Tea Journey to Namdo

   By Kim Ji-eun, Tribune Reporter
 

    Tea has recently become an increasingly popular choice of beverage in Korea. Though many youths today prefer coffee and alcoholic drinks to tea, the number of young people who enjoy tea has gradually began to take into consideration the potentially positive effects of tea on health. Namdo Tea Culture Club has long cultivated a tea culture on CNU’s campus toward understanding Namdo culture. Why not join the club members for the tea journey to Namdo?

　 Na Jong-geon (Junior, Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering)? 
   Our club was established in 1982 to provide CNU students, faculty, and staff with plenty of information about tea and Jeollanam Do culture and, what is more, to promote a desirable university culture in the 1980’s through the popularization and understanding of tea and Namdo culture. Our club’s name, Namdo Tea Culture Club, means ‘Let’s learn about Jeollanam Do culture through tea.’ Major activities of our club are trial performances of Dado in March and September, Joda event in May, and tea utensils manufacturing in August. Among them, my favorite activity is Joda or Jeda. It is an event where club members gather green tea leaves in the wild green tea plantations around Jeollanam Do like Suncheon and Haenam, and make nice green tea.
　 
　 Jang Eun-ji (Sophomore, Dept. of Mountains and Forests Resources Landscape Gardening)
   Though I have little experience of tea, I know tea has many potential benefits. Tea can make us feel more comfortable. If I had a conversation with whoever is sitting next to me while drinking tea, I would easily feel friendlier to him/her and earnestly talk about any subject in a short period of time. Tea is also healthy. Tea potentially prevents cancer or allergies and tea lowers cholesterol. I heard tea is particularly good for women because it possesses the properties to prevent skin ageing and to maintain ones’ composure and has a dietary effect.
　

　 Kim Hyun-dae (Sophomore, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering)
   I agree with Eun-ji. Frankly speaking, the reason that I joined our club was just for my senior’s recommendation. The club’s calm atmosphere was not to my liking during the initial phase of my club life. But now, I like the very friendly and pleasant atmosphere of our club. While I learned the tea ceremony, I learned patience; when you make tea, you should not rush. You learn to wait through constant repetition of heating and cooling down of tea. Whenever I share the tea I make with others, I always feel a sense of shared happiness in life with them. The biggest reason I like my club is that all club members can express their own heart with each other and engage in healthy conversation. Regardless of being a man or woman, our members feel real affection for this club. 
　
　 Kim Ji-eun (Sophomore, Dept. of Mountains and Forests Resources Landscape Gardening)
   Our club is a quiet resting place with a cup of tea. We share a deep friendship and become good friends with each other. I wish that more freshmen would join our club and share the affection with us. Our club is also a place where learning takes place. We can learn about the culture of Namdo through the tea. Sometimes we travel around Jeollanam Do while doing tea-related activities such as preparing green tea. Whenever we participate in local festivals of making green tea, we learned a lot more about Jeollanam Do culture. Freshmen, why not learn about Jeollanam Do culture with us?  

   While talking about the Namdo Tea Culture Club, the club members introduced me to chrysanthemum tea that is suitable for drinking in fall. They said that chrysanthemum tea makes your skin beautiful and helps you to keep your eyesight good.  How about enjoying a cup of chrysanthemum tea with your best friends in this fall?