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Ten Ren Tea: Lee Rei-ho’s Dream of Tea 李瑞河的天仁茗茶梦

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Mixing the fragrant Osmanthus petals and smooth oolong tea, Osmanthus Chin-Hsuan Tea gives a feeling of delicacy and elegance. The trademark of a curved leaf floating in a Chinese teacup, along with slick packaging, makes you instantly identify it as a genuine synonymous with Ten Ren, thanks to the genius of Lee Rei-ho.

结合芳香桂花瓣和顺口乌龙茶，桂花金萱茶传达出精致高雅之感。一弯茶叶漂浮在中式茶杯里注册商标及精美包装，使你立即认出这是货真价实的天仁产品。由于李瑞河的巧思与才干，在台湾想喝茶，就会想到天仁。

One could say that Lee Rei-ho was destined for a life with tea. His ancestors grew tea for a living, but it was after his father opened up a tea shop that he came up with the idea of Ten Ren. In 1961, 26-year-old Lee set up his own tea shop in Taiwan, even though the place was already crowded with tea shops. Lee’s business theory was that competition led to improvement. This location would be the beginning of Ten Ren’s success story.

李瑞河可说是注定要过着与茶为伍的生活。他的祖先以种茶为业，但在父亲开设茶行后，他才有天仁这个构思。1961年，26岁的李瑞河在台南开立了自己的茶行。虽然当地的茶行已为数众多，但李瑞河的经营理论是有竞争才有进步。这个地点便是天仁成功故事的开端。

Through Lee’s hard work, Ten Ren became famous and sprouted branches nationwide. Lee revolutionized the tea trade through several brilliant strategies. His idea of wrapping tea leaves in a plastic bag and then placing it inside a paper box solved the problem of damp tea leaves. He adopted a “satisfaction guaranteed” policy that is still in effect today. Furthermore, he has been deeply involved in the advocacy of tea culture. He believed that “tea without culture is nothing but a regular drink.” Therefore, he founded Lu Yu Tea Culture Center to develop and explore the art of tea.

李瑞河的努力使天仁日益驰名，同时在全国各地开设许多分行。他的几项精心策略使茶叶贸易有了重大变革，例如：他将茶叶以塑料袋包装，再放进纸盒里，解决了茶叶受潮的问题；他采用的「满意保证」政策至今依然在实行。除此之外，他更大力提倡茶文化。李瑞河认为：「少了文化，茶就只是普通饮料。」因此，他创办了「陆羽茶艺中心」来发展、探索茶的艺术。

After the success of Ten Ren, Lee began investing in stocks. But when the stock market dropped, Lee went into debt and was forced to retire. He felt as though he had lost all hope.

在天仁大获成功后，李瑞河开始投资股票。但当股市大跌时，他负债累累，并被迫退休。他觉得似乎失去了所有希望。

Vocabulary

单词发音

fragrant [ˋfregrənt] adj. 香的，芳香的

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 识别；确认

genuine [ˋdʒɛnjʊɪn] adj. 真的

destine [ˋdɛstɪn] v. 命定，注定[H][（+for/to）]

come up with (针对问题等)想出; 提供

sprout [spraʊt] v. 很快地成长; 发芽

guarantee [͵gærənˋti] v. 保证；担保

go into debt 欠债；陷入债务

retire [rɪˋtaɪr] v. 退休；退役

More Information

单词发音

osmanthus [oz'mænθəs] n. 桂花

petal [ˋpɛt!] n. 花瓣

oolong [ˋulɔŋ] n.【汉】乌龙茶

delicacy [ˋdɛləkəsɪ] n. 精美

slick [slɪk] adj. 光滑的

synonymous [sɪˋnɑnəməs] adj. 同义的

nationwide [ˋneʃən͵waɪd] adv. 在全国

wrap [ræp] v. 包，裹

damp [dæmp] adj. 有湿气的；潮湿的

advocacy [ˋædvəkəsɪ] n. 拥护；提倡

nothing but 只有；只不过  only; no more than.

课文讲解

After two years of contemplation, Lee proved to everyone that he was undeterred. While visiting China, he came upon a tea plantation. Watching the snow fall, Lee thought the frost would make the tea trees grow better. He had found the perfect place to start over again. He named his new tea shop Ten Fu, and steadily his success returned. As Ten Fu’s popularity rose, Lee returned to Taiwan and breathed life into Ten Ren business.

沉潜两年之后，李瑞河向所有人证明他并不气馁。他在大陆参访时，偶然发现一处茶园。看着雪花纷飞，李瑞河想到霜雪会让茶树生长得更好。他已找到东山再起的绝佳地点。他将新茶行命名为「天福」；渐渐地，他又获得了成功。随着「天福」的大受欢迎，他回到台湾，为天仁企业注入新生命。

In 2000, Ten Ren launched a new restaurant, Cha for Tea. The restaurant offers meals and desserts derived from tea, such as pouchong steamed cabbage and green tea sponge cake. Cha for Tea has a lively and cozy atmosphere. The goal was to create a traditional tea house with a contemporary flair, and an environment for all people to enjoy.

2000年，天仁推出一家名为「吃茶趣」的新餐厅。这家餐厅提供茶制的餐点与点心，例如包种高丽菜和绿茶雪花糕。「吃茶趣」的气氛热闹、舒适，目标为创造具现代感的传统茶室，及所有人皆可享受饮茶的环境。

In 2006, Ten Ren undertook their newest endeavor – the Tea Culture Museum in Miaoli County. Visitors can learn how Taiwan’s oolong tea is made. The limited but best quality oolong tea originates in the remote and beautiful Ali Mountain. Shrouded in fog at high altitudes, it is the best environment to grow high mountain oolong tea. After brewing, the golden yellow liquid gives off a unique fruity aroma. It has a fresh taste followed by a faintly sweet aftertaste.

2006年，天仁开启了新的努力方向－位于苗栗县的「天仁茶文化馆」。游客在此可了解台湾乌龙茶的制作过程。限量生产但质量卓越的乌龙茶产自遥远而美丽的阿里山，由于地势高且为浓雾笼罩，阿里山是种植高山乌龙茶的最佳环境。冲泡之后，金黄色的茶汤散发着独特果香，味道清新，在口中微微回甘。

For over half a century, Ten Ren has changed how Taiwanese people view tea. Lee’s creativity has spawned ideas such as selling assortments of products from American Ginseng Tea to tea snacks. Even now with over 100 Ten Ren retail stores and several Cha for Tea restaurants, Lee still dreams of spreading his passion for tea.

半个多世纪以来，天仁改变了台湾民众对茶的看法。李瑞河的创意激发了许多构想，像是贩卖美国人参茶到茶制点心等种类齐全的各色商品。即使现在已有一百多家天仁零售店和几家「吃茶趣」餐厅，李瑞河仍梦想着散播他对茶的热情。

−by Maggie Ma

Vocabulary

单词发音

contemplation [͵kɑntɛmˋpleʃən] n. 深思熟虑

breathe life into 注入活力; 注入生机 to make something that was boring seem interesting again

launch [lɔntʃ] v. 开办；使开始从事

derive [dɪˋraɪv] v. 衍生出，导出[（+from）]

cozy [ˋkozɪ] adj. 舒适的

endeavor [ɪnˋdɛvɚ] n. 努力，尽力

brew [bru] v. 为……泡（茶）

aroma [əˋromə] n. 芳香，香气，香味

assortment [əˋsɔrtmənt] n. 各色各样的搭配

retail [ˋritel] n. 零售

More Information

单词发音

undeterred [͵ʌndɪˋtɝd] adj. 未受阻的

come upon 碰上, 偶然遇到 to find or meet someone or something, esp. unexpectedly

plantation [plænˋteʃən] n. 农园，大农场

frost [frɔst] n. 霜

lively [ˋlaɪvlɪ] adj. 愉快的

flair [flɛr] n. 风格 distinctive elegance or style

undertake [͵ʌndɚˋtek] v. 进行，从事

shroud [ʃraʊd] v. 覆盖；掩蔽[H][（+in）]

give off 发出, 发散 to send forth; emit

faintly [ˋfentlɪ] adv. 微弱地

aftertaste [ˋæftɚ͵test] n. 回味；余韵

spawn [spɔn] v. 大量产生

ginseng [ˋdʒɪnsɛŋ] n. 人参

Reading Questions

1.   Which of the following is NOT a way in which Lee revolutionized the tea trade?

A.  Initiating a policy which assured customer satisfaction.

B.  Solving the problem of wet tea leaves.

C.  Creating a tea center with which to promote the culture of tea.

D.  Organizing tea appreciation groups where one could sample new teas.

2.   What makes high mountain oolong tea so unique?

A.  It possesses a special fruity flavor.

B.  It takes a lot of money to produce.

C.  It gives off a unique floral scent.

D.  It is Lee’s personal favorite tea.

3.   How has Lee affected the tea industry in Taiwan?

A.  He has created a larger variety of ways through which one can appreciate tea.

B.  He has made it cheaper for people to purchase tea products.

C.  He has eliminated the need to import tea from other countries.

D.  He has made tea available to people from remote locations in Taiwan.

4.   What is the author’s attitude towards Lee’s personal character?

A.  That he is a stubborn person who is unable to accept failure.

B.  That he is a conservative individual who refuses to try new things.

C.  That he has always been very determined, regardless of failure.

D.  That he is very knowledgeable about world cultures.

Answer