On a crisp morning in Samarkand, Lin Liu led an informal tea sharing session with FIELD MEETING participants. Framed by the city’s long history as a place of encounter along the Silk Road, where tea and other practices traveled through Central Asia as part of everyday hospitality and pilgrimage routes. Lin Liu shared his expertise in Chinese tea culture by preparing and serving tea while explaining key practices, including brewing methods, water temperature, and the role of repeated infusions in shaping flavor, texture, and perception over time. He emphasized tea as a cultural practice grounded in technique, attention, and refinement through repetition. Participants were invited to observe and taste multiple infusions, noticing how subtle variations in preparation alter the character of the tea with each pour. Lin Liu also discussed how tea has historically functioned in China as both an everyday practice and a structured social ritual. Held outdoors in the early morning light of Samarkand, the gathering unfolded slowly, with each infusion marking a small shift in perception of the moment and of one another. In the quiet rhythm of pouring and tasting, tea became a shared pause, but also a continuation of the journey.

FIELD MEETING Take 7: Thinking Pilgrimage | Uzbekistan For the Love of Tea, 2025. A tea offering led by Lin Liu, Samarkand. Photos by Parwana Haydar & Roya Khadjavi.