea. The sulfurous undertone of the water blends seamlessly with the tea’s characteristic “rock-bone” flavor, creating a powerful interplay of “fire and water in harmony.”
Ecological Wisdom: Volcanic aquifers are formed through geological movement and microbial cooperation. Similarly, the famed yan yun (rock rhyme) of Wuyi tea comes from tea trees nourished by weathered rocky soil — together reflecting the ecological ethos of the Blang people: that human flourishing follows nature’s rhythm.
Core Philosophy: A Borderless Practice of Community through Tea
In his speech, New Zealand Tea Academy founder Ansheng Chen emphasized:“Tea culture must move beyond ideological rigidity and embrace diversity with an open heart. By fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and inclusive strategies, we can expand the cultural influence of tea, achieve synergy, and realize shared growth.”
Conclusion
When white tea unfurls like cloud in glacial water, and rock tea rolls like lava in volcanic spring — the tea table becomes a miniature landscape theatre. New Zealand’s waters breathe new life into Chinese tea, while the soul of Chinese tea brings poetic meaning to foreign water.Tea knows no borders; landscapes share the same seat.This harmony is a living allegory of the Chinese saying:“Let each flower bloom in its own beauty, and let all beauty coexist in harmony.”The tea gathering may have ended with “mountains and waters sharing the same seat,” but it began with “tea knows no boundaries” — proving that the inclusiveness of a single cup of tea is quietly weaving new threads of cultural exchange between New Zealand and China.