Preservation of Traditional Cultural Heritage in East Asia from the

Perspective of Religious Culture: The Case of Preservation of Tea

Ceremony Culture in China and Japan

Yijia Shao

Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Keywords: Tea, East Asia, Traditional Cultural Heritage.

Abstract: Tea originated in China, and after years of dissemination and development, it has gradually become a beverage

widely consumed around the world, and tea culture has also become an important part of the world's cultural

history. Japan, which is adjacent to China, occupies an important position in the field of global tea culture in

terms of both quantity and quality due to its in-depth study and inheritance of tea culture. This paper will

analyze the integration and preservation of the tea ceremony cultural heritage of China and Japan from three

levels, namely, the position and role of religious culture in the tea ceremony culture of East Asia, the influence

of Zen Buddhism on the tea ceremony culture of China and Japan, and the practical path for the integration

and preservation of the tea ceremony culture and Zen Buddhism, by means of the research methods of

literature study and fieldwork.

1 INTRODUCTION

The development of East Asian culture is mostly

based on the traditional culture of the nation, which

shows that the formation of a cultural phenomenon is

based on the traditional culture of the nation and lays

a solid foundation for the development of culture.

There are many similarities between China and Japan

in the development of tea culture, Chinese “Ru Shi

Dao” and Japanese “Zen” culture together with the

fusion of tea culture in China and Japan, for the

formation and development of tea culture in China

and Japan laid a solid foundation.

2 THE POSITION AND ROLE OF

RELIGION IN THE TEA

CEREMONEY CULTURE

2.1 The Influence of Confucianism and

Buddhism on Chinese Tea

Ceremony Culture

Confucianism originated from the period of

“Hundred Schools of Thought” and is the ideological

foundation that has had the greatest influence on

Chinese society for thousands of years. Confucianism

puts forward and advocates such spiritual pursuits as

positive enterprising, self-improvement, self-

improvement, and cultivation of one's character.

Since Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Confucianism

has formally established its dominant position and

played a crucial role in the formation of Chinese tea

culture. Along with the development of the times

Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were gradually

integrated together, and the integration of the three

schools laid the foundation for the development of

traditional Chinese culture. The Chinese tea

ceremony culture closely combines the ideas of

“Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism” and

integrates their concepts into the tea ceremony culture

(Zhao, 2024).

Confucianism emphasizes the idea of mediocrity

and harmony, the pursuit of a perfect personality, and

a positive and optimistic attitude towards life, and the

literati came into contact with these ideas and held

them up as a model. Lu Yu, who was honored as the

“Sage of Tea” by later generations, in the process of

finishing and writing the “Tea Classic”, skillfully

integrated the moral concepts advocated by

Confucianism of restoring self-respect and

cultivating one's moral character into the art of tea and

put forward noble character requirements for tea

tasters, in addition to the ten virtues of tea, which

Shao, Y.

Preservation of Traditional Cultural Heritage in East Asia from the Perspective of Religious Culture: The Case of Preservation of Tea Ceremony Culture in China and Japan.

DOI: 10.5220/0013989000004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 363-367

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

363

were also put forward by the poet Liu Zhenliang of

the Tang Dynasty. In addition, the “Ten Virtues of

Tea” proposed by Liu Zhenliang, a poet in the Tang

Dynasty, is a concrete embodiment of Confucianism's

pursuit of social utility in Chinese tea culture (Cai,

2019). In the following two thousand years, these

deeply influenced by the Confucian culture of the tea

ceremony culture has become the core concept of

Chinese tea people continue to promote, advocate and

follow.

Taoism advocates the concept of “the unity of

heaven and man”, believing that matter and spirit,

nature and man are a harmonious whole, and

advocating the integration of things and me, and the

unity of situations. Lu Yu in the “tea scripture” cited

a short story to explain the connotation of tea culture,

the story tells of Xinan Prince Luan invited Yuzhang

Prince Shang together to visit the Bakong Mountain

Tuanji Taoist, into the view of the Tuanji Taoist to the

tea hospitality, the Tang Dynasty monk Jiao Ran in

the “tea song Zheng Rong” in the vivid portrayal and

praise of the Taoist tea ceremony, by the influence of

Taoist thought, the ancient Chinese tea people to

follow the Taoist ideology of unity between man and

nature, this philosophical thinking into the tea

ceremony (Li, 2018). Influenced by Taoist thinking,

ancient Chinese tea drinkers followed Taoist

thinking, focusing on the unity of man and nature, and

integrated this philosophical thinking into tea culture,

thus making Chinese tea culture a highly integrated

cultural form of natural sentiment and humanism.

When tasting tea, tea people encourage themselves

with the lightness, bitterness and all-encompassing

character of tea, not obsessing over the immediate

gains and losses, and pursuing harmony with nature.

This spirit of enlightenment through tea embodies the

profound meaning of traditional tea culture.

The Buddhists, on the other hand, have mostly

played a role in spreading the practice. In ancient

times, monks would drink tea in order to prevent

drowsiness while meditating and to keep themselves

energized. In addition, Lu Yu, the “Sage of Tea”, also

compiled the tea drinking culture learned in the

temples into the “Tea Sutra” and passed it on to the

general public.

2.2 Influence of Zen on Japanese Tea

Ceremony Culture

Japanese tea culture was brought back to Japan by

monastic monks around the 8th century A.D. after

they had finished their studies in China, and thus

Japanese tea culture has been associated with Zen

Buddhism from the very beginning. Zen evolved

from the foundational roots of Japanese tea culture to

its ultimate purpose.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony puts forward the

concept of “Zen and Tea”, i.e. “Zen is Tea Ceremony

and Tea Ceremony is Zen”, and people can achieve

the purpose of Tea Ceremony through the practice of

Zen (Chen, 2003). Specifically, the Japanese tea

ceremony culture combines both spiritual and

external aspects and pays more attention to external

Zen while pursuing self-cultivation. One of the most

important components of the Japanese tea room, the

hanging scrolls placed in the niches, are derived from

the statues or paintings of Buddha placed and

enshrined in Buddhist temples. Therefore, the

Japanese tea ceremony is classically and religiously

organized as a form of hospitality (Li, 2013). By

serving tea to the guests, it leads to a deep spiritual

and spiritual connection. However, unlike the

Chinese tea ceremony, the Japanese tea ceremony is

not universal and is strongly class-based.

3 ZEN AND TEA CEREMONY

CULTURE

3.1 The Origin and Spread of Chinese

Tea Ceremony Culture

As the originator of the tea ceremony culture, China

has a strong and important position, in which the

ideas of “harmony, quietness, happiness and truth”

have also played a decisive role in the formation of

the tea ceremony culture ideas in other East Asian

countries. Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, three

schools of thought and theory on the formation and

development of tea culture each played a unique role.

Confucianism advocates treating guests with tea,

inspiring people with tea, and promoting positive

worldly and interpersonal relationships through the

tea ceremony; Taoism seeks a transcendent realm

away from the hustle and bustle, and emptiness

through the tasting of tea; Buddhism combines tea

with Zen, and enlightens the life with the help of tea

feasts, in order to achieve the purpose of

understanding the mind and seeing the nature of the

world. The essence of these three schools of thought

converge and merge in tea culture, forming a common

core of harmony, calmness and sincere humanism,

giving Chinese tea culture a unique depth and charm.

“Harmony, quietness, joy and truth” are the core

ideas of Chinese tea culture. Among them,

“harmony” is the soul of tea culture, representing the

harmony and symbiosis between human and nature,

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and between human and human; “quietness” is an

important way to practice tea culture, and to achieve

inner peace and serenity through the meditation of tea

tasting; “joy” embodies the feelings of the heart in the

practice of tea culture, referring to the pleasure and

comfort obtained in the process of tea tasting; and

“truth” is the core idea of the Chinese tea culture.

“embodies the spiritual feeling in the practice of tea

culture, referring to the pleasure and comfort gained

in the process of tea tasting; “true” is the ultimate

realm of tea culture, expressing the return to nature

and the pursuit of sincere simplicity of the spiritual

ideal.

It is worth mentioning that the Chinese tea

ceremony culture can be compatible with different

social levels. Among them, the “tea treasures” are

multiple embodiments of tea culture from the

perspective of different groups. Literati talk about tea

culture, often pay more attention to the tea carried by

the literary and emotional support, and then enjoy the

“tea” fun; while the Buddhist monks through the tea

to inspire the reasoning, Zen enlightenment of the

Taoist; Taoism is more important to the efficacy of

the tea, that it has a health and longevity role. The

common people are more concerned about the role of

tea, which is to clear the heat. From this, we can see

that Chinese tea culture can provide different people

with physical and mental pleasure and fulfillment,

and it is precisely because of its popularity that it has

been enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

3.2 Japanese Tea Ceremony Aesthetics

and Zen Philosophy

Influenced by the Chinese tea ceremony culture,

Japan has also developed a tea ceremony culture

centered on the ideas of “harmony, respect, purity and

silence”, which represents the basic philosophy of the

Japanese tea ceremony and is known as the “Four

Noble Truths” or “Four Rules” of the tea ceremony.

It is known as the “Four Noble Truths” or “Four

Rules” of the tea ceremony. This spirit was first

proposed by Murata Jumitsu as “honor, respect,

purity, and silence”, and later changed to “harmony,

respect, purity, and silence” by Chirikyu, and was

established as the basic spirit of the Japanese Tea

Ceremony. Dr. Teng Jun pointed out in “An

Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ceremony Culture”

that “the core of the tea ceremony is ‘nothing’, and

‘harmony, respect, purity and silence’ are four

figurative phenomena derived from ‘nothing’. and the

four figurative phenomena of 'peace, respect, and

tranquility' are derived from 'nothing' and become the

tangible embodiment of 'nothing'.” These concepts

further give rise to the various forms of the art of the

tea ceremony, such as tea utensils, tea snacks, tea

rooms, tea ordering, and sencha.

In Japanese, the word “Wo” means harmony,

harmony, peace and harmony. As early as 604 A.D.

in the “seventeen constitutions”, Prince Sentoku

clearly put forward the concept of “peace is

precious”, in the Japanese tea ceremony, “and” is

mainly manifested in harmony and harmony,

emphasizing the harmony between people and the

harmony between man and nature, and the balance

between man and nature, this spirit throughout every

detail of the tea ceremony has become an important

cornerstone of tea ceremony culture. In the Japanese

Tea Ceremony, “Wo” is mainly expressed as

harmony and harmony, emphasizing the harmony

between people and nature, and the harmonious

balance between people and nature. Jing” is the idea

of Zen Buddhism, ‘Qing’ means that the place for

drinking tea should be clean and tidy, and ‘Silence’

can be regarded as the deeper realm of the tea drinker,

i.e., the ‘emptiness’ in Buddhism. The “emptiness” of

Buddhism. These ideas established the non-

downward compatibility of the Japanese tea

ceremony, which is strongly class-oriented.

3.3 The Cultural Heritage of Tea

Ceremony and Zen Buddhism

The Chinese tea ceremony has a long history of

cultural development, but has not been able to form a

unified inheritance system. On the contrary, Japan, as

a “learner”, has developed a system of tea ceremony

and passed it down to the present day because of its

unique “family system”. The Iemoto system of the

Japanese Tea Ceremony is an important factor in its

continued development. The Iemoto system is a form

of hereditary transmission that ensures that the skills,

knowledge and spirit of the tea ceremony are passed

down from generation to generation. In this system,

the Iemoto is the inheritor of the tea ceremony school,

and is not only responsible for teaching the skills, but

is also responsible for establishing the teachings and

norms of the school. The Iemoto of each school has

the right to pass on the core techniques and

philosophies, while maintaining the independence

and character of the school. In Japan, the tea

ceremony culture has evolved into the “Omotesenka”,

“Satsuki Senka”, and “Musha Koro Senka” schools.

The Iemoto system ensures the continuity and unity

of the tea ceremony by passing it down from one

generation to the next, enabling the tea ceremony to

develop steadily in Japanese society and avoiding the

fragmentation of the tea ceremony schools. Chirikyu

Preservation of Traditional Cultural Heritage in East Asia from the Perspective of Religious Culture: The Case of Preservation of Tea

Ceremony Culture in China and Japan

365

was one of the most important figures in the history

of the Japanese tea ceremony. By organizing,

simplifying, and standardizing the rituals of the tea

ceremony, he was able to transform the tea ceremony

from a recreational activity for the court nobility into

an art form with unique spiritual connotations. In

addition, Sen Rikyu's concepts of the tea ceremony

were so far-reaching that they even became the

guiding philosophy of future generations of tea

ceremony schools, facilitating the transformation of

the Japanese tea ceremony from an art to a cultural

tradition and providing a theoretical framework for

the transmission of the tea ceremony.

The inheritance of tea ceremony culture in China

and Japan shows different dynamics. Although China

is the origin of tea culture, it has not developed the tea

ceremony culture into a complete cultural system.

This is mainly because Chinese tea culture has been

deeply influenced by a variety of ideas such as

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, which have

different cultural connotations and ways of

practicing. For example, Confucianism emphasizes

etiquette and harmony, Buddhism stresses meditation

and contemplation, and Taoism focuses on nature and

health maintenance. These different cultural elements

make Chinese tea culture local and diversified,

lacking unified norms and systems. As a result, the

tea ceremony culture has not formed a fixed and

unified tea ceremony system as in Japan. Besides,

Chinese tea culture is mainly based on daily tea

drinking and socializing, tea is not only a Confucian

art, but also carries multiple functions such as

socializing, eating and medicine. In China, tea is a

widely everyday drink, almost every family will drink

tea, and in different occasions, the use of tea is also

different (such as “Kung Fu Tea” ceremony, family

gatherings in the tea, tea banquets, etc.), this daily

routine and practical characteristics of tea culture is

not easy to form a fixed rituals and strict system, such

as the Japanese tea ceremony. This everyday and

practical character makes it not easy for tea culture to

form a fixed ritual and strict system like the Japanese

tea ceremony (Hou, 2012).

4 PRACTICAL PATH OF TEA

CEREMONY CULTURAL PRO-

TECTION

4.1 Protection of Tea Ceremony

Cultural Heritage

With the advance of modernization and globalization,

traditional lifestyles and cultural forms have

encountered profound changes. The tea ceremony, as

a traditional cultural form with a deep historical and

cultural background, faces an increasingly changing

social environment and the alienation of the younger

generation (Li, 2019). The fast-paced lifestyle and the

pressure of busy work and study in modern society

have gradually weakened young people's interest in

the traditional tea ceremony, and the inheritance of

the tea ceremony culture is facing unprecedented

difficulties (Huang, 2010). In addition, the popularity

of modern beverages and the rise of commercialized

tea culture have gradually marginalized the

traditional tea ceremony culture, creating a conflict

between traditional culture and modern consumer

culture.

The transmission of the techniques of the tea

ceremony relies mainly on oral transmission between

masters and disciples. However, as the problem of

intergenerational transmission of craftsmen and skills

has become more and more prominent, many

traditional tea ceremony skills are facing a crisis of

disappearance. Especially under the impact of

modernized production methods, many fine handcraft

skills have gradually been replaced by mechanized

and industrialized production methods, and the

inheritance path of traditional skills is gradually

broken (Teng, 1992). The disconnection of the ritual

and ceremonial culture of the tea ceremony is also an

important issue. Many young people lack

understanding of and interest in the ceremonial

requirements of the tea ceremony, leading to

difficulties in passing on the important cultural

connotations and spiritual values of the tea ceremony

culture.

The commercialization of tea ceremony culture is

another major challenge. With the spread of tea

culture, the tea ceremony has gradually entered into a

commercialized mode of operation. As a time-

honored art form, the connotation and value of the tea

ceremony culture is not fully adapted to the drive of

the market economy (Mori, 1991). The over-

commercialized tea ceremony often focuses on the

external form of decoration and consumption,

ignoring the Zen thought and cultural spirit contained

behind it, resulting in the alienation and loss of tea

ceremony culture. Therefore, how to protect the

original flavor of the tea ceremony culture while

rationally responding to modern market demand has

become a difficult problem in the protection of

cultural heritage.

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4.2 Practical Path of Integration and

Protection

The inheritance and teaching of traditional tea

ceremony techniques. The teaching of traditional tea

ceremony is not only teaching techniques, but also the

transmission of the spirit and culture of the tea

ceremony (Shynkaruk, et al., 2019). Therefore, the

content of the tea ceremony should include the history

of tea culture, the spirit of the tea ceremony, the use

of tea utensils and tea ceremony performance and

other aspects.

Virtual Reality (VR) technology can present the

tea ceremony culture and Zen spirit to the global

audience in an immersive way. VR technology is not

only able to reproduce the traditional tea ceremony

scenes, but also to display them innovatively

according to different tea culture backgrounds and tea

art styles, thus promoting the popularization and

dissemination of tea ceremony culture.

The wide application of digital technology makes

the protection and inheritance of tea ceremony culture

have a more scientific way (Li, 2023). Through the

construction of digital archives, the classic

documents, paintings and calligraphy, tea utensils and

tea ceremony performances of the tea ceremony can

be preserved and disseminated in digital form.

Multimedia communication platforms such as web

videos, social media, and online museums enable the

tea ceremony culture to spread globally across

geographical boundaries.

China and Japan have deep historical ties in the

transmission and preservation of tea ceremony

culture. Japan's tea ceremony culture, especially the

fusion of its Zen ideology with the tea ceremony, is

deeply influenced by the Chinese tea ceremony.

China and Japan can have more in-depth cooperation

and experience exchange in cultural heritage

protection.

5 CONCLUSION

Tea ceremony culture is an important cultural symbol

in East Asia, especially in China and Japan, which

originated and developed in China, and has been well

inherited and developed in modern Japan. Tea

ceremony culture is an excellent material cultural

heritage, which has been inherited through the

integration and development of religion and has not

only brought cultural wealth to the people of China

and Japan, but also left a spiritual connotation. By

analyzing the origin, historical development, and

current problems of the tea ceremony culture to

promote the development and inheritance of today's

tea ceremony culture, we can not only leave a

splendid tangible cultural heritage for future

generations, but also transmit the essence of the

nation to the world.

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Preservation of Traditional Cultural Heritage in East Asia from the Perspective of Religious Culture: The Case of Preservation of Tea

Ceremony Culture in China and Japan

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