On 20 April 2026, to celebrate International Chinese Language Day, our institute organized two events: an online lecture delivered by Dr. Lu Xiaohong, Associate Professor at our partner institution, East China Normal University (ECNU), and a tea tasting led by the long-time tea expert Maksas Roiko.
In her lecture, Dr. Lu invited the audience to “taste” Chinese culture by exploring Chinese characters through the meanings embedded in food and culinary culture.
The lecture began with the earliest examples of Chinese writing. As Dr. Lu emphasized, even the earliest Chinese characters contain symbols directly related to food. She also discussed how the meanings of characters have changed over time—for example, the original meanings of the characters for “drink” (hē, 喝) and “eat” (chī, 吃) were not originally connected with food.
The lecture then focused on the etymology of the character mǐ (米), meaning “rice,” and its role as a semantic component in Chinese characters. Initially, this component was used in characters denoting foods such as “rice cakes with mutton fat” (gāo, 糕) and “porridge” (zhōu, 粥). Over time, however, it acquired a philosophical dimension and became part of the character jīng (精), meaning vital essence, energy, or spirit, which is also associated with a person’s inner experiences and perceptions. Dr. Lu also examined the semantic components for “wood” (mù, 木) and “grass” (cǎo, 艹), explaining their widespread use in the names of vegetables and fruits. The lecture highlighted cultural symbolism as well—for instance, the peach (táozǐ, 桃子) traditionally symbolizes longevity in Chinese culture.
Another part of the lecture explored the semantic components for “water” (shuǐ, 水) and “fire” (huǒ, 火), discussing their role in characters related to food preparation. Characters associated with fermentation often contain 酉 yǒu component, while those connected with heat-based cooking typically include the fire component. This contrast was also linked to the principle of balance between Yin and Yang (阴阳).
The lecture concluded by emphasizing the cultural significance of food in China. The family dining table and the practice of eating together have remained one of the most important forms of social life from ancient times to the present day. As Dr. Lu Xiaohong noted, every Chinese character can be understood as a kind of “recipe” that encodes history and culture.
Those wishing to explore the topic in greater depth are invited to watch the lecture recording in English on the Vilnius University Confucius Institute YouTube channel.
In the second event, we “tasted” Chinese culture through tea and its flavors. Maksas Roiko introduced the participants to the most common Chinese characters related to tea and explained their meanings. Afterwards, we sampled this year’s tea harvest. Drawing on many years of experience and a deep passion for tea, he shared not only its flavors but also the stories and spirit contained in each cup, creating a meaningful and memorable experience for everyone present.