Chinese Tea Culture ! The origin and development of Chinese tea culture

As an ancient civilisation with a history of 5,000 years, China has nurtured a unique Chinese culture. Tea is one of the representatives of Chinese culture, and people from over a hundred countries and regions around the world love to enjoy tea. Tea culture varies from country to country and has its distinctive features. And Chinese tea culture reflects the long history of civilisation and etiquette of the Chinese nation.

1. History of tea

China is the homeland of tea and the birthplace of tea culture. The discovery and use of tea in China has a history of 4,000 to 5,000 years, and has flourished and spread around the world. Tea is the national drink of the Chinese people, developed in Shennong, heard in Lu Zhou Gong, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, popularised in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Chinese tea culture combines the ideas of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism into a single entity, and it is a wonder of Chinese culture! China's tea region is vast, and the division of tea areas takes 3 levels, namely the first level tea area (with the southwest and Jiangnan regions as the table), the second level tea area (with the northwest and north of the river), and the third level tea area (with the south of China as the representative). At the same time, tea has become the most popular, most popular and most beneficial green beverage for physical and mental health in the world. Tea is a blend of heaven, earth and human beings, advocating that "the tea people of the world are one family".

2.Tea Encyclopedia

Tea, belonging to the Camelliaceae family, is an evergreen shrub or small tree plant with a height of 1-6 metres. The tea tree prefers a humid climate and is widely cultivated in China south of the Yangtze River valley. The leaves of the tea tree are made into tea and used after infusion. Tea trees are planted for 3 years before the leaves are ready to be picked. The young shoots that grow 4-5 leaves are usually picked around Qingming, making a very good quality tea that is a rare product. A widely popular health drink in the world, it originated in China. The Chinese tea culture is vast and profound, and the Han Chinese have been drinking tea for thousands of years. The earliest discovery and use of tea began with its medicinal use. "Shennong tasted the hundred herbs, the day encountered 72 poisons, got tea and solve it.

3.The tea ceremony

Tea ceremony is a kind of tea as a medium of life etiquette, is also considered to be a way to cultivate the body, it is through making tea, appreciate tea, drinking tea, promote friendship, beauty and cultivate virtue, learning etiquette, is a very beneficial and beautiful ceremony. The tea ceremony first originated in China. The Chinese, at least in Tang or before Tang, were the first in the world to use tea as a way to cultivate their bodies and nourish themselves. The basic spirit of the art of tea is "clear, respectful, joyful and true", and Confucianism, represented by Confucius and Mencius, while vigorously proclaiming "Ren", the way of loving people's loyalty and forgiveness, emphasises the practice of "Ren" The Confucian school of thought, represented by Confucius and Mencius, strongly advocated the practice of "benevolence", that is, loving people and being loyal and forgiving. It is also a philosophy of governance that "one should not suffer from scarcity but from inequality, and from poverty but from insecurity". These ideas have resulted in a Confucian system of thought and culture with the middle ground at its core, and have shaped the Eastern cultural circle that has influenced human culture for thousands of years, with Chinese, ethnic Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian countries all over the world looking to Confucianism for truth. The Chinese tea ceremony also embodies the Confucian spirit of being moderate, kind, respectful, frugal and generous, and incorporates the great philosophies of cultivating one's moral character, preparing one's family, ruling one's country and leveling the world in the daily life of drinking tea.

4.Tea for health

Tea, from its inception is the cure for disease, first for Shennong detoxification, taste a hundred herbs to create Chinese agriculture and medicine, and then become a human health medicine. The Japanese Zen master Eisai said in his book "Tea for Health", "Tea is the elixir of health, and a wonderful technique for prolonging one's life." Chen Zangqi, a famous doctor of the Tang Dynasty, said in his "Collection of Materia Medica", "Tea is the medicine for all diseases". Tea, spread to the West, the Dutch doctor Nicola. Dekker wrote: "Tea is the cure for all diseases of longevity medicine". So the generations of health practitioners are inseparable from the tea for health. For example, a monk in the Tang Dynasty was still red-faced and light on his feet at the age of 130. Emperor Xuanzong knew and asked him, "What is your magic potion?" The monk replied, "Good tea, to where only tea is sought, or drink a hundred bowls never tired." The monk from the Tang Bailin Temple said to everyone: "Eat tea and go" to tea for health, live 120 years. Sun Yat-sen's guard chief Sun Mo Fo lifelong love of tea calligraphy, 106 years old also for me to write "tea life". The tea expert, Zhang Tianfu, who is still alive, was 104 years old when he tied the knot at the age of 101, and at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo we organised a visit to the Expo for 30 long-lived tea drinkers, the youngest being the famous film actress Qin Yi.

Tea for health is mainly material and spiritual two aspects, can be from nine parties into health:

1. Strong heart, refreshing, digestive aid (mainly the role of caffeine).
2. Lowering blood pressure, lowering fat, antioxidant (mainly the role of tea polyphenols)
3. Lowering sugar, anti-inflammatory, anti-radiation (mainly the role of lipopolysaccharides and tea polyphenols).
4. Beauty, anti-aging, can live longer (the role of the main vitamin c, E, B).
5. Selenium supplement, cancer prevention, fluoride firm teeth (mainly the role of trace elements selenium, zinc, fluorine). 
6. Nutrition, delicious, anti-depression (mainly the role of amino acids).
7. Low-fat, multi-dimensional, can slim (mainly low-fat low heat multi-fibre)
8. Meditation, beneficial thinking, remove mortal dust (tea is the main quiet).
9. Harmony, peace and tranquillity (tea is the master of harmony).

The first seven are material nourishment, the last two are spiritual nourishment. Tea is the master of stillness, and stillness can nourish health. Zhuangzi said: "Quiet is to control anger, quiet is to get rid of annoyance, quiet is to fix the will, quiet is to nourish life." Hu Jintao said, "Tea is elegant, tea taste fragrant, tea bonding, and is valuable."

5.Tea varieties

Tea heritage to today, has been derived from many famous household name varieties and brands. For example, Longjing, Tieguanyin, Pu'er and Biluochun.

Tieguanyin tea

Tie Guanyin tea, a traditional Chinese tea, belongs to the green tea category and is one of the ten most famous teas in China. It was originally produced in Xiping Town, Anxi County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, and was discovered in 1723-1735. "Tie Guanyin" is not only the name of the tea, but also the name of the tea tree species, Tie Guanyin tea is between green tea and black tea, belongs to the semi-fermented tea category, Tie Guanyin has a unique "Guanyin rhyme", clear fragrance and elegant rhyme, after brewing, it has a natural orchid fragrance, pure and strong taste, rich and lasting aroma, with The aroma is pure and long-lasting, with the reputation of "seven bubbles with after-smell". In addition to the general health care functions of tea, it also has anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis, prevention and control of diabetes, weight loss and bodybuilding, prevention and control of dental caries, clearing heat and lowering fire, anti-smoking and sobering effects.

Longjing Tea

Longjing is a traditional Han Chinese tea, belonging to the green tea category and ranked among the top ten famous teas in China. Produced in the West Lake area of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Longjing tea was created by Han Chinese tea farmers in the Song Dynasty and has a history of over 1,200 years. Longjing tea is green in colour, rich in aroma, sweet and refreshing, shaped like a bird's tongue, i.e. "green in colour, rich in aroma, sweet in taste and beautiful in shape", the leaves of West Lake Longjing tea are flat, tender, neatly striped, uniform in width, greenish-yellow, smooth to the touch, with one bud and one or two leaves. West Lake Longjing tea is fragrant and rich, with a fresher, mellower taste. Longjing tea contains more amino acids, catechins, chlorophyll and vitamin C than any other tea and is rich in nutrients.

Bi Luo Chun

Bi Luo Chun is a traditional Chinese tea, one of the ten most famous teas in China, and has a history of over 1000 years. It is also known as "Dongting Biluochun" because it is produced in the East Dongting Mountains and West Dongting Mountains (now Wuzhong District, Suzhou) on Taihu Lake in Wuxian County, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was classified as a tribute, and in ancient times it was also known as "Kung Fu tea" and "New Blood tea". For premium Bigelow Spring, the tea buds are so delicate that 0.5kg of dried tea requires 60,000-70,000 tea buds. After frying, the dried tea is tightly knotted, with white hairs showing, silvery green in colour and attractive emerald blue, curled into a conch, produced in spring, hence the name "Bi Luo Chun". It is a famous tea in China, with white clouds rolling around in the cup after brewing and the fragrance of the tea coming in. The main processes are killing, twisting, rolling and drying.

6.Tea Culture

China is the origin of the tea tree, however, China is not the only country in the world where the tea tree originates, natural tea trees are also found in other countries around the world. However, it is recognised that China has made a remarkable contribution to mankind in the tea industry, mainly by being the first to discover and use the plant, developing it into a splendid and unique Chinese tea culture, and gradually spreading it to China's neighbouring countries and the world at large. Tea is an indispensable part of Chinese culture and is integrated into the spiritual civilisation of the Chinese nation. Chinese tea culture has developed along with the development of Chinese civilisation, and it has been present throughout the five thousand years of Chinese civilisation. It has brought health and harmony to mankind. It has enabled Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to develop together in China.