Academic literature on the topic 'Teahouses'

The Internet has been viewed as a revolutionary means for including individuals in public deliberation on an equal basis. However, there is insufficient empirical work on applications of computer mediated communication to public deliberation under non-democratic social circumstances. This thesis explores the potential of computer-mediated communication in constructing the public sphere in post-Communist China and focuses on the current affairs discussion on Qiangguo Luntan (QGLT), one of the most popular Internet bulletin boards in China. The production-content-reception study shows that: 1) Internet bulletin boards in China are not 'online dissident avenues' without administrative surveillance. In addition, self-censorship works in a long-term and covert way in restraining the democratic potential of online discussion; 2) Internet bulletin boards enable ordinary Chinese to have their identities as politically activated citizens constructed in cyberspace. Their enthusiasm in voicing differentiated political standpoints proves that online public opinion could enrich the political discourse in China, and has the potential of leading to tensions between the public and the state; 3) QGLT SARS postings display the growth of a public critique that ventured to touch upon a taboo issue that was originally banned from public discussion. Non-localized and dialogic forms of communication among the users have created an alternative form of publicity outside the mainstream media's agenda and could potentially check the government's policy-making. The Internet may work to undermine public deliberation by increasing inequalities of access, fragmenting public discourse, and accommodating non-progressive rhetoric. Nevertheless by enlarging the scale of civic participation, advancing alternative and oppositional public discourses, and tackling problems at a global level, Internet bulletin boards could make a significant contribution to the construction of an alternative public sphere representing divergent political views. In summary, under the articulated forces of commercialisation, democratisation, and globalisation, the virtual public sphere in China today has been put in tension between democratisation and degeneration.

This study investigates how students understand and experience critical pedagogy in four culturally diverse ESL classes in Northwest University, located in a multicultural metropolis in Canada. I conducted the study in my own classes, simultaneously examining my practice and its impact on my students since teachers’ and students’ identities are entwined. Through dialogue and negotiations among teacher and students, critical language pedagogy provides an innovative approach to teaching English language skills that enables students to challenge inequality, since language is a powerful tool, often used to control, persuade or exclude. I chose a critical ethnographic case study as the most appropriate methodology for uncovering the multiple ways ESL students make meaning of a pedagogical process that has to date received little practical guidance. My study, which took place over one academic year, offers an introspective and detailed portrait of the pitfalls, practicalities and possibilities of such an approach, from the perspectives of the students and pedagogue themselves. An analysis of the classroom interactions, assignments and private interviews, reveals that students considered the pedagogy meaningful because it not only taught them practical language skills, but also connected their lives to the sociopolitical, alerted them to their rights and prepared them to become active, engaged and equal participants in their new society. My research contradicts the stereotype of the submissive, uncritical ESL student through numerous examples which illustrate how students exhibited multifaceted, agentive subjectivities, both within and outside the classroom. My findings show that a critical pedagogy enabled some of the students to identify and challenge unfair situations in their everyday lives in Canada. In addition, they reflected on and sometimes rejected their own internalized hegemonic cultural practices, and even encouraged others to consider different perspectives, thereby claiming and asserting redefined self-determined identities. One student articulated her dream of establishing a teahouse in China that reflected our critical classroom. And so I chose the Philosopher’s Teahouse as a metaphor for my classroom – a place where students discuss among equals the controversial issues of the day, learn new multicultural perspectives and in the process provoke changes in themselves.

By designing a teahouse including archetypes of school, home and church, I try to investigate how architecture can work in the same way as the other artistic or literary forms, like painting and writing, to create atmosphere and express emotions. This thesis project consists of three questions: 1. Why space can evokes human's feeling? 2. What is space and what is place? 3. How to evoke special feelings by space?

Tea is the world's oldest and currently most popular beverage in the world. Tea drinking has long been an important aspect of Chinese culture and has evolved as an art form called the "tea ceremony". With the growing interest in Asian culture, ethnic food, and the health benefits of tea, the tea market in the United States has increased dramatically. These developments, along with the recent growth in coffeehouses/shops, indicate a potential for similar success for teashops. The purpose of this study was to design a contemporary teashop deriving design inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and teahouse design. An existing site in a university town was selected for the study. Historical factors were identified through review literature and visual records of historic teahouses and architecture. Photos of contemporary Chinese teahouses provided information on teahouse operation and layout of functional areas. Observation of four local coffee shops was completed to collect data on function and design. Data were used to determine the workable solutions for a teashop designed for an American market. Based on the data collected, a design concept and programming requirements were developed. Design solutions that were found to be suitable and advantageous to enhance the concept were incorporated into the proposed design. Interior space layout, teashop logo, lighting fixtures, and façade design were developed. The design solutions were presented through plans, elevations, detail drawings, and perspective drawings.<br>Master of Science

Magíster en Gestión para la Globalización<br>En este manuscrito se analiza y evalúa el establecimiento y operación de un Teahouse de estilo contemporáneo en Santiago de Chile emulando el modelo de negocios de la cadena de Teahouse Australiana "T2" (www.t2tea.com). El mercado de los Teahouse en Santiago de Chile es nuevo, por tanto su propuesta de valor coincide con la ventaja de T-Bar como primer jugador en este nicho, aportando con variedad, sofisticación y exclusividad como factores diferenciadores que lo distingan de sus posibles rivales en el mercado. En cuanto a la metodología utilizada, se optó por la proyección clásica para un plan de negocios, consistente en tres etapas: a) Estudio y análisis de mercado del té en Chile. b) Estudio del rubro de servicios en donde se pretende establecer el proyecto. c) Proyección financiera del proyecto. Luego del análisis financiero del proyecto, nos encontramos frente a una posibilidad cierta de implementación de un nuevo tipo de negocio en Chile. Los resultados de margen bruto sobre ventas de un 80% y el comienzo de ganancias en el balance general proyectado a partir del segundo mes de operaciones auguran un buen comienzo. Se concluye de esta forma que T-Bar es un negocio con futuro, de fácil implementación y operación. La potencialidad de fortalecer la marca y crear la franquicia T-Bar son incentivos para inversionistas que quieran apostar por este proyecto.

This thesis, based on ten months of field research and archival studies in Guangzhou (Canton), centres on an ethnographic portrait of a 120-year old teahouse, a state enterprise which combines the functions of teahouse and restaurant in a single establishment with the help of 180 staff. I approach the teahouse as a complex, shifting social space embedded in wider discourses and historical processes, and use the ethnographic portrait as a basis for exploration into several themes in the anthropology of urban China. The first chapter provides an historical background and deals with the rise, fall and revival of teahouse culture in the changing uses of urban space in the twentieth century. Chapter two discusses sociability among teahouse regulars, and explores the teahouse as a site for the forging of social ties and the negotiation of class, neighbourhood and gender identities. In chapter three I examine the role of the state sector of the catering industry in recent discourses of nostalgia and tradition. The fourth chapter reveals the shifting nature of Cantonese cuisine within the contexts of globalisation and discourses of modernity. Chapter five considers the significance of gender, native place and age for structuring opportunities in the teahouse workforce. Chapter six looks at cooks' reactions to the ongoing reforms of the state enterprise, and situates these within the contexts of kitchen work and cooks' occupational identities. The underlying argument in the thesis is that social identifications and cultural discourses in contemporary urban China must be understood not only as grounded in the present, but also within complex histories of continuities, ruptures and reinventions. In particular, I argue that there is scope for rethinking Maoism as being not only destructive but also productive of cultural traditions.

This diploma thesis focuses on the analysis and evaluation of proposals to increase customer satisfaction. The first part is devoted to the theoretical background of the topic. The next part is an analysis of the current situation of the internal and external environment of the company, as well as an analysis of customer satisfaction following an evaluation of questionnaire-based research. The last part contains proposals to increase customer satisfaction.