Tea hut
Your quiet refuge
Named Zìrán 自然, Le cerf-volant‘s tea hut came to life spontaneously with the help of precious friends, and was built on a previous existing wooden structure that was repurposed and reimagined to blossom into a space and sensescape of sharing, self-contemplation, and compassion for all. All the wood and bamboo used for its construction have been reclaimed, with some parts coming from an old 70-year-old house that were generously given. Most of this wood has been reused as is and intentionally left untouched to better express the pure essence of its character tended by time. The walls’ middle section has been left uncovered to convey a feeling of openness towards ourselves as well as the Cosmos. The hut’s contained size and doorless design offer a welcoming and intimate atmosphere conducive to the appreciation of the present moment and the slow, ethereal perfume of silence. This humble gathering space of vibrant emptiness and detachment has been crafted to offer you, through tea and its healing nature, a safe refuge of quietness, tolerance and trust where daily problems from the world of dust are put aside the time of a few heartbeats and cups.
The hut focuses on the Teochew (Cháozhōu) 潮州 tea brewing tradition from the Guǎngdōng 廣東 province of China. It is infused with Le cerf-volant’s personal approach, philosophy, and sense of aesthetics, attuned with the traditional Malaysian tea customs. During the course of a cháhuì 茶会 (tea gathering), one to two types of teas are served over a one-hour/one-hour and a half period. Raphaël will generally offer naturally grown and artisan Taiwanese teas, Chinese yán chá 岩茶 or dān cōng 单枞, that will be tailored based on the event and availability.
About the name
The term zìrán 自然 means ‘spontaneous’, ‘natural’, ‘so of its own’, ‘so of itself’. It denotes spontaneity, naturalness, the things as they are. From a daoist perspective, zìrán 自然 is the Dao as producing life, the water of a spring that never ceases to flow anew. It is the permanence of the Dao and its virtue, the rule of Heaven and Earth that has no beginning and penetrates to the utmost of existence beyond the Void. Hence, zìrán 自然 – as a quality ascribed to something – means ‘true’ and ‘primal’, denoting transcendence. On the cosmological level, zìrán 自然 defines the way the world goes on by itself without anyone orchestrating it, and expresses the faith in a world well-ordered and self-regulated in a natural way. Epistemologically, it means that what produces life or how life is achieved remains unknown. Zìrán 自然 is then the ultimate word, not in the sense of an explication but as an expression of human ignorance and respect of the secret of life. Under Buddhist influence, zìrán 自然 also took on the meaning of ‘non-substantial’, ‘fundamentally having no nature of its own’, as opposed to what has cause and effect. In this sense, it is a synonym of ‘real emptiness’.
- Opening days: Temporarily closed
- Location: 够 GROW Lifestyle Space (Gelugor, Penang)
- Teas shared: Carefully selected organic / naturally grown artisan Taiwanese teas, Chinese yán chá 岩茶 or dān cōng 单枞 served in a Chinese Teochew (Cháozhōu) 潮州 style gōng fu chá 工夫茶
- Duration: 45 minutes
- Number of seats available: 3 per session
- Price: RM38 per person, to be paid upon booking
Note: In case of no show, a no refund policy will be applied and your seat will be automatically assigned to another guest.