FSS-DSOC Seminar: “Gendered Presentation and Pattern of Tea Making in Chaozhou China”, by Prof. Jinghong ZHANG

Chinese tea culture has traditionally been characterized by strong gendered divisions, with men dominating various aspects of tea processing, trading, preparation, and consumption. However, recent ethnographic research conducted in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, along the local tea supply chain, reveals both innovated and persistent gender roles in tea processing and drinking. While symbolic meanings associated with femininity are increasingly prominent in certain consumer-oriented domains, social structural gender issues remain closely tied to the production model based on family organization and patriarchy, albeit with modified discourses. A gendered understanding of tea making provides insights into the complex dynamics of everyday life in China, influenced by a myriad of forces including traditional values and emerging popular trends.

Prof. Jinghong ZHANG is an Associate Professor, Social Science Centre, The Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen, China. Her principle research and teaching interests are 1. Social and Cultural Anthropology (anthropology of food, material culture, consumption), and 2. Visual Anthropology and Sensory Ethnography (history and practice of ethnographic filmmaking; integration of images and texts; senses and sensations).