China History of tea

lu yu s statue in xi an

the chinese have consumed tea thousands of years. earliest physical evidence known date, found in 2016, comes mausoleum of emperor jing of han in xi an, indicating tea drunk han dynasty emperors 2nd century bc. samples identified tea genus camellia particularly via mass spectrometry. , written records suggest may have been drunk earlier. people of han dynasty used tea medicine (though first use of tea stimulant unknown). china considered have earliest records of tea consumption, possible records dating 10th century bc. note current word tea in chinese came use in 8th century ad, there therefore uncertainties whether older words used same tea. word tu 荼 appears in shijing , other ancient texts signify kind of bitter vegetable (苦菜), , possible referred number of different plants, such sowthistle, chicory, or smartweed, including tea. in chronicles of huayang, recorded ba people in sichuan presented tu zhou king. state of ba , neighbour shu later conquered qin, , according 17th century scholar gu yanwu wrote in ri zhi lu (日知錄): after qin had taken shu learned how drink tea.

the first known reference boiling tea came han dynasty work contract youth written wang bao where, among tasks listed undertaken youth, shall boil tea , fill utensils , shall buy tea @ wuyang . first record of cultivation of tea dated period (ganlu era of emperor xuan of han) when tea cultivated on meng mountain (蒙山) near chengdu. tang qing dynasties, first 360 leaves of tea grown here picked each spring , presented emperor. today green , yellow teas, such mengding ganlu tea, still sought after. unknown chinese inventor first person invent tea shredder. credible record of tea drinking dates 220 ad, in medical text shi lun (食论) hua tuo, stated, drink bitter t u makes 1 think better. possible reference tea found in letter written qin dynasty general liu kun. however, before mid-8th century tang dynasty, tea-drinking southern chinese practice. became popular during tang dynasty, when spread korea, japan, , vietnam.

laozi, classical chinese philosopher, said describe tea froth of liquid jade , named indispensable ingredient elixir of life. legend has master lao saddened society s moral decay and, sensing end of dynasty near, journeyed westward unsettled territories, never seen again. while passing along nation s border, encountered , offered tea customs inspector named yin hsi. yin hsi encouraged him compile teachings single book future generations might benefit wisdom. became known dao de jing, collection of laozi s sayings.

during sui dynasty (589–618 ad) tea introduced japan buddhist monks.

the tang dynasty writer lu yu s (simplified chinese: 陆羽; traditional chinese: 陸羽; pinyin: lùyǔ) cha jing (the classic of tea) (simplified chinese: 茶经; traditional chinese: 茶經; pinyin: chá jīng) work on subject. (see tea classics) according cha jing tea drinking widespread. book describes how tea plants grown, leaves processed, , tea prepared beverage. describes how tea evaluated. book discusses best tea leaves produced. teas produced in period tea bricks used currency, further center of empire coins lost value. in period, tea leaves steamed, pounded , shaped cake or brick forms.

a ming dynasty painting artist wen zhengming illustrating scholars greeting in tea ceremony

during song dynasty (960–1279), production , preparation of tea changed. tea of song included many loose-leaf styles (to preserve delicate character favored court society), , origin of today s loose teas , practice of brewed tea. new powdered form of tea emerged. steaming tea leaves primary process used centuries in preparation of tea. after transition compressed tea powdered form, production of tea trade , distribution changed once again.

illustration of legend of monkeys harvesting tea

the chinese learned process tea in different way in mid-13th century. tea leaves roasted , crumbled rather steamed. yuan , ming dynasties, unfermented tea leaves first pan-fried, rolled , dried. stops oxidation process turns leaves dark , allows tea remain green. in 15th century, oolong tea, tea leaves allowed partially ferment before pan-frying, developed. western taste, however, preferred oxidized black tea, , leaves allowed ferment further. yellow tea accidental discovery in production of green tea during ming dynasty, when apparently sloppy practices allowed leaves turn yellow, yielded different flavour result.

tea production in china, historically, laborious process, conducted in distant , poorly accessible regions. led rise of many apocryphal stories , legends surrounding harvesting process. example, 1 story has been told many years of village monkeys pick tea. according legend, villagers stand below monkeys , taunt them. monkeys, in turn, become angry, , grab handfuls of tea leaves , throw them @ villagers. there products sold today claim harvested in manner, no reliable commentators have observed firsthand, , doubt happened @ all. many hundreds of years commercially used tea tree has been, in shape, more of bush tree. monkey picked tea more name of varieties description of how obtained.

in 1391, ming court issued decree loose tea accepted tribute . result, loose tea production increased , processing techniques advanced. soon, tea distributed in full-leaf, loose form , steeped in earthenware vessels.

hong kong

in hong kong, apart yum cha culture of southern china, localised version of english tea developed, hong kong-style milk tea.