The Rich History of Chinese Tea
The practice of drinking tea has had a long history in China and the tea culture also originated from there. China has tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago, and human cultivation of tea plants dates back two thousand years.
At first, Chinese tea was used as a medicine. During the Spring and Autumn period, Chinese people chewed tea leaves and enjoyed the taste of the juice itself. In the next stage, tea was cooked like a soup. Tea leaves were eaten along with the soup. Tea became popular in the Tang dynasty and prospered in the Song dynasty. In the Tang dynasty, people started to get serious about making tea. Specialized tea tools were used. The art of Chinese tea started to take shape.
Before the Tang dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea, first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia and, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe, where the upper class adopted the fashion of drinking tea. Chinese tea— like Chinese silk and china—has become synonymous worldwide with refined culture. At the heart of the art of tea—the study and practice of tea in all its aspects—is the simple gesture of offering a cup of tea to a guest that for Chinese people today is a fundamental social custom, as it has been for centuries.
In Hangzhou, there is a tea museum, the only national museum of its kind, in which there are detailed descriptions of the historic development of tea culture in China.
The Diverse Types of Chinese Tea
Although there are hundreds of varieties of Chinese tea, they can be classified into five main categories: green tea, black tea, brick tea, scented tea, and Oolong tea.
With its natural fragrance, green tea, the oldest kind of tea, is widely welcomed by different people. As the most popular type of tea in China, it is baked immediately after picking and can be processed by differing methods.
Black tea is more popular among foreigners. Different from green tea, black tea is a kind of fermented tea. During fermentation, its color changes from green to black.
Brick tea, usually pressed into the shape of a brick, is made from black tea or green tea and is pressed into blocks. This kind of tea is popular with the minority peoples.
Scented tea is, in fact, a mixture of green tea with flowers. Jasmine tea is the most common type.
Oolong tea is an excellent combination of the freshness of green tea and the fragrance of black tea. It can also promote good function in dieting and general health.
Famous Tea - Related Places in China
The well-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing, Fujian and Guangdong Provinces as well as other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups. The West Lake in Hangzhou is also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs Association noted for its excellent green tea. Provinces in southwest China like Yunnan, the ethnic groups are less influenced by foreign cultures and retain tea ceremonies and customs in the original tea-growing areas.
