During a project held at St Margaret College’s Verdala Secondary School’s China Corner students recently learnt about the history and properties of tea, how to brew and drink Chinese Tea and how to meditate to reduce stress.
During the event, which was coordinated by the school’s science teacher Martin Azzopardi, the students learnt that the caffeine in tea serves as a stimulant, which enhances mental cognition and awareness as well as sharpens the senses during meditation or study. At the same time tea also has high concentration of the L-theanine amino acid, which can relieve mental and physical stress.
Azzopardi added that apart from enhancing alertness, drinking tea also offers a means of relaxation, which can be combined with meditation to provide a deeper sense of living and empty oneself from daily burdens and thoughts.
Gathering people together to drink tea can also foster a sense of community.
Focusing on Chinese Tea, the students learnt that this was discovered in China around 1,800 years ago and that it was originally used for medicinal purposes. Later it became one of the most popular beverages in China and throughout Asia. China still considers tea as a ‘national drink’.
During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Buddhist monks from Japan visited other Buddhist monks in China, where they discovered that drinking tea could be useful for their concentration and meditation practices.
During the project the students also practised the basic steps needed to infuse Chinese Tea and appreciated its fragrant aroma.
Aidan Bugeja is a student at St Margaret College Senior Secondary School, Verdala, Cospicua.