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上海有家茶宴馆名闻遐迩，它是我国茶坛上的一株嘉木芳葩，而亲手栽种和呵护这株嘉木芳葩的园丁，便是当年在西双版纳插队的上海知青刘秋萍。
茶树王国出芳葩
当年刘秋萍初中毕业，就被卷进上山下山的洪流之中，直奔遥远的大西南边陲，在西双版纳的一处农场插队落户，度过了漫长的十年岁月。对于一个稚气未脱的上海女娃来说，她所亲历的十年，是个珠汗淋漓、手胼足胝的十年。在黯淡青春、尘封理性的十年里，她攀险崖、穿林莽，在长满杂草的土地上跌打滚爬，苦撑苦熬。当时唯一能够对她有所慰藉的，便是西双版纳之茶。每每在不堪劳顿之后，她总要沏上一碗酽酽的大叶茶，凉一会便一口气将它喝干。那时候似乎并无任何奢望，只要有这茶作伴便觉足矣。久而久之，这西双版纳之茶竟成了她朝夕厮守的知音。她仿佛从酽酽的茗汁中呷出人生百味；茶，苦在其中，亦甘在其中，隽味无已矣。至于在西双版纳少数民族中风靡的吃茶用茶礼俗，诸如以茶为媒、以茶做菜、以茶贺礼、以茶辟邪、以茶奠祭、以茶传书等等，刘秋萍同样终身难忘。那十年间，她算是得到了一次西双版纳民间茶俗文化的大洗礼!
茶宴香溢海内外
刘秋萍十年插队的经历，在其日后的人生之路上成了一笔宝贵财富，这是她始料未及的。返沪之后，她在筹办茶宴的那些日子里，她渐渐发觉：原来西双版纳的民间茶俗文化，竟是一座取之不尽、用之不竭的宝库。她决意在民间茶俗文化基础上，开办一家茶宴馆。当时她是上海天天旺酒家的新任总经理，天天旺酒家的生意虽然很好，但她觉得没有什么特色，若要这酒家长年红火，能不能将茶融入茶馆?能不能把丰富多彩的民间茶文化也融入菜肴呢?
每念及此，她眼前就会过电影似的闪现出西双版纳茶俗文化的一幕幕，尤其是西双版纳民间那些风味奇特的茶菜，更让她难于忘怀!她想，既然历来就有茶菜的先例，难道我们就不能一试身手么?于是她跟同仁和厨师们一起共同探讨和设计茶菜，设计从几种开始到十几种，再到几十种，直至设计出了一百余种之多，这批茶菜上市之后，顿时轰动了上海茶坛和饮食行业，她终于办起了上海第一家茶宴馆。
刘秋萍创办起上海第一家茶宴馆后，慕名而来的中外顾客络绎不绝，每天堂前堂后座无虚席。一天有位外国领事馆官员闻讯前来就座，陪同他来的还有一位翻译。席间才试品两三道茶菜，这位官员便赞美不已，兴之所至，连忙拨打手机告诉他那位远在美国的太太，他说在中国好几年了，今天终于发现一个绝妙的地方，这里专供美味的茶肴，OK!等你下次再来上海的时候一定带你到这儿餍享一番。说罢，翻译把他的这番话转述给了这里的主人，还微笑着解释说：“这位先生平素沉默寡言，不轻易动情，今天非常开心，所以才会有这番动情的表现。”的确，美的东西是没有国界的，刘秋萍想：如今的茶不再是生活中单纯的消闲之物、慰藉之物，茶的文章可以无限地做大!她说：“我与茶有着不解之缘，使我感到欣慰的是，如今在茶宴馆这个小小舞台上，我和顾明钟共同探讨设计的茶宴受到了中外茶客、美食家、文人墨客的青睐，真正让人高兴!”说到此，刘秋萍想起了顾客吃茶宴的另一件趣事：
那是一个暮春的下午，一位白发苍苍的老者走出轿车。由司机搀扶着走进天天旺茶宴馆，服务员小姐一见之下随即迎上前去问候，一番欢迎之后得知，老者原来是受这里的总经理之邀请他吃饭。接着便见刘秋萍走上前来接待。然而让她惊异的是，刘秋萍并不认识这位老者，再说这天下午她也没有邀请任何嘉宾呀!也许是这位老者记错店号或者弄错门牌倒也说不定的。不过此时此刻，刘秋萍并未流露出来任何讶异的神色，只当是有这么回事，她和蔼可亲地扶老者落座，亲手沏上刚刚上市的新茶，陪着老者啜茗款谈，娓娓不已。
不过后来让刘秋萍万万没有想到的是，眼前这位老者竟是上海的著名散文作家、诗人杜宣。当年“天天旺酒家”招牌这几个大字还是他题书的呢，但他却从未来过这里。
刘秋萍新任总经理后，本来早想拜见这位老作家，不意今朝有此邂逅的机会，这使她喜出望外!谁知正当刘秋萍借此聆教于杜老之时，那位真正的东家、即邻街火锅城的老板几经周折终于急匆匆找到天天旺酒家，盛邀杜宣老人去赴宴。他说：“啊呀!所有赴宴的嘉宾全到齐了，就等你老一个呀!”说着他顾不上刘秋萍的再三挽留，即刻把杜宣老人请走了。
杜老当晚返家，不免仍惦念着天天旺茶宴馆款待的那盏清馥之茶，当即濡墨走笔写下贺诗一首：
昔日文君曾卖酒，
此间茶比酒名扬；
清泉注入玻璃盏，
碧玉成汤留舌香。
此后，杜宣便成了天天旺茶宴馆的常客，并不时邀文坛友人来此品茶品菜，他称许这里的茶宴有独特的文化品位和审美特色。
茶宴盛会贺寿星
刘秋萍创办的茶宴馆，而今已然从天天旺酒家搬迁出来，另开于一处崭新的店堂，门楼一侧外壁上突显的五字大字，特别引人瞩目：秋萍茶宴馆。
眼下南京到上海非常方便，今年初夏，我受上海茶叶学会的盛情邀请，来到秋萍茶宴馆作客。当我和其他应邀来上海参加吴觉农纪念馆揭幕典礼的一批专家学者一起来到秋萍茶宴馆之时，刘秋萍早在大门口迎候我们，跟大家一一握手，并亲自挽着已届九十五高龄的当今我国茶坛泰斗张天福教授就席，她说：“您老人家从大老远的福州来到上海，很不容易啊!您的光临给了我们莫大的鼓舞，我们非常感激您老人家!”说罢，她吩咐礼仪小姐在此招待，她则抽身再去张罗各项事宜。只见她里里外外奔忙，没有片刻停留的工夫。
这天餐厅内外的氛围似乎不太寻常，不但挂灯结彩，还在餐桌中央的大盘子内特设了一尊老寿星雕像。到这时我才知道，原来今晚秋萍茶宴馆要给张天福教授祝寿，庆贺他九十五岁生日。
张天福教授在我国茶界从事茶事茶艺已七十余载，为振兴中华茶事作出卓越贡献，耄耋之年依然壮心不已，屡屡应邀出席海峡两岸举办的中国茶事盛会，被誉为我国茶坛的审评大师。恰逢张老生日到来，来自全国各地的茶界同仁今晚假座秋萍茶宴馆，专设盛宴为这位茶坛泰斗祝寿。
晚宴尚未开始，大家彼此促膝茗话。恰巧我坐在张老一侧，见他老人家耳不聋，眼不花，背不驼，而且有着惊人的记忆力，真叫人惊叹!
茶宴馆有条特殊规矩：祝贺不敬酒，一律以茶代之。故晚宴主持人宣布宴会开始，大家起立，一齐举起茶盏，祝贺当今茶坛泰斗张天福教授九十五岁华诞，祝福他老人家健康长寿!
席上有一只茶肴名叫“童子敬观音”。那是把童子鸡浸在铁观音茶汁里24小时制成的，并取其“浸”的谐音而名之，故称“童子敬观音”，设计佳，名称美，加之其味鲜而不腻、香而不艳，可谓恰到好处，此菜颇受张老欣赏。
尤其引起大家惊异的则是“太极碧螺春”这道茶肴。它将鸡茸、鱼茸、干贝茸投进高汤，再用少许蛋清和生粉烹成鲜羹，最后在盛进汤盆时，则用汤勺将之浇绘成碧绿和洁白两色相间的太极图案，真乃奇绝、妙绝、美绝!
生日蛋糕是最后一个祝寿节目。其时只见刘秋萍挽着张老走到硕大的生日蛋糕前，众人齐声祝福他老人家福如东海，寿比南山!簇拥在周围的与会嘉宾们此时又一齐击掌高唱《祝你生日快乐》。旋律悠悠，情韵酽酽，歌声响彻餐厅内外，人们无不为之动情，为之陶醉!
A Woman’s Signature Tea Banquet Restaurant
By Kai Ya
Liu Qiuping is a Shanghai woman, who spent ten years of her life in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Upon her graduation from junior high school, she was sent to Yunnan where she worked as a farmer. She solaced the tough hardships in the rural area in a big bowl of tea after a day’s work. Xishuangbanna is home to giant tea trees. Aborigines there today still worship these trees as their totem. She did not realize that her life there was literally a ten-year education in the ethnic tea traditions.
Her experience has turned out to be a godsend that helps her make a career and a reputation in the restaurant industry in her hometown. When she took over the Daily Prosperity Restaurant as its new general manager, it was just another ordinary restaurant in the downtown Shanghai. Though the facility enjoyed a relatively brisk business, she thought something should be done to keep customers happy. She hit upon the idea of making special tea food she had enjoyed in Yunnan.So she worked with chefs in an effort to create a menu of tea specials. As experiments translated her inspirations into realities, the list grew from several dishes to a dozen, then from a dozen to more than a hundred. When all the tea dishes were offered at the restaurant, it was a blockbuster in Shanghai’s dine and wine industry. Even the city’s tea professionals were deeply impressed. With her unique menu inspired by her past experience, Liu successfully turned the restaurant into a unique one.
Customers flocked to the restaurant.One day, a foreign diplomat and his interpreter came. After only two courses were served, he became so overwhelmed with excitement that he whipped out his mobile phone and called his wife in USA. He promised her to give her a treat at the restaurant during her next visit to Shanghai. The interpreter said to Liu Qiuping, 襎he diplomat is a rather reserved man and he must be very pleased with the tea food today.?
Liu has many other amusing anecdotes to tell about her tea banquets and customers. One day in a late spring, a gray-haired old man arrived in a chauffeured car. He hobbled into the restaurant, helped by the driver. The old man said he came to dinner at the invitation of the general manager of the restaurant. Liu was surprised. She didn誸 know the man and she hadn誸 invited any guest to dinner that evening. But she asked the man to sit down and made for him a cup of tea. It turned out that he was a celebrated poet and prose writer named Du Xuan. The Daily Prosperity Restaurant in calligraphy was inscribed by the very poet. Liu had known about the man and his inscription for the restaurant and had long since wanted to visit the poet. Just as they were chatting, the real host, manager of a nearby hot pot restaurant, rushed in. The poet was to be a guest at the banquet at the hot pot restaurant. The host said that all the guests had arrived. So the poet and the host hurried away. Deeply impressed by the cup of tea at the Daily Prosperity, the poet wrote a poem about it right after he went home that evening. He became a regular of the restaurant and often entertained his friends there.
Now Liu Qiuping has quit the Daily Prosperity and opened her own restaurant. The new restaurant is named Qiuping Tea Banquet Restaurant. Again, her past experience with ethnic tea food plays a major part in her new business. It not only enjoys brisk business but also becomes a preferred meeting place for tea professionals.
In the early summer of 2005, tea professionals came to Shanghai from all over the county to attend the unveiling ceremony for the Wu Juenong Memorial. Wu was a scholar of tea studies in the country.
After the ceremony, scholars and experts met at Liu’s restaurant to celebrate the 95th birthday of Professor Zhang Tianfu, a leading scholar of tea studies in the country. All enjoyed the banquet of tea food and the huge birthday cake over the ringing melody.
(Translated by David)