Why do Chinese people love drinking tea? And why is green tea healthier than black tea? Answers to these questions will be found in the first edition of a TV program called "China Teatime" when it broadcasts on local channel Alex Berlin on May 19.
The German-language TV culture magazine, produced jointly by Chinese and German media professionals in Berlin, will focus on introducing Chinese culture to German audiences.
"There is a saying in Chinese: if one is drinking tea, it invigorates the spirit. If two are drinking tea, it is a big joy. If several friends are drinking tea together, it is a real joy for all," Shi Mingde, China's Ambassador to Germany, said in conversation with program host Jackie Brown in the TV program.
The show's producer Li Zeng said "China Teatime" would cover subjects such as Chinese architecture, calligraphy, painting, philosophy, literature, film, urban life and so on, to give German audiences an insight into China.
She said the 30-minute program also includes a China-themed documentary, interspersed with expert interviews as well as analyses and discussions.
"Besides the various tastes of tea, what fascinates me most is the holding force of tea for mind and body," said Ralph Hector, director of the program, to Xinhua.
Asked why "tea" was chosen as the theme for the inaugural program, he said, tea was the incarnation of Chinese culture and that Europeans tend to link "tea" with Chinese culture.
"The culture of China is so varied -- this is the message we want to deliver via the broadcast," he explained.
The TV producers said China's growing impact and the deepening of Sino-German economic and technological and cultural exchanges has raised public interest in Chinese culture.
