Tea drinking was an important part of chinese life, but nowhere in the world did people drink tea with more ceremony than in japan. There, a strict ritual was set down in the fifteenth century by the first great tea master, shuko. This tea ceremony is still performed today. Guests must wash their hands and faces and faces and remove their shoes before entering the tearoom throuht a low doorway that forces then to shoop and appear humble. As the guests kneel or sit cross-legged on mats, the host places a spoonful of powdered tea into a special bowl, adds boiling water, and then stirs it with a bamboo whisk. Although in early tea ceremonies everyone drank from the same bowl, it later became the practice for the host to serve the tea in individual bowls. The guests sip the tea slowly and talk until they have finished drinking. Then they are expected to throw back their heads and take final sip with a loud sound to show how good the tea is. As the ceremony comes to an enb, the guests admire the empty serving bowl for its beauty. The host washes the cups, and ter ceremony ends. The formal tea ceremony is certainly not undertaken every time someone drinks tea in japan, but the tea is always serves with much care and politeness