The world of Tzu Chi July 2020 (Vol.124)

12 2020 • 07 eature S tep into a Jing-Si Books & Café outlet and one is bound to be greeted by a comfortable air-conditioned atmosphere and the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee. Take a closer glance around and one will notice bamboo stalks adorning various corners of the welcoming space, radiating a subdued charm under the warm lighting. The bamboo stalks are an essential element in the interior design of Jing-Si Books & Café outlets. In Chinese culture, the supple, upright stem of the evergreen plant symbolizes resilience and virtue, its significance amplified when combined with its hollow interior, which represents humility, an honourable willingness to admit one’s inadequacies. The bamboo is a prominent feature in Tzu Chi’s humble beginnings; Master Cheng Yen carved 30 bamboo banks from the bamboo stalks growing behind the wooden hut in which she pursued spiritual cultivation and distributed them to 30 followers, embarking on charity work in a time that later came to be known as the “Bamboo Bank Era”. The lighting, fittings and furnishings in the Café exude simple elegance and add a calming touch of Zen sensibility. The seating area is furnished with cushioned rattan chairs and polished marble-topped tables, embellished with potted plants that resonate with the mural of a forest overlooking the Café. The helpful Café staff approach customers to recommend beverages from the Café’s handpicked menu of coffees and teas and serve with a smile. As one Rest and recharge in a calming refuge The Jing-Si Books & Café outlet in KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall, Kepong offers harried urban dwellers a comforting, homely space to sit back and relax with a cup of tea and a book, surrounded by minimalist décor and a tranquil atmosphere. sips on a cup of organic oolong tea, brewed from tea leaves plucked from Tzu Chi’s tea plantation in Miaoli County, Taiwan, worries melt away and peace sets in, calming the restless mind. Giving back to nature Tzu Chi’s tea plantation in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan was originally a stretch of barren land, no longer fertile due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. However, Taiwan-based volunteer Chen Zhong-hou gave the abandoned plot of land a new lease of life by reviving the soil, in keeping with Master Cheng Yen’s appeal to co-exist harmoniously with nature. Zhong-hou concocted natural enzymes by adding black sugar to fruit peel and applied the resulting enzyme solution to the soil as fertilizer. The enzymes, made from all-natural ingredients, cause no harm to other organisms and the environment, besides successfully stimulating the fertilization of the land. After years of cultivation, the green, black and oolong teas planted and processed in Tzu Chi’s tea plantation have finally received recognition for their quality and were certified organic, assuring consumers of the absence of chemical or hazardous substances in the production process and encouraging a deeper appreciation of not only the teas’ lingering fragrance with every sip, but also the dedication of tea farmers to environmentally- friendly agriculture.