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China is the homeland of the tea, it is the country that finds and utilizes tea first in the world. In China, the history of tea had more than three thousand years old. Over one thousand years ago, Chinese people began to have the habit of drinking tea. Now, tea is a part of Chinese peoples life. ... "Seven elements face you on opening the gate: firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea." Tea is regarded as one of the top urgent matters in home live. Wang anshi (1021-1086), the famous political reformer and literate of Song Dynasty once said: "Tea is as indispensable in daily life as rice and salt."
Tea is always offered immediately to a guest in the Chinese home. Serving a cup of tea is more than a matter of mere politeness; it is a symbol of togetherness, a sharing of something enjoyable and a way of showing respect to visitors. ... In previous time, if the host held his teacup and said, "please have tea", the guest will take his conge upon the suggestion to leave.
And now, just as coffee in the west, tea became a part of Chinese people¡¯s daily life. ... Tea has such a close relationship with Chinese that in recent years, a new branch of culture related to tea is rising up in China, which has a pleasant name of "Tea Culture". It includes the art of making and drinking tea, and some customs about tea.
Tea History in China
Tea had long history in China. It is believed that China has tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago, and human cultivation of tea plants dates back two thousand years. Tea from China, along with her silk and porcelain, began to be known the world over more than a thousand years ago. The history of tea in China can be divided in four periods. ... )
From legend, the first person to drink tea was a man named Shennong who was an herbal medicine scientist. ... Thus, according to legend, Shennong was the first individual to drink tea. ... , the demand for tea dramatically increased and outstripped the supply of wild tea trees. Farmers began to grow tea plants in the Szechwan area, but soon tea cultivation had spread throughout China.
Tea during this time was made of leaves boiled in water with ginger, orange or other produce added to it. And tea was mostly consumed for medicinal purposes to treat digestive and nervous conditions. ... , Tang Dynasty)
During this time, tea drinking evolved into an art form. There was a man called ¡°Lu Yu¡± (Today Chinese people called him ¡°The father of tea¡±). He did a lot of researches about tea, and in 780 A.D he wrote a book called ¡°Cha Jing¡± (The art of tea-drinking), which was the first book about Chinese tea in the world.
This book epitomized tea as part of the Chinese culture. The three-volume book covered everything related to tea from the proper techniques to growing plants to brewing tea. There was even a detailed description of a formal tea ceremony utilizing 27 pieces of equipment. Due to the complexity and the great number of accessories needed for the tea ceremony, only the affluent connoisseurs could afford all the equipment and the servants needed to prepare the tea. ... As a result, the culture of tea contained a poetic aura.
After the book issued, Drinking Tea became fashion in Chinese. Every one, no matter nobles, officials, workers, farmers, were fanatical about drinking tea. ...
Tea during this period was sold in a brick form. ... Tea was made by breaking a piece from this brick and boiling it in water. ... , Song Dynasty)
During this period, every aspect of tea was further refined. ... After a specific day was chosen to harvest the leaves at their peak, the tea pickers picked leaves to the rhythm of a drum or cymbal. The tea pickers were usually young girls who had to keep their fingernails a certain length in order to pick the leaves without touching their skin. ... A cake of high-grade tea could be worth several pieces of gold while one of the highest grades would be priceless.
Approximate Word count = 3416
Approximate Pages = 13.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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