ABSTRACT

Since the publication of Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea in Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea culture has received much concern. Since ancient times, tea-culture has become the important symbol of Chinese culture. Along with society's progress and the development of civilization, Chinese tea-culture is developing constantly. 

To get a better understanding of tea-culture, this paper is going to do investigation based on the existing conventional and modified tea houses in Chongqing. To analyze the inheritance form and meaning of tea-culture in Chongqing downtown, a comparison will be made from the tea house’s decoration, location, customers, customer's changing needs, price, types of tea that provided and the tea sets respectively. 

In this paper, methods of investigation, data analysis, questionnaire and comparative study will be used to understand the status quo of development of tea-culture. Study results show that under the circumstance of the fast pace of life, people's spiritual demand is changing. In order to adapt to the development of the times, the connotation of tea-culture is changing as well. Some traditional tea houses turned into a coffee shop or a restaurant (a place for playing MaJaing). However tea has become a part of people's life, tea-culture in Chongqing has maintained a balance with the local economy. 

Key words：Tea-culture   Tea house   Chongqing Downtown

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

中文摘要

Chapter One  Introduction-1

Chapter Two   Literature Review-3

2.1. STUDIES ON TEA CULTURE-3

2.2 STUDIES ON TEA HOUSE (MAINLY IN CHONGQING)-4

2.3 SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS STUDIE-5

Chapter Three   A Study on the Tea-culture Based on Tea Houses in Chongqing Downtown-7

3.1 THE LOCATION AN DDECORATION OF TEA HOUSES -8

3.1.1 Conventional  Style-8

3.1.2 Modified/Combined style-9

3.2 THE TEA SETS AND PRICE -10

3.2 THE CUSTOMERS AND MARKETING CAMPAIGN-13

Chapter Four Conclusion-16

BibliogrAphy-18

APPENDIX: 关于重庆人对茶文化认知问题的问卷调查-18