The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China’s most cherished occasions for reunion and moon viewing. As early autumn settles in, it is also a fitting season to gather around tea.
Join us for an intimate Mid-Autumn Tea Ceremony with live Erhu music, two Chinese teas, and mooncakes. Limited to 8 guests, the gathering offers a quiet way to share the season through tea, music, and time together.
What You Will Experience
A Mid-Autumn Gathering
We will bring the festival’s spirit of reunion and sharing to the tea table. Guests will enjoy mooncakes, two carefully selected Chinese teas, and conversation in a small-group setting.
Live Erhu Music
The Erhu is a traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument known for its graceful, lyrical voice and lingering resonance. Jingwen Zhang will open and close the gathering with live Erhu performances, allowing the music and tea to unfold together.
Two Teas for the Season
We will begin with Old Tree Zhengshan Xiaozhong, a Chinese red tea made from tea trees over a century old. It has elegant sweet and floral aromas, a distinct mossy and woody old-tree character, a mellow sweetness, and a lasting returning sweetness.
We will then enjoy Premium Zhengyan Dahongpao, a Wuyi rock tea with nutty, floral, and creamy aromas and a balanced, layered taste.
Agenda
Welcome & Opening Erhu Performance (10 min)
Chinese Tea Ceremony: Old Tree Zhengshan Xiaozhong (30 min)
Mooncakes (10 min)
Chinese Tea Ceremony: Zhengyan Premium Dahongpao (30 min)
Closing Erhu Performance (10 min)
Meet the Artists
Mengyan Gong
Mengyan is a tea artist who pursued in-depth studies of Chinese tea culture after earning her Ph.D. from Tsinghua University in 2015, apprenticing under the highly innovative tea master Li Shuyun. Mengyan has collaborated with institutions such as Penn State University and Tea Arts & Culture, as well as art and cultural venues like Fou Gallery, hosting numerous tea gatherings and educational events. In 2023, she founded Teasthetic Studio to share Chinese tea art and culture through a contemporary practice rooted in daily life and art.
Jingwen Zhang
Jingwen is an Erhu musician, multi-instrumentalist, and music therapist. A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music, she began studying piano at five and Erhu at eight, later training under Guo Junming at the Affiliated Performing Arts School of Shenyang Conservatory of Music. Jingwen has performed at venues including Town Hall and Kaufman Music Center, as well as the NBA’s China Night. She holds a Ph.D. in music therapy and is a faculty member at SUNY New Paltz. She also presents and teaches internationally, integrating Erhu music into her clinical music therapy practice and private sessions.
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The Chinese tea ceremony is a ritualized way to savor tea. The contemporary practice draws its influence from the Ming Dynasty scholars and the Gongfu Tea Ceremony in the Chaoshan. Engaging in a tea ceremony is an exercise in mindfulness that deepens your appreciation of the tea.
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Absolutely! We’ll guide you through each step, making it intuitive and easy to enjoy.
Registration is required. General Admission is $75. The gathering is limited to 8 guests.
Reserve your seat and join us for a Mid-Autumn morning of tea, music, and mooncakes.