|
Reader question: There’s a website about China called Tea Leaf Nation. What does Tea Leaf mean? My comments: Tea Leaf Nation means that if you read that website, it’s like reading tea leaves, metaphorically speaking. In other words, China is full of magic and mysteries. Tea Leaf stands for China. How come? Well, obviously in olden times, China was known for silk and, among others, tea drinking. It’s as simple as that. Have you ever heard of the expression “read the tea leaf (or leaves)”? That expression is believed to have also come from China, from the ancient practice of predicting the future by reading tea leaves in the cup. Fortunate tellers, for example, are said to have been able to tell your future ups and downs by reading the left-over tea leaves in the bottom of your tea cup. Just who practiced this form of future telling nobody knows for sure. Perhaps nobody in China did this or perhaps someone actually did. Somehow, Westerners somehow come to believe that the Chinese did and that is that. It must have been the case for, like the country itself, the tea leaves are full of magic and mysteries, considering all the rich and different flavors of teas made by farmers in different tea-growing regions of the country. In short, reading about China is like someone reading tea leaves to predict the future, deciphering all the bits and pieces of information that’s hidden under and in-between the tea leaves. In other words, it’s a difficult job. China is hard to understand. | 
