“When I see that foreigners have no idea of Chinese tea,” says Jose Morente Perez, “that makes me sad. Imagine living in Bordeaux or La Rioja and not getting to know the local wine culture!”

The Spanish engineer will be sharing his passion for tea at an event at Sunny Dental in Shine Hills, Shunyi, on Monday May 21.

“Last year I decided to create Teamates,” he tells us, “because something as awesome as tea has to be well known! Especially for foreigners living in China, tea is not only a drink. It has helped me a lot to know Chinese culture, to travel, to meet people, to learn the language. So I have the hope that other people can be hooked like me.”

However his interest in tea originally started in his home country.

“I lived in Granada for 6 years. Granada is full of teahouses, more Arabic and French style. Then in 2014 I moved to Fuzhou in Fujian province. Fuzhou is the world capital of tea. I moved there without knowing that! But my roommate had a big influence on me, because he was a tea freak.

“In Fuzhou you can breathe tea culture. Fujian is full of tea plantations, so it was perfect for me. That’s when I really found out that tea was my passion.”

The event on Monday will not be a formal tea ceremony, but a tasting, where participants can sample different teas and learn about the importance of tea in Chinese culture. Morente says that learning about tea has other benefits too.

“I speak very fluent Chinese, thanks to tea!” he says. “That’s helped me to meet very knowledgable people who are willing to share their thoughts and knowledge with me, a laowai who knows about tea and also loves Chinese culture.”

Shunyi Teamates is at Sunny Dental, Shine Hills, Shunyi, at 4pm on Monday May 21. Tickets cost RMB 50; scan the QR code below.

As winter sets in, every parent knows what comes with it: the common cold. Whether it’s our kids sneezing from a virus picked up at school, or we ourselves struggling through the day with a blocked nose and sore throat, this ubiquitous ailment is something no western medicine can cure.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), however, has a range of treatments to help with seasonal snuffles, and a free talk on Monday November 13 will explain how they can help.

“Chinese medicine contemplates two different types of cold, cold and heat,” said Dr. Cristina Vallverdú, who will be giving the talk. “Each one has different symptoms and different treatments. We will also talk about how to treat children’s colds.”

Dr. Vallverdú is a naturopathic physician and and nutritionist, and studied TCM in Spain before coming to Beijing in 2014 to develop her studies.

“That’s why I can use different methods in my practice,” she told us. “For example, I always use Bach Flowers, and sometimes I can add these essences to an acupuncture needle.”

Her real passion though is making TCM accessible to non-Chinese speakers.

“Chinese medicine has another way of looking at the disease, and for the patient it is important to understand in their own language what is happening and how to understand their illness. I love China, I love Chinese medicine. This is my life, this is my way.”

The event is hosted by Sunny Dental, and it’s just one of a regular series of talks at their Shine Hills clinic in Shunyi.

“We are closed on Mondays so we wanted to make a better use of our space,” explained Maria Cruz, Head of Marketing at Sunny Dental. “We have the facilities and we love helping the community by providing a space where people can get together and learn something. Organizing events for the neighborhood and our patients is always a good way to create a family-friendly clinic environment.

“We have so many talented and generous expats willing to donate their time and share their expertise. We just facilitate the space to do it!”

The talk takes place at 11am. It’s free and open to all.

How to Treat a Cold with TCM, November 13

All ages. Free to attend. 11am. Sunny Dental, Beijing Central Villa Clinic, Unit 203, Building 10, Shine Hills, 6 Antai Street, Shunyi District, 顺义区安泰大街6号院中粮祥云小镇南区10号楼203