【正文】 tional munication with the globalization. Comparing the differences between Chinese and Western tea drinking culture can not only show the great charm of Chinese culture but also make more and more people in the world understand and enjoy the tea culture and eventually contribute to the intercultural munication. Key words: tea culture。 tea rites。 11B. Differences 12C. The Fusion of China and Western Tea Culture 12V. Conclusion 13Bibliography 14I. Introduction Tea was foremost grown in China and then spread to abroad, and has always been popular all over the world as a traditional beverage. Tea has never lost its popularity especially in recent years, even the market share of modern drinks is great increasing .Today, people have gradually realized the importance of organic foods and drinks, and tea is being considered the natural and healthy drinks which are promoted by people all over the world. Tea culture has long been talked and discussed by people from home and abroad as a popular topic. China and the western countries like UK and US are major tea drinking nations. With the evolution of tea drinking history, tea has severally developed a unique culture in these nations. As a popular topic, tea culture has been discussed by the academia of different countries. But the contrast and parison between these two tea cultures has been focused on the differences rather than the similarities and fusion. The parison of Chinese and Western tea culture is therefore an important and fascinating topic in international munication. In this paper, we will first review some important aspects of tea culture in these countries, and in the conclusion, we will focus on both the differences, the similarities and interaction of Chinese and Western tea culture. “When we get up in the morning, the first things we should get ready are firewood, rice, edible oil, salt, soy, vinegar and tea,” this is said by an old Chinese saying. It tell people tea is a necessity of life in China. According to the recorded history, China found and started to use tea dating back to almost 3000 years ago. Tea, not merely as a drink, has been popularized and developed in China all the time. Moreover, it has spread to many foreign countries. As we all know, Chinese silk made an outstanding contribution to the world’s material and spiritual civilization, and Chinese tea so did this. Tea has not been known by Europeans until the 16th century and has not been introduced to Britain by the Dutch until the mid 17th century, even it is early discovery in Asia. (The British Tea Company 11)Later from this, tea has been an important drink in western countries for several centuries, and is drunk all day in most Western households. Throughout many centuries that the western people have been drinking tea, it has had a great impact on the nation’s culture and lifestyle patterns through the ages. Tea has seepaged into the culture of western countries.II. China Tea CultureA. The origin of tea China grow, produce and drink tea at the first time, and be saw as the original tea growingarea. The discovery and the use of tea in China can be traced back to 3000 years ago. There is a legendary story runs, “in order to prevent people from eating the poisonous plants, shennong tasted hundreds of wild plants to see which were poisonous and which were edible.” One day he got poisoned when gathering and tasting herbs. Fortunately, he found a plant, tea, which helped him to get rid of the toxin and finally he survived. People continually retold this story from generation to generation, paying great respect to their ancestor who pioneered agriculture and Chinese medicine. (Theodore, Chan amp。 when they died, they should strive to control their own lives instead of being ordered about ghosts and gods at will. People used tea in funerals and sacrificial rites because tea could help them keep a clear head. 3. Tea and religion In china, tea is full of great spiritual significance and has had close connection with religion in China. In the history of China tea is usually regarded as a kind of drink that would refresh oneself and make the mind calm. Refraining from daily pressures, and sitting and amusing themselves with Buddha’s teachings are the Buddhists aim. Tea is their ideal drink to cultivate their moral character. In Buddhism tea is praised as a sacred thing given by god. The Taoist thought stressed the relationship between man and the nature and believed that it was the mon law of the universe that kept nature and society operating. Therefore, material and spirit, and human and nature could not be separated. Chinese tea culture, integrated with tea’s natural and material functions and human spirit, absorbed the Taoist spirit. Despite Buddhism and Taoism have played greatly important roles in the development of tea culture, Confucian thought is regarded as the core of the spirit of Chinese tea ceremony, which is demonstrated in the following two aspects: tea’s gentle and peaceful characters embody the golden mean of the Confucian school and the spirit of tea cultivate one’s honesty, elegant taste and active attitude towards life. (Wang 152)4. Tea and literature Literature is a mirror of life. As tea has been closely woven into the life of the Chinese people, so has it been into literature. There are several thousands of classic poems about tea left to us. The great poet of Tang Dynasty (618907)Bai Juyi（白居易）was particularly fond of tea. He wrote more than fifty poems about tea. In his famous poem of a Pipa player(《琵琶行》)there are these lines: The merchant cared for money much more than for me. One month ago he went away to purchase tea. (Zhou 158) The great patriotic poet of Southern Song Dynasty(11271279)Lu You(陸游) wrote more than three hundred poems in which tea is mentioned. Tea has entered almost every other form of literature and artnovels, paintings, plays, songs, and dan