ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS ON THE TIBET TEA PRODUCTS

On the box top and the packet front of the tea products from Tibet, one sees a photo of the Potala Palace, located in Lhasa. This is one of the world's largest buildings, constructed over the centuries on the top of a hill. The Potala was, until 1959, the main residence of the leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama. In 1959, it was taken over by the Chinese army and has since been converted into a museum for tourists, with only a few of its hundreds of rooms available for viewing. This building symbolizes Tibet in much the way that the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the U.S., yet has served the equivalent role as the White House does for our President.

To the left of the Potala Palace on the package labels is the upper part of a famous statue seen in the Palace, similar to the one shown here. It is commonly referred to as a Buddha statue, but it also serves as a representation of Tibetan art forms, where such statues are a frequent theme. These famous old art works are quickly becoming endangered, or merely replaced by less impressive imitations. The original statues are today considered representative of traditional Tibetan culture.

         

A symbol for the Tibetan company that manufactures the tea is the hand gently holding a tea leaf. The style of this hand is also typical of Tibetan art work. The simple leaf symbol is the logo for All-The-Tea Company; The leaf appears to be resting its stem on water; the water that makes the tea beverage.

On the back of the tea box and the loose tea packets is a picture of Tibetans collecting tea leaves from the field in Tibet. This field is at the edge of a lake, behind which are towering peaks (the peaks in the package illustrations are an overlay, but the actual appearance is similar).

The Tibetan characters on each box and bag translate to "Tibetan Sacred Tea." The characters refer to Qomolangma, which is the Tibetan term for the Himalayan peaks, which are regarded as sacred mountains. The Chinese characters depict this also, and there are additional characters on the packages to specify that the tea is organically grown.

         

The bands of colorful stripes at the bottom of each box and bag and at the sides of the teabag packets are a typical theme in Tibetan garments, often seen at the edges of folk dresses, and sometimes making up the entire dress design.

In all, the packaging reflects the art and culture of Tibet, a country which has suffered severely during the past several decades, where its people are struggling to maintain their traditional identity. The Tibet-Taiyang company that manages the tea growing, collection, and manufacture into products is favorable to the Tibetan people it employs and benefits the Tibetan economy as a whole. The artworks help represent the Tibetan people to the rest of the world.

A traditional Chinese style teahouse, replicated in New York
at the Chinese Scholar's Garden display of the Staten Island Botanical Gardens.
A famous Chinese saying:
"If I'm not at home, I'm at the teahouse;
if I'm not at the teahouse, I'm on my way to the teahouse."