“Better be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one”, says an ancient Chinese proverb. Along the bustling streets, highlighted with red lanterns and pennants, and blessed by the passage of the dragon, distinctive shops were open for all those who came in great numbers this week-end to Chinatown, at the initiative of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Among these shops, a well-known little drugstore selling traditional remedies displayed the wares associated with the Chinese tea ceremonial.

Tiny cups with their fragile teapot, bearing an artful dragon design. Amidst the plenty, these lovely deep brown shapes seemed to be smiling to the people. Somebody remarked that they looked strangely organic in their smoothness, recalling the surface of a fruit . The shopkeeper brought some green tea : “The leaves are put in a small strainer inside the pot where they infuse.” With time, the tea would fill ithe pores of the warmed pot, bringing a delicate intermingling of tastes. This is because “everything is made from a kind of clay. When a cup is new, it is considered raw. People used to caress the exterior until it become smooth andglazed.”

So these wares progressively come to life, just as the street celebrations have intensified this weekend, with the dragon procession, its fiery red, green, orange and yellow colours, marching before the traditional band, while firecrackers filled the air with joy at Chinatown’s revival. An entire neighbourhood seized with exuberance. And in the drugstore, among the medicinal concoctions meticulously stored away in their boxes, one could imagine the brightened atmosphere of teatime, laughter and conversation being shared… and a flavour of the ancient Chinese way of life.

<B>Jake NICHOLSON</B>