The history of tea in China

1. History of tea

Tea (a tea leaf)

my country is the origin of tea trees. Tea trees first appeared in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Xishuangbanna in southwest my country. area. However, some scholars believe that the origin of tea trees is in India, because there are wild tea trees in India but not in China. But they don't know that China's "Erya" around 200 BC mentioned that there were large wild tea trees, and there was also a "Tea Tree King".

"Shen Nong's Materia Medica" is my country's first pharmaceutical monograph. It was written during the Warring States Period and was completed during the Western Han Dynasty. In the form of legends, this book collects the knowledge of medicines accumulated by working people since ancient times. There is a record in it: "Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs, encountered seventy-two poisons every day, and solved them in full swing." According to research: the tea here refers to ancient tea. The general idea is that as far back as ancient times, the legendary Emperor Yan tasted hundreds of herbs himself in order to discover plants that were beneficial to human survival. He was poisoned multiple times in one day. But he was saved by taking tea leaves. Although this is a legend and contains obvious exaggeration, it can also be learned from it that humans may have used tea for medicinal purposes.

According to investigation, the word "tea" first appeared in the "Baisheng Master Stele" and "Huaihui Stele" around the middle of the Tang Dynasty, from about 806 AD to 820 AD. Before that, , "tea" is represented by the polysemous word "tea".

The basic meaning of the word "tea" is "bitter herb". In ancient times, people still lacked understanding of tea. It is completely understandable to classify it as a bitter herb based on its taste alone. When people realized its difference from ordinary bitter herbs and its special functions, a new word to express it alone came into being.

Tea and food occupy an equally important position. However, "due to climate and other reasons, tea does not grow locally. In order to strengthen the power to control ethnic minorities, the government adopted a limited and direct distribution method for the supply of tea in order to achieve the purpose of "governing the border with tea." At the same time, The government not only controlled the supply of tea, but also exchanged a small amount of tea for a large number of war horses, which brought a heavy burden to the brotherly nations. This was the "tea-horse trade" in history.

A kind of drink that has been spread to various ethnic minority areas in northwest my country since the Tang Dynasty and has become a necessity of local people's life. "If you don't have tea for one day, you will be sluggish, and if you don't have tea for three days, you will get sick." However, China is the origin of the tea tree. China's contribution to mankind in the tea industry is mainly that it was the first to discover and utilize the tea plant, and developed it into a splendid and unique tea culture in my country, the East and the entire world. As recorded in our country's historical records, before people drank tea, "the ancients drank water in the summer and soup in the winter." Drinking warm soup to quench thirst changed people's bad habit of drinking raw water and greatly improved people's health. As for tea in Europe and the United States, it is considered "undoubtedly the best gift from the East to the West", "Without the introduction of tea and coffee in Europe, drinking would have been even more excessive", "The benefits of tea to mankind are inestimable" , "I am convinced that tea is one of the saviors of mankind", "is a great solace" and so on. Tea drinking and tea production and trade in all countries in the world, except for Korea, Japan and Central Asia and West Asia, started before and after the Tang Dynasty. Except for those introduced from China, most others were introduced and developed after the 16th century, especially in the past 200 years.

Chinese tea culture

China is the hometown of tea. Tea making and drinking have a history of thousands of years, and there are many famous brands. The main varieties include green tea, black tea, oolong tea, scented tea, white tea, and yellow tea. Tea has medicinal effects on fitness and disease, and is also full of appreciation and can cultivate sentiment. Tea tasting and entertaining guests are elegant entertainment and social activities for Chinese individuals, while sitting in teahouses and tea parties are social group tea art activities for Chinese people. Chinese tea art enjoys a high reputation in the world and was introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty, forming the Japanese tea ceremony. p>

Tea drinking began in China. Tea is brewed with boiled water, followed by nature, and tasted cleanly and elegantly. The pursuit of the inherent taste of tea focuses on the artistic conception. This is the same quality characteristic of Chinese tea tasting. If different tea leaves are used with different water, tea sets or brewing techniques, the tea soup produced will have different effects.

Our country has been very particular about tea brewing since ancient times and has accumulated rich experience. To make good tea, you must understand the characteristics of various types of tea and master scientific brewing techniques so that the inherent qualities of tea can be fully expressed.

Chinese people pay attention to the word "taste" when drinking tea. "Tasting tea" is not only about identifying the quality of tea, but also means reverie and appreciating the fun of drinking tea. Brewing a pot of strong tea in the midst of a busy schedule, choosing an elegant and quiet place, and pouring and drinking it yourself can eliminate fatigue, clear away worries, improve thinking, and invigorate the spirit. You can also sip it slowly to achieve beautiful enjoyment and sublimate the spiritual world to the highest level. A noble artistic realm. The environment for tea tasting generally consists of buildings, gardens, furnishings, tea sets and other factors. Drinking tea requires quietness, freshness, comfort and cleanliness. Chinese gardens are world-famous, and their landscapes are countless. Use gardens or natural landscapes to set up teahouses for people to take a rest and enjoy.

China is a country with ancient civilization and a land of etiquette, which attaches great importance to etiquette. Whenever guests come, the etiquette of making tea and serving tea is essential. When guests come to visit, you can seek advice and choose the tea set that best suits the guest's taste and the best tea set to entertain them. When serving tea to guests, it is also necessary to properly blend the tea leaves. When accompanying guests to drink tea, the host should pay attention to the amount of tea remaining in the guests' cups and pots. Generally, tea cups are used to make tea. If half of the tea is drunk, boiling water should be added as the guests drink, so that the concentration of the tea remains basically consistent. The water temperature is suitable. When drinking tea, it can also be appropriately paired with tea, candies, dishes, etc. to achieve the effect of adjusting taste and snacks.

/view/3217.htm

2. "The Classic of Tea" and Lu Yu

The Classic of Tea

The long history of tea in my country is Humanity has created science and technology for the tea industry, and has also accumulated the richest historical documents on the tea industry in the world. In the vast sea of ??cultural classics, there are not only books devoted to tea, but also a large amount of information about tea, tea history, tea methods and tea production technology in historical books, tea history, notes, miscellaneous examinations and calligraphy books. content. Around AD 758, Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty compiled the world's earliest tea monograph, the "Tea Classic". The birth of "The Book of Tea" is an important symbol of the development of Chinese tea culture to a certain stage. It is the need and product of the development of the tea industry in the Tang Dynasty. It is a summary of the tea culture of the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, it plays a positive role in promoting the development of tea culture in the future. . The whole book "Tea Classic" is divided into 3 volumes and 10 sections. Section 3 of the first volume: "The Origin of One" discusses the origin, name, and quality of tea, introduces the morphological characteristics of tea trees, the relationship between tea quality and soil, and points out the soil, location, topography, varieties, and fresh leaf quality of tea suitable for tea. The relationship, as well as the cultivation methods, the physiological health care function of drinking tea on the human body. There is also mention of the large tea trees found in Badong, Hubei and southeastern Sichuan. "Two Tools" talks about the tools for picking tea leaves. Detailed introduction to the names, specifications and usage of 19 tools required for making cake tea. "San Zhi Zao" talks about the types of tea and the methods of harvesting and processing. The importance of tea picking and the requirements for tea picking were pointed out, and the theory of tea picking at the right time was put forward. It describes the six processes of making cake tea: steaming, pounding, molding, drying, stringing, and packaging. The cake tea is divided into 8 grades according to the evenness of appearance and color. Section 1 of the middle volume: "Four Utensils" describes the utensils used for making tea and drinking tea. It describes in detail the names, shapes, materials, specifications, production methods, uses of 28 kinds of tea making and drinking utensils, as well as the influence of the utensils on the quality of tea soup. It also discusses the quality and usage rules of tea utensils in various places. Section 6 of the second volume: "Five Boils" describes the methods of making tea and the quality of water in various places. It describes the preparation of cakes, tea and tea soup, focusing on the methods of roasting tea, the fuel for roasting and boiling tea, the water used for making tea and boiling tea. The influence of heat, boiling degree and method on the color, aroma and aroma of tea soup. It is proposed that the tea soup shows snow-white and thick foam, which is its elite. "Six Drinks"

"Talks about tea drinking customs, describes the origin, spread and tea drinking customs of tea drinking customs, and proposes ways and means of drinking tea. "Seven Things" tells stories about tea in ancient and modern times, Origin and medicinal effects. It records the historical materials, legends, anecdotes, poems, essays, medicinal prescriptions, etc. related to tea before the Tang Dynasty. It describes the origin and quality of tea produced in various places. , the national tea production area in the Tang Dynasty was divided into eight major tea areas. The tea produced in each tea area was divided into four levels: upper, middle, lower, and lower again according to quality.

"Nine Briefs" talks about which tea sets and tea utensils can be omitted and under what circumstances which tea-making processes, tools or tea-making and drinking utensils can be omitted.

If you go to a deep mountain tea field to pick and make tea, you can make it as you go. Seven tools can be simplified. "Ten Pictures" proposed that the contents of the "Tea Sutra" should be written on plain silk and hung next to the seat, so that the contents of the "Tea Sutra" can be understood at a glance. "The Book of Tea" is China's first comprehensive tea industry work that systematically summarizes tea affairs in the Tang Dynasty and before the Tang Dynasty. It is also the first tea book in the world. The author collects historical tea materials from past dynasties in detail, records personal investigation and practical experience, and elaborates on the history, origin, efficacy, cultivation, harvesting, decoction and drinking of tea in the Tang Dynasty and before the Tang Dynasty. The most complete tea book in ancient times gave tea production a relatively complete scientific basis and played a certain role in promoting the development of tea production.

/view/69079.htm

2. Lu Yu

Lu Yu (733-804), also known as Hongjian, also known as Jizhi. Named Jinglingzi, Sangjuweng and Donggangzi, he was born in Jingling (today's Tianmen, Hubei Province) in Fuzhou during the Tang Dynasty. He was addicted to tea all his life and was good at tea ceremony. He is famous for writing the world's first tea monograph - "The Book of Tea", which has great influence on China. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of the tea industry and the world's tea industry. He is known as the "Tea Fairy", respected as the "Tea Saint" and worshiped as the "Tea God". He was also good at writing poetry, but not many of his poems have survived in the world.

Lu Yu was originally an abandoned orphan. When he was three years old, he was found by Zen Master Zhiji, the abbot of Longgai Temple in Jingling, on the shore of the local West Lake. Ji Gong used the "Book of Changes" to name his child, and he obtained the "Jian" hexagram. The hexagram said: "Hong Jian is in the land, and his feathers can be used as rituals." So according to the hexagram, he was given the surname "Lu", the name "Yu", and the character "Hongjian". Lu Yu learned literacy in Huang Juan Qing Deng and Zhong Sheng Sanskrit, learned to recite Buddhist scriptures, and also learned to make tea and other tasks. Although he lived in the pure land of Buddhism and heard Sanskrit sounds every day, Lu Yu was unwilling to convert to Buddhism and cut off his hair to become a monk.

When he was nine years old, Zen Master Zhiji once asked him to copy sutras and recite Buddhist scriptures, but Lu Yu asked: "Disciples of the Shi family have no brothers in life and no heirs in death. Confucianism says that there are three types of unfilial piety, and having no descendants is the worst. Monkhood Can you call him filial?" He openly said, "Jiang Yu taught Confucius the writings." The abbot was very angry when he heard this, so he punished him with heavy "low duties" to force him to repent and turn around. Lu Yu was sent to "sweep the temple grounds, build monks' latrines, trample mud walls, carry tiles for houses, and herd one hundred and twenty hooves of cattle." Lu Yu was not discouraged and gave in, but his desire for knowledge became even stronger. He had no paper to learn calligraphy, so he used bamboo to scratch the back of an ox as a book. He came across Zhang Heng's "Ode to the South Capital" by chance. Although he didn't know the characters, he sat down, unfolded the scroll, and recited the words. After Ji Gong knew about it, he was afraid that he would be implicated in foreign scriptures and lose his religion. He locked him up in the temple, ordered the grasshoppers to cut the wild flowers, and sent an elder to control him.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, Lu Yu was 12 years old, and felt that it was difficult to survive the sun and the moon in the temple. Unexpectedly, he escaped from Longgai Temple, learned acting in a theater troupe, and became an actress. Although he was unattractive in appearance and had a stutter, he was humorous and witty, and was extremely successful in his role as a clown. He later wrote three volumes of joke books.

As the saying goes, lucky people have their own destiny, and Lu Yu is no exception. In the fifth year of Tianbao's reign in the Tang Dynasty, Li Qiwu, the prefect of Jingling, saw Lu Yu's outstanding performance at a gathering of people from the state. He admired his talent and ambition very much and immediately gave him a book of poems and compiled a book recommending him to live in seclusion in Huomen Mountain. He studied with Master Zou. In the eleventh year of Tianbao (752 AD), Cui Guofu, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, was demoted to Sima Jingling. That year, Lu Yu bid farewell to Master Zou and went down the mountain. Cui and Yu knew each other, and they often traveled together, drank tea and water, and talked about poetry and essays. In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Lu Yu traveled to Bashan Gorge to investigate the tea ceremony. Before leaving, Cui Guofu presented him with a white donkey, a black ox and a letter from Wen Huai. Along the way, he stationed his horse in the mountains to pick tea, and met the crystal water under the spring. His eyes were too busy to take in the tea, his words were too busy to visit, his pen was too busy to record, and his bag was full of tips. In the first year of the Qianyuan year of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty (758 AD), Lu Yu came to Shengzhou (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) and stayed at Qixia Temple to study tea. The following year, he lived in Danyang. In the first year of Shangyuan of the Tang Dynasty (AD 760), Lu Yu came to Tiaoxi (now Wuxing, Zhejiang) from the foothills of Qixia Mountain, lived in seclusion in the mountains, and wrote the Book of Tea in the Fujian community.

During this period, he often wore a short brown gauze scarf and mushroom shoes, walking alone in the fields, going deep into farmers' houses, picking tea and looking for springs, commenting on tea and tasting water, or chanting scriptures and poems, hitting trees with his stick, making water with his hands, hesitating and wandering, every day When the black excitement was over, Fang Hao returned in tears, and people at the time called him "Chu Kuang Jiu Yu".

Tang Dynasty Zong once ordered to worship Yu as the prince of literature, and he was given a blessing by Taichang Temple, but he did not take office.

Lu Yu despised powerful people throughout his life, did not value wealth, loved nature, and insisted on justice. (Full Tang Poems) contains a song by Lu Yu, which reflects his qualities:

Not envious. The golden base,

does not envy the white jade cup,

does not envy the imperial court to enter the province,

does not envy the dusk to appear on the stage;

does not envy thousands of people Xianxi River,

went down to Jingling City.

Lu Yu’s (Tea Classic) is a systematic summary of the scientific knowledge and practical experience about tea in the Tang Dynasty and before the Tang Dynasty; It is the result of Lu Yu's dedicated practice and tireless work, obtaining first-hand information on the production and production of tea, and his extensive collection of tea harvesting experience. , praising him for his pioneering contribution to the tea industry.

In addition to comprehensively describing the distribution of tea areas and evaluating the quality of tea leaves in the "Tea Classic", Lu Yu also discovered many famous teas for the first time. For example, Guzhu Purple Bamboo Shoot Tea from Changcheng County, Zhejiang Province (now Changxing County) was rated as top-grade by Lu Yu and later listed as tribute tea; Yangxian Tea from Yixing County (Lingzhou Yixing County, Jiangsu Province) was directly recommended by Lu Yu for tribute. (Notes on the Reconstruction of Teahouses in Yixing County): “Li Xifan Shidian, the imperial censor, was a person in this country, and there was a person who presented fine tea to the local customs. When visiting guests tasted it, the barbarian Lu Yu thought it was fragrant, sweet and spicy, the best among other places, and he could recommend it to others. From there, Qiyun began to advance to ten thousand liang, which was the beginning of it. "

Many classics also record the magical legend of Lu Yu's crystal tea appreciation of water. Tang Zhang Youxin recorded such an incident of Lu Yu in "Jiancha Water Record":

'Daizong When Li Jiqing went to Weiyang (today's Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province), he met Hongjian, a scholar in Lu. Tea is famous all over the world, and it is unique in the Nanling River. This is a wonderful thing that only happens once in a thousand years. How can it be so unparalleled! The soldiers who ordered it to believe in it, hold the bottle and sail the boat, have a deep understanding of the land of Nanling. As soon as the water came down, Lu took a ladle and said, "The river is like a river. It's not like the water on the shore." "Lu didn't say anything. He started pouring the basins, and when he was halfway there, he stopped him. He raised the ladle and said, "Since then, we are in the south!" Shiran was horrified and said: "Someone has been in the south. When they reached the shore, the boat was half overturned. They were afraid that the water would increase when they uncovered the shore. It was a warning to the people. How dare they hide? Li Yin asked Lu in shock. In this case, the quality of the water passing through can be judged. Lu said: "The Chu River is the first, and the Jin River is the lowest." (New Tang Dynasty Biography) This incident is also recorded in Lu Yu's biography), but when it comes to Li Jiqing summoning Lu Yu, "Yu dressed in wild clothes and brought his tools in. Ji Qing was not polite, and Yu was ashamed of it, and even wrote "Theory of Destroying Tea".

After Lu Yu passed away, later generations respected him as the "God of Tea", which started in the late Tang Dynasty. The maternal ancestor of Zhao Li, who served as governor of Yazhou in the Tang Dynasty, had a close relationship with Lu Yu. He said in the "Yin Hua Lu" that Lu Yu was addicted to tea and created the method of making tea. So far, the home of Dew Tea. The pottery image of it is placed between the Yang utensils, and it is suitable for tea. ’ Li Zhao of the Tang Dynasty wrote in the National History Supplement that Lu Yu was the best tea master. Most of the potters in Gong County were porcelain puppet makers, named Lu Hongjian. They bought dozens of tea utensils and got the name Hongjian. People in the city are not in a good position to sell tea, so they often pour it into them. "

In the history of Chinese tea culture, the set of tea science, tea art, and tea ceremony ideas created by Lu Yu, as well as his "Tea Classic", are an epoch-making symbol.

In my country's feudal society, studying classics was regarded as the right path for scholars. Knowledge such as tea science and tea art was considered difficult to enter into orthodox "miscellaneous studies". Lu Yu, like other scholars, was not interested in traditional China. He is very familiar with Confucianism and has studied it carefully, and has profound attainments. However, unlike ordinary scholars who are bound by Confucianism, he is able to get into it and go beyond it, integrating profound academic principles into material life such as tea. , thus creating tea culture

/view/29370.htm