放大圖片
——中西方文化交流系列
Enjoy Your Tea and Friendship (1)
在「中國茶文化展」開幕式上的致辭 倫敦,2008年6月3日
夏洛特.平德女士、姚世敏先生、女士們、先生們:
很高興出席「中國茶文化展」開幕活動,感謝亞洲之家主辦這一「時代中國」活動。
過去幾個月來,儘管中英關係出現波折,「時代中國」各項活動仍在蓬勃推進,為促進兩國普通民眾之間的相互了解發揮著重要作用。
今天在這裡展示的是中國茶葉博物館的收藏,來自茶葉和絲綢之鄉─浙江省。
中國是茶的故鄉,早在大約3,000年前,中國人就開發了茶樹,是世界上第一個種茶、飲茶的國家。英國著名科技史專家李約瑟博士將茶葉視為繼造紙術、印刷術、火藥、指南針等四大發明之後,中國對人類的第五個重大貢獻。這四大發明的起源地都出現過一些爭議,好在茶葉問題上好像沒聽說有誰來與中國爭的。
Ms. Charlotte Pinder, Mr. Simon Heale, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's a great pleasure for me to attend the opening of the Chinese Tea Exhibition. I would like to thank Asia House for hosting this exhibition as part of the China Now activities.
It's remarkable that despite recent ups and downs in our relationship, the China Now events have moved ahead with vigour and vitality and have had a significant impact on greater mutual understanding at the grass roots level.
The different types of tea on display here today are from the China National Tea Museum in Zhejiang Province, a region famous for tea and silk.
Tea was discovered in China about 3,000 years ago, and it is believed to be the first place to grow tea to drink. Doctor Joseph Needham considered tea as the fifth major contribution China has made to the world, after paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass. And whilst there are competing claims for the other four, there are fortunately none for tea.
1. vigour noun 活力、氣勢
2. vitality noun 活力、生命力
3. the grass roots noun 草根、基層
書本簡介:傅瑩,現任中國外交部副部長,2003年至2009年間先後任中國駐澳洲和英國大使,在西方被認為是有巨大影響力的外交官之一。本書是她擔任駐兩國大使期間所作的重要演講,內容圍饒如何了解當代中國、中國是一個甚麼樣的國家、金融危機下的中國與西方關係等。 ■資料提供:中華書局
逢周五見報
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