Abstract
This article aims to deepen understanding of the concept of cultural hybridity through ethnographic investigation of Australian engagement with Chinese practices of tea drinking. The consumption of tea in urban Australia, despite its apparent novelty, embeds a story of decline. Unlike the development of coffee and wine consumption, a mature Australian tea drinking style is yet to arise. Whilst being influenced by Chinese tea culture, the actors in Australian tea culture also adopt a strategy of distancing and exclusivity, demonstrating “hybridity with exclusion.” When unable to articulate what denotes an Australian style, they instead locate themselves by declaring what they don't belong to. I argue that the concept of cultural hybridity should not be taken for granted as a totally blurred boundary between different cultures; rather, it critically demands to be understood in terms of rejection and exclusion, and it could incorporate an intentional distinction and distance between the self and the other.
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