Tea Culture in China 【PART II】

China has the greatest tradition of pottery-making in the world. The use of the word 'CHINA' for any porcelain or porcelain-like products shows how closely the country is identified with ceramics. Pottery has been made in China from as early as the 3rd millennium BC, but it is only from the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) that a continuous tradition begins, low-fired, lead-glazed earthenware being made in large quantities for use in tombs. High-fired wares were also made, developing into the Yue wares of the Six Dynasties (251-589) and Tang (618-907) periods. These were stoneware, fired to a temperature of about 1,200 and covered in a green celadon-type. Lu Yu is a very well-know tea-maker and his statue in Xi'an now. The Tang Dynasty writer Lu Yu's (729-804) Cha Jing is an early work on the subject.

According to Cha Jing writing, around CE 760, tea drinking was widespread. The book describes how tea plants were grown, the leaves processed, and tea prepared as a beverage. It also describes how tea was evaluated. The book also discusses where the best tea leaves were produced. The most important feature of Tang ceramics was the perfection of the fine pottery known in the West as porcelain in the 7th or 8th century. The Song dynasty (960-1279) was the golden age of Chinese ceramics, with famous kilns in both northern and southern China. 

Jingdezhen, in south-eastern China, became the most important ceramic centre from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) onwards. A form of compressed tea referred to as white tea was being produced as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). This special white tea of Tang was picked in early spring, when the tea bushes had abundant growths which resembled silver needles. These "first flushes" were used as the raw material to make the compressed tea.

Tea Culture in China 【PART I】

Chinese tea culture refers to the methods of preparation of tea, the equipment used to make tea and the occasions in which tea is consumed in China. The terms ChaYi "Art of Tea" and "Tea Ceremony" have been used, but the term "Tea Culture" includes more than just the ceremony. According to legend, tea was first discovered by the Chinese emperor and inventor Shennong in 2737 BCE. It is said that the emperor liked his drinking water boiled before he drank it so it would be clean, so that is what his servants did. 

One day, on a trip to a distant region, he and his army stopped to rest. A servant began boiling water for him to drink, and a dead leaf from the wild tea bush fell into the water. It turned a brownish color, but it was unnoticed and presented to the emperor anyway. The elements of the Chinese tea ceremony are the harmony of nature and enjoying tea in an informal and formal setting. Tea ceremonies are now being revived in China's new fast-paced culture, and continuing in the long tradition of intangible Chinese art.

The emperor drank it and found it very refreshing, and tea came into being. The Erya, a Chinese dictionary dated to the 3rd century BCE, records that an infusion of some kind of leaf was used as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). While historically the origin of tea as a medicinal herb useful for staying awake is unclear, China is considered to have the earliest records of tea drinking, with recorded tea use in its history dating back to the first millennium BC. The Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) or earlier.

A brief introduction

In a country with the history of five thousand years, the Chinese tea drinking habit dated back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). It became a national tradition and led to development of a delicate tea drinking ritual. Over the centuries, poets and artists in China wrote many marvelous masterpieces, in appreciation of tea and Chinese people’s constant love of tea drinking .One of the best-known writers is Lu Yu, who was regarded as the “Tea Sage ” for he composed the first book on tea. In his classic book, he detailed his studies of tea, such as the origin of tea, tea tools, tea picking, tea cooking, tea ceremony and well-known areas where tea was grown. And the valuable knowledge he recorded has laid foundation for modern tea culture development.

Based on ways in which tea leaves are processed, there are five distinct types of tea. They are as follow: the green tea, the black tea, the Wulong tea, the compressed tea and the scented tea. Among them, may foreigners are familiar with the green tea. The Longjing tea, of the green type, has a reputation both at home and abroad. And people are engrossed in the fantastic smelling, the delicate tasting, as well as the wonderful shape.

When it comes to drinking a cup of tea, we usually invite a few friends, go to a serene place, and drink tea imbibe slowly in small sips. The popularity of tea lies not only in its good taste but also in its benefits to our health .Tea helps our body’ digestion .So, it’s part of lifestyle to drink a cup of tea after the meal. Caffeine is one of the main materials found in tea. Thus, the amazing job of tea is to refresh our mind.Scientific studies show that tea works effectively against cancer. In recent years in China, there has been a growing trend for women to drink tea to lose or control their weight. As the old saying goes, one apple a day keeps the doctor away. With tea, I might as well to add that one cup a day keeps the trouble away.