Chinese Tea Culture
China’s tea-making and tea-drinking culture
Chinese tea culture is the culture of tea making and drinking in China. China is the hometown of tea. It is said that the Chinese discovered and used tea in the Shennong era, which is at least 4,700 years ago. Until now, the Han people still have the custom of using tea instead of gifts. Chaozhou Gongfu tea, as a classical school of Chinese tea culture, concentrates the essence of Chinese tea ceremony culture. As a representative of Chinese tea ceremony, it was selected as a national intangible cultural heritage. In 2022, China's traditional tea making skills and related customs were included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Japan's Sencha tea ceremony and Taiwan's tea ceremony both originated from the Gongfu tea in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China.
As one of the seven necessities of life (firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea), drinking tea was very common in ancient China. Chinese tea culture has a long history and is profound. It not only includes the material culture level, but also includes a deep spiritual civilization level. The Tea Classic by Lu Yu, the tea saint of the Tang Dynasty, sounded the clarion call for Chinese tea culture in history. Since then, the spirit of tea has permeated the court and society, and penetrated into Chinese poetry, painting, calligraphy, religion, and medicine. For thousands of years, China has not only accumulated a large amount of material culture about tea planting and production, but also accumulated a rich spiritual culture about tea. This is China's unique tea culture, which belongs to the category of cultural studies.
tea culture
When Chinese people drink tea, they pay attention to the word "tasting". "Tasting tea" is not only about distinguishing the quality of tea, but also about imagining and appreciating the fun of drinking tea. In the midst of busyness, brewing a pot of strong tea, choosing a quiet place, and drinking it by yourself can eliminate fatigue, clear troubles, improve thinking, and invigorate the spirit. You can also sip slowly to achieve the enjoyment of beauty and sublimate the spiritual world to a noble artistic realm. The environment for tasting tea is generally composed of buildings, gardens, furnishings, tea sets and other factors. Drinking tea requires quietness, freshness, comfort and cleanliness. Chinese gardens are world-famous, and the landscapes are countless. Using gardens or natural landscapes, using wood to make pavilions and stools, and setting up teahouses, gives people a poetic and picturesque feeling. For people to take a rest, it is full of interest.
Chinese tea art enjoys a high reputation in the world and was introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty, forming the Japanese tea ceremony. Japan's Sencha tea ceremony and Taiwan's tea ceremony both originated from the Gongfu tea in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China. Chaozhou Gongfu tea art is a national intangible cultural heritage and a traditional tea drinking custom unique to the Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province. It is an important part of Chaoshan tea culture and Chaoshan tea ceremony. It is the most representative of Chinese tea art. It is a complete tea ceremony form that integrates spirit, etiquette, brewing skills, tea inspection art, and quality evaluation. It is both a tea art and a folk custom, and a symbol of "Chaozhou people's elegant habits and superb actions."
Chaozhou Gongfu tea is very common in the local area, and people drink tea together. Whether in public places or in residents' homes, whether on the roadside or in factories and shops, people can be seen drinking tea everywhere. Drinking tea is not only for the purpose of quenching thirst, but also for building relationships, exchanging information, chatting and entertaining, or negotiating trade. Chaozhou Gongfu tea contains rich cultural content.
Chaozhou Gongfu tea is the most representative tea ceremony in China's ancient traditional tea culture. In Chaoshan, tea is regarded as the best etiquette for entertaining guests. This is not only because tea has a health-preserving effect in many aspects, but also because tea has the meaning of "treating gentlemen and purifying the mind and body" since ancient times. Drinking Gongfu tea is the most common thing in the daily life of Chaoshan people in Guangdong. After dinner, when guests come to visit, or when friends meet, they all accompany each other with a pot of tea.
Many people enjoy the art of making and drinking tea, including those who are not Chinese. Many people are passionate about the art of tea, not only for the taste of tea, but also for the fun of making tea. Tea culture is very attractive and can relax the mind. It is said that people can forget all the troubles in life when making and drinking tea. Many people like to drink tea with others, not only to share the good tea, but also to experience the comfort of being with others.
China is the hometown of tea. It is the first country in the world to discover, use and cultivate Chinese tea trees. China is also the suzerain of the world's tea ceremony. Any country influenced by Chinese tea culture cannot deny China's status as the suzerain of the tea ceremony, otherwise it would violate the basic civilization of the tea ceremony. The origin of tea trees has a history of at least 60,000 to 70,000 years. Tea has been discovered and used by humans for about 4,000 to 5,000 years.
The utilization of tea originally grew out of wild collection activities. According to ancient legends, "Shennong had a delicate jade body, and his lungs, liver and other internal organs could be seen." The reason is, "If he did not have a delicate jade body, how could he have tasted twelve poisons in one day? How could he have cured them?" Another saying is, "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons a day, and he cured them with tea." Although both of these statements are not completely credible, a faint message is worth noting: in the long-term consumption of tea, people pay more and more attention to its "medicinal" properties for curing certain diseases. This reflects a lost story from the primitive times.
According to the records in the Book of Songs and other relevant documents, in the prehistoric period, "Tea" referred to all kinds of bitter wild plant food raw materials. It was not until the other values of tea were discovered that it had an independent name "tea". In the historical era when food and medicine were combined, it was not difficult for people to discover the medicinal functions of tea plant oil, such as quenching thirst, clearing the mind, digesting food, removing miasma, and facilitating bowel movements. However, the development from general medicinal use to a common special beverage must have some special factors, that is, some specific needs in people's actual lives. The Bashu region has always been a place of "smoke and miasma" with frequent epidemics. "The foreign people live on tea, and they will get sick if they lack it." (Volume 2 of "Travels to Zhuguo" by Zhou Ailian of the Qing Dynasty) Therefore, the common diet of the Bashu people is spicy, and it has been accumulated for thousands of years and still exists today. It is precisely this regional natural condition and the dietary habits of the people determined by it that made the Bashu people first "cook tea" to remove miasma and relieve heat and poison. After taking it for a long time, the medicinal purpose gradually disappeared, and tea became a daily beverage. When the Qin people entered Bashu, they might have seen the custom of drinking tea as a daily beverage.
Tea was transformed from a medicinal drink to a common drink, and the word "tea" in the strict sense came into being. Its typical sign is the appearance of the pronunciation of "cha". Guo Pu's note on "Er Ya·Shi Mu" says: "The tree is as small as gardenia, and leaves grow in winter, which can be boiled into soup. Today, the ones picked in the morning are called tea, and the ones picked in the evening are called Ming, also known as Cha, and the people of Shu call it bitter Tu." It can be seen that in the Han Dynasty, the word "Tu" had a specific pronunciation for the drink "tea". "Cha" was separated from "Tu" and embarked on an "independent" development path. However, the appearance of the word "cha" was accompanied by the development of tea affairs and the increasing frequency of commercial activities until the middle Tang Dynasty, which also conforms to the law of text change that the emergence of new symbols lags behind people's social life.
There are different opinions on when China began to drink tea. There are official documents recording the drinking of tea in the Western Han Dynasty, so the drinking of tea must have started earlier than that. Tea appeared as a culture during the Han, Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties.
In a broad sense, tea culture is divided into two aspects: the natural science of tea and the humanities of tea. It refers to the sum of material and spiritual wealth related to tea created in the historical practice of human society. In a narrow sense, the focus on the humanities of tea mainly refers to the functions of tea on the spirit and society. Since the natural science of tea has formed an independent system, the tea culture often mentioned is biased towards the humanities.
Tea Culture before the Three Kingdoms Period
Tea Culture in the Jin Dynasty
With the rise of tea drinking among literati, poems and songs about tea have gradually emerged. Tea has gone beyond being a general form of food and entered the cultural circle, playing a certain spiritual and social role. During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the clan system had already been formed. Not only did the emperors and nobles accumulate wealth, but ordinary officials and even scholars were proud of boasting about their wealth and eating rich food. Under this circumstance, some knowledgeable people raised the issue of "keeping integrity". As a result, Lu Na and Huan Wen substituted tea for wine. Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi Dynasty was a relatively enlightened emperor. He did not like banquets. Before his death, he issued a will saying that his funeral should be as frugal as possible after his death, and that no three animals should be used as sacrifices, but only dry rice, fruit cakes and tea and rice would be enough. And "the world, noble and humble, all follow this system." For Lu Na, Huan Wen and Emperor Wu of Qi, drinking tea was not only for refreshing and quenching thirst, but it began to have social benefits, becoming a means of entertaining guests with tea, offering sacrifices and expressing a spirit and sentiment. Drinking tea is no longer just used for its natural use value, but has entered the spiritual realm.
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the world was in turmoil, and various cultural thoughts were blended and collided. Metaphysics was quite popular. Metaphysics was a philosophical trend in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, mainly combining the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi with Confucian classics. Most of the metaphysical scholars were so-called celebrities, who valued family background, appearance, and manners, and loved empty and profound conversations. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties, the prosperity of the south of the Yangtze River gave the scholars temporary satisfaction. They lingered among the green mountains and beautiful waters all day long, and the trend of pure and simple continued to develop, resulting in the emergence of many pure talkers. At first, there were many pure talkers who were drunkards, and later, the trend of pure talk gradually developed to ordinary literati. Metaphysical scholars like to give speeches, and ordinary pure talkers also like to talk a lot. Wine can make people excited, but if you drink too much, you will behave in a panic and talk nonsense, which is not elegant. Tea can be drunk all day long and always sober, making people think clearly and calm. Moreover, for ordinary literati, dealing with wine and meat all day long is not economically allowed. As a result, many metaphysicians and scholars of idle talk turned from loving wine to loving tea. For them, drinking tea was already regarded as a spiritual phenomenon.
Tea Culture in the Song Dynasty
The tea industry had developed greatly in the Song Dynasty, which promoted the development of tea culture. Professional tea-tasting societies emerged among literati, including the "Tang Society" composed of officials and the "Qianren Society" composed of Buddhists. Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, was a tea lover. He set up a tea affairs agency in the palace, and the tea used in the palace was divided into grades. The tea ceremony had become a ritual system, and giving tea had become an important means for the emperor to win over ministers and care for relatives. It was also given to foreign envoys. As for the lower class, tea culture was even more lively. When someone migrated, neighbors would "offer tea", when guests came, they would serve "yuanbao tea", when they were engaged, they would "serve tea", when they got married, they would "set tea", and when they had sex, they would "combine tea". The tea-fighting trend among the people started, which brought about a series of changes in the picking, processing and brewing of tea.
Since the Yuan Dynasty, tea culture has entered a period of tortuous development. The Song people expanded the social level and cultural form of tea culture, and tea affairs were very prosperous, but tea art became complicated, trivial, and extravagant, losing the profound ideological connotation of Tang Dynasty tea culture. The overly refined tea art submerged the spirit of tea culture and lost its noble and profound essence. Among the court, nobles, and literati, drinking tea became "drinking etiquette", "drinking style", and "playing with tea".
Tea Culture in Ming and Qing Dynasties
Modern Development
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, China's annual tea production increased from 7,500 tons in 1949 to more than 600,000 tons in 1998. The massive increase in tea material wealth has provided a solid foundation for the development of Chinese tea culture. In 1982, the first social group with the purpose of promoting tea culture, "Tea People's Home", was established in Hangzhou. In 1983, the "Lu Yu Tea Culture Research Association" was established in Hubei. In 1990, the "China Tea People's Association" was established in Beijing. In 1993, the "China International Tea Culture Research Association" was established in Huzhou. In 1991, the China Tea Museum was officially opened in Xihu Township, Hangzhou. In 1998, the China International Peace Tea Culture Exchange Hall was built. In 1998, the China International Peace Tea Culture Exchange Hall was built. The International Tea Culture Seminar has been held for the fifth time. Various provinces, cities and major tea-producing counties have hosted "Tea Festivals", such as the Rock Tea Festival in Wuyi City, Fujian, the Pu'er Tea Festival in Yunnan, and the Tea Festivals in Xinchang, Taishun, Zhejiang, Yingshan, Hubei, and Xinyang, Henan. They all use tea as a carrier to promote comprehensive economic and trade development.
In 2022, China's traditional tea-making techniques and related customs were successfully listed as a world heritage site.
Benefits of drinking tea
Tea has medicinal effects of keeping fit and curing diseases, and it is also rich in appreciation and can cultivate sentiment. Drinking tea and entertaining guests are elegant entertainment and social activities for the Chinese, while sitting in teahouses and holding tea parties are tea art activities for Chinese social groups.
Characteristics of tea culture
Historic
The formation and development of tea culture has a very long history. When King Wu defeated King Zhou, tea was already a tribute. In the late primitive commune period, tea became an item for exchange. In the Warring States period, tea had already reached a certain scale. There are records of tea in the pre-Qin "Book of Songs".
In the Han Dynasty, tea became a special tonic for Buddhist "meditation". In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, tea drinking was already popular. In the Sui Dynasty, tea drinking became common among the people. In the Tang Dynasty, the tea industry flourished, and tea became "a daily necessity". Teahouses, tea banquets and tea parties appeared, and guests were encouraged to serve tea. In the Song Dynasty, tea competitions, tribute tea and gift tea became popular.
Era
Regional
International
The ancient Chinese traditional tea culture is combined with the history, culture, economy and humanities of various countries. Chinese tea culture is the cradle of tea culture in various countries. It has evolved into British tea culture, Japanese tea culture, Korean tea culture, Russian tea culture and Moroccan tea culture. In the UK, drinking tea has become a part of life. It is a kind of etiquette for British people to show their gentlemanly style. It is also an indispensable procedure in the life of the British Queen and a necessary ceremony in major social activities. Japanese tea ceremony originated from China. Japanese tea ceremony has a strong Japanese national style and has formed a unique tea ceremony system, school and etiquette.
Contents
The content of Chinese tea culture is mainly the embodiment of tea in Chinese spiritual culture, which is much deeper and broader than the scope of "tea customs" and "tea ceremony", and is also the reason why Chinese tea culture is very different from European, American or Japanese tea culture. The content of Chinese tea culture covers:
Chinese Tea Book
Tea customs in various regions of China
Tea Art
Tea water selection
Tea soup brewing
Allusions to Famous Tea
The function of tea culture
Tea culture is an important part of Chinese culture and education, with a long history and rich connotations, and plays a great role in social civilization and economic development. In the 21st century when the economy is developing rapidly, how to further promote tea culture and give full play to its positive role in the tea industry is also an important issue worthy of consideration.
一、Historical Review
1．When talking about the discovery of tea, people will naturally think of the legend of Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs. However, the use of tea as a beverage and a spiritual enjoyment should be recorded in history from the Western Han Dynasty. The "tea-making utensils" in Wang Bao's "Tong Yue" and the purchase of tea in Wuyang fully prove the formation of the tea-drinking custom and the existence of the tea market at that time. In the "Huayang Guozhi. Bazhi" by Chang Qu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was recorded that many people in Bashu even used tea as tribute. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, some knowledgeable people had become accustomed to "using tea to cultivate modesty". For example, Lu Na, the prefect of Wuxing in the Jin Dynasty, had developed the habit of only serving tea to guests. This may be the best example.
2．The Tang Dynasty was a relatively prosperous dynasty in history. Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" systematically summarized the experience of tea production and drinking in the Tang Dynasty and before, and also proposed the spirit of tea ceremony of frugality and virtue. Lu Yu and some of his contemporaries attached great importance to the spiritual enjoyment and moral norms of drinking tea, and paid great attention to tea drinking utensils and the art of brewing tea. It can be said that China's tea ceremony and tea art were born from then on. At that time, the folk custom of drinking tea in every house, even the luxurious and grand royal court tea banquets, as well as the tea poems and tea calligraphy and paintings of literati, are all concentrated manifestations of the formation and development of tea culture.
3．In the Song Dynasty, tea production developed further, tea drinking became more popular, and the Jianzhou dragon and phoenix cakes used as tribute were even more innovative. Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, wrote "Daguan Tea Theory", the only emperor in Chinese history who wrote a book about tea himself. Many literati and scholars who followed him also wrote poems and tea paintings. At the same time, the art of tea drinking also developed further, the skill of "making tea" was further standardized, the trend of "tea fighting" prevailed, Buddhist tea affairs flourished, and the tea drinking skills also quickly spread from the country to the world with the spread of Buddhism.
4．During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, loose leaf tea developed rapidly, and a multi-tea structure was gradually formed. The method of drinking tea also developed from making tea by ordering to brewing tea, and the tea-brewing utensils became more and more sophisticated. Exquisite purple clay pots, covered bowls, and porcelain tea sets also came into being. The custom of serving tea to guests became more popular. Teahouses were everywhere in cities. It was common to use teahouses for leisure and business, and teahouse cultural education developed.
二、The Connotation, Form and Social Function of Chinese Tea Culture
1．The Chinese nation has continuously transformed nature and created material wealth throughout history, while also creating a brilliant culture, making great contributions to the progress and development of the world's human beings, which is of far-reaching significance. Tea culture is an important part of Chinese cultural education. It has extremely rich connotations, including all aspects of tea production and consumption and its impact on people's spiritual life. 2．The expression and existence form of tea culture education include both material form and spiritual form. The material manifestations include historical relics and relics of tea, tea books, tea paintings, various famous teas, teahouses, tea sets, tea songs and dances, and tea art performances. The spiritual manifestations include tea morality, tea ceremony spirit, treating guests with tea, cultivating integrity with tea, and cultivating character with tea.
3．Since the connotation of tea culture is extremely rich, both material and spiritual, the social functions and roles played by Chinese tea culture in the process of development must be multifaceted. The relationship between traditional tea culture and people's social life has always been very close. Whether it is the "qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, wine, poetry and tea" in the life of historical literati, or the "firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea" in the life of ordinary people, tea is indispensable. As tea culture develops to the modern era, the social function of tea is more prominent. Its important aspects can be summarized into 21 items: making friends with tea, socializing with tea, showing courtesy with tea, replacing wine with tea, promoting integrity with tea, showing virtue with tea, using tea as a model, cultivating nature with tea, using tea as a medium, worshiping with tea, using tea as Zen, using tea to write poems, using tea to paint, using tea to sing and dance, using tea to perform art, using tea to travel, using tea to cook, using tea as food, using tea to set up banquets, using tea to keep fit, and using tea to make medicine.
Making friends over tea: Serving tea to guests has always been a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. When friends meet, drinking tea and talking about stories are refreshing and peaceful.
Socializing through tea: Various social activities, in the form of tea parties, are both solemn and lively.
Tea is a courtesy: When relatives and friends meet, or when people interact with each other, no matter how solemn the high-level talks or important meetings are, a cup of tea for each person shows a respectful etiquette. In modern society, people who use tea as gifts appear noble.
Using tea instead of wine: From ancient times to the present, there are many people who use tea instead of wine. In modern interpersonal communication, it is really a noble act to advocate using tea instead of wine.
Promote Integrity with Tea: A cup of tea to show integrity is an important measure to oppose extravagance and waste and promote incorruptibility.
Using tea to express virtue: The spirit of Japanese tea ceremony of Sen no Rikyū is "harmony, respect, purity and tranquility". The Chinese tea virtue advocated by Mr. Zhuang Wanfang, a famous contemporary Chinese tea expert, is "integrity, beauty, harmony and respect".
Taking tea as a model: Taking the dedication of tea as a model, we advocate being an upright and honest "tea person".
Cultivating one's character with tea: From ancient times to the present, many literati and scholars have advocated using tea to cultivate one's mind and character and improve people's moral standards.
Using tea as a medium: In Chinese history, tea and marriage are closely related. The tradition of using tea to arrange marriages and using tea at weddings has been passed down to this day and has become a custom.
Offering sacrifices with tea: In many Chinese folk funeral and sacrificial activities, the custom of using tea as a sacrifice is still popular.
Using tea for Zen: There has been a saying since ancient times that "Tea and Zen are one". The Zen tea, ordinary tea, and offering tea in temple tea ceremonies are all important rituals for attaining enlightenment through tea.
Writing poems with tea: Many poets in the past dynasties have written poems about tea, with a wide range of content and various forms.
Painting with tea: Throughout the ages, there are many paintings and calligraphy depicting tea parties, brewing tea, drinking tea, etc., which have high artistic value.
Tea-based singing and dancing: There are many lively and lively singing and dancing featuring tea-picking and tea-drinking.
Presenting art with tea: Tea art performances of various schools have appreciation value. The tea-drinking customs of many tea types, regions, and ethnic groups have strong appeal after being artisticized.
Tea tourism: Tea-country tourism is a characteristic tourism project in the modern tourism industry. It combines visiting famous mountains, viewing famous temples and drinking famous teas, and is very popular.
Cooking with tea: Many ethnic minority areas have the custom of cooking with fresh tea. In places where tea culture activities are frequent, the recipes for cooking with tea are also rich and colorful.
Taking tea as food: Adding tea to food and beverages is gradually becoming popular. Tea chewing gum, tea cake, tea noodles, tea wine, etc. have been accepted by people.
Banquets with tea: Morning tea and night tea in various places are a combination of tea drinking and snacks, which are generally welcomed.
Using tea to keep fit: It is known that tea has many effects on human health. Drinking tea to keep fit is a personal experience of many tea drinkers.
Making medicine from tea: separating and extracting substances with medicinal functions from tea leaves to make medicines for preventing and curing diseases is a new contribution of tea to human health.
Based on the above main social functions of tea, it can be considered that tea has a great impact on social life and social development. Its impact can be summarized as follows:
1．Make friends with tea, socialize with tea, serve tea to guests, show courtesy with tea.
2．Using tea instead of wine, promoting integrity with tea, advocating tea ethics and the spirit of tea people, and cultivating one's nature with tea can improve people's ideological level and promote the construction of spiritual civilization in society.
3．Through tea as the medium, tea is used for worship and tea and Zen is combined to bring into play the mediating and spiritual sustenance functions of tea.
4．Using tea to compose poems and paint, using tea to sing and dance, performing arts through tea, and traveling to tea-producing areas advocate elegant artistic enjoyment and beautify people and life.
6．Drink tea to keep fit, use tea to make medicine, exert the health-care effects of tea, and improve people's health level.
7．Carry forward tea culture, promote social progress and the development of the tea industry in the 21st century.
The overall purpose of promoting tea culture is to contribute to the civilization and progress of human society. Specifically for the tea industry itself, promoting tea culture should promote the development of the tea industry. Therefore, as we are about to enter the 21st century, the goal of promoting Chinese tea culture is to promote the growth of tea consumption, benefit human physical and mental health, and promote the construction of spiritual civilization. Around this goal, the work that should be carried out at present and at the beginning of the next century is mainly in the following aspects:
1．Excavate and organize tea historical materials and build a treasure house of Chinese tea culture
Over the thousands of years of tea development history, tea lovers of all generations have written books and accumulated a lot of historical information about tea, including tea books, tea poems, tea calligraphy, tea paintings, tea songs and dances, tea historical documents, and records about tea in local chronicles, etc. The content is very extensive. If we can put in the effort to sort them out, it will be an important treasure house for Chinese tea culture education and an important task that must be done to promote tea culture.
2．Discover and protect the historical relics of Chinese tea culture education and develop tea culture tourism
China's tea-growing areas are vast and have a long history. There are many historical sites related to tea that need to be excavated and protected, such as cliff carvings, buildings, ancient tombs, utensils, monuments, pavilions, wells, gardens, trees, etc. All those with preservation value should be well protected and managed. In addition, places with conditions can develop tea culture tourism, which can not only expand publicity, but also increase economic income.
3．Give full play to the propaganda role of various media to popularize tea culture knowledge
The promotion of tea culture should not be limited to the small circle of tea and cultural circles, but should be widely publicized through various media so that more tea lovers and consumers can continuously increase their knowledge of tea culture and thus promote tea consumption.
There is no unified statement as to whether the spirit of Chinese tea people and the spirit of tea ethics should be summed up in one certain word or a few sentences. Lu Yu proposed "fine conduct, thrifty virtue", Zhuang Wanfang advocated "honesty, beauty and respect", and I have suggested "reasoning, respect, purity and harmony". Although the formulations have different emphases, the basic spirit is the same. We should carry forward these spirits of tea people and tea ethics, purify people's thoughts and consciousness, improve moral standards, and promote the development of spiritual civilization.
The work of restoring and developing historical famous teas has been widely carried out in various places. This work must be based on the laws of the market economy. We should not pursue high-end and sophisticated products one-sidedly, nor should we only pick single bud tea. Instead, we should target mass consumption, create famous brands, and pursue high quality and high efficiency.
6．Train and standardize tea art and tea ceremony, and guide the healthy development of tea art houses
The tea drinking skills vary from place to place in China. Various teahouses and tea art galleries have sprung up in various places. Although they have different grades, they should all aim to meet the legitimate needs of various consumer groups. Therefore, guiding consumers on how to brew a pot (cup) of tea scientifically, how to appreciate and drink it, and how to give full play to the drinking value of tea is the focus of our work. As for the tea ceremony and tea art performance, as an art form, it can be standardized and retained, but it should not be advocated that everyone must drink tea in this slow manner. The Chinese people have long used the artisan and easy-going way of drinking tea, which is still the best way for the people themselves.
7．Expand international tea culture exchange activities, enhance friendship and promote the development of tea trade
Chinese tea culture is not only the traditional culture of the Chinese people, but also has a positive impact on the world's tea culture. Further expanding international tea culture education and exchange activities will help enhance friendship and promote the development of peace. It will also help more international friends understand China's diverse tea products and promote the development of international tea trade.
8．Strengthen scientific research on tea and health and promote tea consumption
It is well known that drinking tea is good for health. However, how big is the health function of tea, how to drink it correctly and scientifically to achieve the desired effect, how to choose tea according to different consumers' different physical conditions, etc., all need to be strengthened by scientific research. Only by popularizing these scientific knowledge obtained through research to ordinary consumers through various channels can we truly promote tea consumption.
Chinese tea culture is profound and extensive. Fully utilizing its functions and roles will surely promote the development of the tea industry, promote human civilization and progress, and make positive contributions to social development.
Tea and etiquette
China is the hometown of tea, with a long history of tea planting, strict tea-serving etiquette, and unique tea-drinking customs. Chinese tea-drinking has a history of more than 4,700 years, starting from the Shennong era. The tea ceremony has a predestined relationship and has existed since ancient times. Serving tea to guests is the earliest traditional virtue and etiquette of the Han Chinese. Until the 21st century, when guests come to the house, they always have to brew a cup of fragrant tea. Tea and snacks are also used to entertain guests at festive events. Having a tea party is both simple and economical, and elegant and solemn. The so-called friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, which also refers to the fragrant and pleasant tea. The Han Chinese also have various customs of using tea instead of gifts. In Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, every summer, every family brewed new tea and paired it with various fine fruits to give to relatives and friends, which was called Qijia Tea. This custom is to put two green fruits, namely olives or kumquats, in the teacup, which means good luck in the new year.
Tea ceremony is also a solemn etiquette in ancient Chinese weddings. In the book "Tea Shu Kao Ben", Xu Cishu of the Ming Dynasty said: "If tea is not moved, it will grow seeds." The ancients used tea as a symbol of marriage, believing that tea trees can only sprout from seeds and cannot be transplanted, otherwise they will die. Therefore, tea is regarded as a symbol of unchangeable nature. Therefore, in folk marriages, tea is used as a gift. The woman accepts the man's betrothal gift, which is called "serving tea" or "tea set", and some call it "receiving tea". There is also a proverb that one family does not eat tea from two families. At the same time, the etiquette of the entire marriage is collectively referred to as "three teas and six ceremonies". The three teas are "serving tea" during engagement, "setting tea" during marriage, and "combining tea" during sex. "Serving tea" is also known as "male tea and female wine", that is, when the engagement is made, the man's family will send a few jars of Shaoxing wine in addition to sending a wishful pressure card. At the wedding, there is also a three-course tea ceremony. The first cup of three-course tea is a hundred fruits, the second cup is lotus seeds and dates, and the third cup is square tea. The way to drink tea is to hold the cup with both hands, bow deeply, and then touch it to your lips, and then the family will take it away. The second time is the same. The third time, you can drink tea after bowing. This is the most respectful etiquette. Among these complicated customs, there is the tea ceremony at weddings, which is still used as a custom. Zhang Yuan's "Tea Record" "Soup Identification" entry states: "There are three major and fifteen identifications of soup. The first is shape identification, the second is sound identification, and the third is qi identification.
Tea and Art
Since ancient times, growing, making, brewing, and tasting tea have all been considered to require a high level of skill. In modern times, the Chinese began to call the relevant skills tea art. At the same time, a large number of various tea-related art works have emerged in successive dynasties.
Tea and Literature
There are countless literary works about tea in China, with the total number of ancient poems alone exceeding 2,000.
Relevant data show that the earliest literary work about tea is Du Yu's "Tea Fu".
Among the 2,800 poems written by Bai Juyi, a famous Tang Dynasty poet, 60 are related to tea. Bai Juyi himself was also a tea connoisseur, drinking tea all day long.
The poem "Written to Thank Meng Jianyi for Sending Me New Tea" by the Tang Dynasty poet Lu Tong is very popular and has remained popular for a long time.
"One bowl moistens the throat and lips, two bowls relieve loneliness and depression. Three bowls search the intestines, but only five thousand volumes of words are left. Four bowls make you sweat lightly, and all the unfair things in your life are released through your pores. Five bowls clear the muscles and bones, and six bowls make you feel like an immortal. Seven bowls are too much to eat, and you can only feel a cool breeze under your armpits."
The "Tea Fighting Song" written by Fan Zhongyan in the Northern Song Dynasty depicts the popularity of tea culture at that time.
Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote "Drawing Water from the River to Make Tea" describing the scene of the poet personally using a large ladle to draw water from the river to make tea on a moonlit night:
"Live water must be boiled with live fire, and it is deep and clear from the fishing stone. The large ladle stores the moon and returns to the spring jar, and the small ladle divides the river into the night bottle.
The snow milk has already turned over and boiled, and the pine wind suddenly makes a sound of diarrhea. It is not easy to resist three bowls of tea with a dry stomach, and I sit and listen to the long and short watches in the deserted city. "
There are many essays, essays, letters, etc. about tea, the most famous of which are
Liu Zongyuan's "A Letter of Thanks to Prime Minister Wu for the Gift of New Tea"
Liu Yuxi's "A Letter of Thanks on Behalf of Wu Zhongcheng for the Gift of New Tea"
Lü Wen's "Preface to the Flower Banquet on the Third Day of March"
Pi Rixiu's Preface to Miscellaneous Poems on Tea
Su Dongpo's Biography of Ye Jia
Tang Geng's "Tea Contest"
Zhang Dai's "Min Laozi Tea"
Zhang Dai: Yanghe Spring
Calligraphy
Tea Painting
Famous Tea Paintings:
"Xiao Yi Earns the Lanting" by Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty "Xiao Yi Earns the Lanting" by Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty. This work was created by the great painter Yan Liben based on "Lantingji" by He Yanzhi of the Tang Dynasty. It depicts the story of Xiao Yi, the imperial censor of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who cheated the "Lanting Xu", the "best running script in the world", from Yuan Biancai, the son of the seventh-generation descendant of Wang Xizhi, and presented it to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The painting shows Xiao Yi and Yuan Biancai drinking tea. Xiao Yi is very proud, while the old monk Biancai is speechless and lost. The expressions of the characters are portrayed in great detail.
"Tune the Qin and Sip the Tea" by Zhou Fang of the Tang Dynasty "Tune the Qin and Sip the Tea"
"Lu Yu Tasting Tea" by Zhao Yuan of the Yuan Dynasty
"Tea Fighting Picture" and "Tea List" by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty
"Longmen Tea House" by Yuan Ni Yunlin
Yuan Yanhui's "Picture of Making Tea"
Yuan Hu Ting's "Picture of Panasonic Cooking Tea"
Yuan Qian's "Pictures of Lu Tong Making Tea" and "Pictures of Tasting Tea"
"Pictures of Cooking Tea in Yuchuan" by Ding Yunpeng of the Ming Dynasty,
Tea Party at Huishan by Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty Tea Party at Huishan by Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty. Tea Party at Huishan depicts Wen Zhengming and several of his poet friends drinking tea at Huishan Spring in Wuxi, which is known as the "Second Best Spring in the World". The two sat on the ground beside the spring in the tea pavilion, Wen Zhengming unrolled a scroll and recited poems while his friends listened; under an ancient pine tree, a tea boy prepared tea, a tea stove was boiling well water, and various tea sets were placed on the tea table. The mountains, flowing springs, ancient pines, and friendship that Chinese literati loved the most are all in the tea party.
Varieties
Overview
Green tea
Zhengshan Xiaozhong: Also known as Lapushan Xiaozhong, it belongs to the black tea category. Together with artificial Xiaozhong, it is called Xiaozhong black tea. It was first planted in Tongmu area of Chong'an County, Fujian Province (in 1989, Chong'an County was abolished and established as a city, and renamed Wuyishan City). It is the earliest black tea in the world, also known as the ancestor of black tea, with a history of more than 400 years. It was created by local tea farmers deep in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Later, Gongfu black tea was developed on the basis of Zhengshan Xiaozhong. Historically, Xingcun was the distribution center of this tea, so it is also called Xingcun Xiaozhong.
Sichuan Red Tea: Sichuan Red Tea is produced in Yibin, Sichuan Province and other places. It has the excellent quality of being tight, round and straight, with exposed tips, dark and moist color, and rich fragrance and flavor.
Mountain Spring
Snow Water
"Auspicious snow means a good harvest." The ancients believed that rainwater was the essence of grains and was the most elegant way to make tea. Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in a poem: "Taste snow water tea at leisure."
Dewy
Also known as "heavenly wine", it is the drink of the ancient gods. The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: "Dew falls from the immortal hills, and the immortals often drink it." Among all the emperors in Chinese history, Emperor Qianlong was the most particular about dew. In summer, Emperor Qianlong often went to the Chengde Mountain Resort to escape the heat. He liked to collect dew on the lotus leaves in Taiping Lake to make tea, and he believed that it was better than the spring water from Yuquan Mountain in Beijing.
Geospring
Tea sets, also known as teaware or tea sets in ancient times. Tea sets are essential utensils for all tea brewing processes, not just teapots and teacups, and are believed to have a great impact on the quality of tea.
The "Tea Book" written by Zhu Quan, the 17th son of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, lists 10 types of tea sets, which is still relatively few:
Tea stove, tea stove, tea grinder, tea grinder, tea sieve, tea stand, tea spoon, tea whisk, tea cup, tea bottle.
The earliest teapots were made of gold, silver, jade and other materials. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the rise of ceramic technology, they have gradually been replaced by copper and ceramic tea sets. Compared with gold and jade, copper tea sets are cheaper and have better water boiling performance. Ceramic tea sets can hold tea and maintain fragrance. More importantly, the price is relatively low, so it is easy to promote and popular with the public.
The Famen Temple Museum in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province preserves a complete set of pure gold tea sets used by the emperors of the Tang Dynasty.
The tea sets produced in Changsha, Hunan in the Song Dynasty are very exquisite and their value is calculated in platinum. Zhao Nanzhong once spent 1,000 taels of gold to customize a set of tea sets for the emperor.
Various teapots The purple clay teapots made by Gongchun and Shi Dabin in the Ming Dynasty became expensive works of art.
《According to the "Shennong's Herbal Classic", Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered 70 poisons every day, which were solved by tea. "Tu" is the ancient word for tea (the pronunciation of the English word "tea" comes from "Tu"). The earliest function of tea was medicinal.
In the third year of Tang Dazhong (850), there was a monk who was 130 years old. Emperor Xuanzong asked him what medicine he took to live so long. The monk replied: "I have never known the medicinal properties. I only love to drink tea. Whenever I travel to a place, I ask for tea first. Drinking a hundred bowls is not too much." The emperor gave the monk 50 kilograms of high-quality tea.
In the health preservation classic "Zunsheng Bajian" by Gao Lian of the Ming Dynasty, it is written: "People drink real tea, which can quench thirst and digest food, eliminate phlegm and reduce sleep, promote urination, improve eyesight and thinking, and eliminate troubles and greasiness. People cannot live without tea for a day."
Tea Customs
making tea
The Chinese habit of drinking tea has changed greatly from the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties to the present.
Tang Dynasty
During the Tang Dynasty, tea leaves were mostly processed into tea cakes. People in the Tang Dynasty did not "drink tea", but "eat tea". The process of preparing tea is as follows:
Bake the tea cakes with fire.
Put the baked tea cakes into copper tea rollers and roll them into particles.
Sieve the tea particles with a tea sieve to get the fine powder.
In order to improve the bitter taste of tea, mint, salt, red dates or ginger slices are often added for seasoning, and spices such as borneol are often added.
Mix the fine tea powder with the above ingredients into a sauce.
Then use the tea sauce to eat with other foods.
Hunan still retains the habit of "eating tea" to some extent - eating tea leaves. Mao Zedong was fond of eating tea leaves. When tea was introduced to Britain, the British sandwiched tea leaves brewed in boiling water into bread slices for consumption.
Song Dynasty
"Tea flourished in the Tang Dynasty and prospered in the Song Dynasty". In the Song Dynasty, tea varieties became more and more abundant, and tea drinking became more and more sophisticated. People began to pay attention to the color, aroma and taste of tea leaves themselves, and the seasoning gradually decreased. At this time, loose tea made by steaming appeared, and loose tea tended to be the main drink. At the same time, the brewing procedures were greatly simplified.
Ming Dynasty
In the Ming Dynasty, cake tea and ball tea were less common, and loose tea was more popular. The brewing method also gradually developed from frying tea to brewing.
Qing Dynasty
In the Qing Dynasty, tea was closely integrated with people's daily life. Teahouses appeared in cities and gradually rose to become a place for activities suitable for all social classes. Tea was integrated with folk cultural activities such as opera, poetry, drama, and lantern riddles. Ordinary people also often entertained guests with tea.
Modern
Depending on different situations (such as special etiquette on different occasions), Chinese tea has different brewing methods. For example, green tea is lighter and more delicious than oolong tea and black tea, so it needs to be brewed with colder water. For more information on this aspect, please refer to and Gongfu tea.
