Tea house in Moscow shares traditional Chinese tea culture with locals

A tea house in Russia's Moscow is introducing locals to centuries-old traditions, offering not only premium brews, but also hands-on experiences in tea preparation and ceremony as China's tea culture continues to flourish abroad.

The tea house offers three floors of cozy tea glades, there are even hammocks built into the floor for relaxing over a nice warm cup of tea.

Although Russia has its own tea traditions—drinking it with treats and sweets—many prefer the aesthetics of just the taste of tea leaves.

"At first, one of the most difficult things was just to convey the process of tea etiquette—you just try and drink tea slowly. Try to go from the start to the end—from meeting the tea to finishing the tea. And it was difficult in terms of how long it took—for all those who live in a big city and are in a hurry and on the run—it doesn’t feel normal to drink tea for two hours. But then many people fell in love with it, when they try and understand that there is taste, aroma, that all these differences make up the tea's own aesthetics—that there is history behind it, knowledge, just the beauty of the moment and you get the opportunity to slow down in the rhythm of the big city," said Denis Nikolaev, co-founder of the tea house.

The atmosphere of the teahouse is different from the hustle and bustle of the city outside. All the calmness here helps the residents of this megapolis sharpen their senses to feel the different tones in the taste, and hear their own thoughts better.

"I like the atmosphere, the candles, the tea itself. Visiting the tea house gives me a sense of a home outside of home. Here I can do my things, get away from all the outside noise at work and elsewhere," said Evgeny, a customer.

"I love the quietness and calmness here. It's like an oasis in a busy city. It gives a chance to relax and slow down—to reflect on a different flow of time outside the hustle," said Olga, another customer.

The tea house boasts a collection of different types of tea available for ceremonies or purchase. And the idea is that tea is more than leaves—it is an art bringing traditional Chinese tea culture to local customers.

Tea house in Moscow shares traditional Chinese tea culture with locals

The EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese security check company Nuctech constitutes unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice on Friday.

Citing the rules on countering foreign states' unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction measures, the ministry said that no organization or individual may comply with or aid the EU's unlawful extraterritorial jurisdictional measure.

The ministry spokesperson added that this move aims to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, legal persons and other organizations.

The spokesperson pointed out that the EU has arbitrarily sought excessive and unnecessary domestic information from Chinese entities during the probe, which runs counter to international law and basic norms of international relations.

The bloc's Foreign Subsidies Regulation is a unilateral tool. Since taking effect, the EU has repeatedly invoked it to carry out targeted and discriminatory probes against Chinese companies, the spokesperson said, describing such actions as typical protectionism under the pretext of fair competition.

China will never accept the arbitrary imposition of "long-arm jurisdiction" by foreign countries and regions on Chinese citizens and enterprises, the spokesperson noted.

"We urge the EU side to immediately rectify its erroneous moves. Should it insist on crossing the line, China will take firm countermeasures in accordance with the law," the spokesperson added.

China says EU's probe into Chinese company constitutes unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction