Today while reading some company internal blog on Cultures and Communication I had to remind my trip to Hong Kong. Last year on a visit to Hong Kong, I had a lunch with my clients in a Chinese restaurant. I was surprised when the tea was poured. People were tapping the table with three fingers each time their cup is refilled. Appearances to the contrary, this is not a superstitious gesture. My Chinese friend told me the story behind this. In fact, the story behind finger tapping or tea tapping dates back to the Qing Dynasty. According to legend, one of the Emperors during this period was fond of traveling throughout the country in disguise, in order to observe his subjects unnoticed. At one teahouse he was particularly impressed by the way people were able to lean across the table and pour tea without spilling a drop. The Emperor decided to try pouring tea for his companions. Predictably, he ended up spilling it everywhere. The Emperor decided he needed more practice. There was, however, one slight problem. Custom demanded that people bow before the Emperor. This, of course, would ruin his disguise. Instead, the Emperor told his companions to "bow" with their middle three fingers each time he refilled their cup - two fingers represented the prostrate arms and another the bowed head. Nowadays, tapping the table is a way of paying silent thanks to the person who poured your tea.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 06:26:11 +0000
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