Author: Andy Gilchrist (http://www.AskAndyAboutClothes.com)
Original Source: The History of Tea
Tea is first mentioned in Chinese writing in 222 AD as a substitute for wine, and in a circa 350 AD Chinese dictionary.
By the third century AD tea was being advocated for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Nobility of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 906 AD) made tea fashionable, that tea became China's national drink
As the demand for tea rose steadily, Chinese farmers began to cultivate tea rather than harvest leaves from wild trees. Tea was commonly made into roasted cakes, which were then pounded into small pieces and placed in a china pot. After adding boiling water, onion, spices, ginger or orange were introduced to produce many regional variations.
Tea consumption spread throughout the Chinese culture.
In 780 A.D., Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on tea, the “Ch'a Ching”. He was orphaned and raised by scholarly Buddhist monks in one of China's finest monasteries. However, as a young man, he rebelled against the discipline of training. In mid-life he retired for five years into seclusion. Drawing from his vast memory of observed events and places, he codified the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China. The vast definitive nature of his work projected him into near sainthood within his own lifetime. Lu Yu is known as the "Tea Saint”.
The book inspired the Zen Buddhist missionaries to create the form of tea service that would later be introduced to imperial Japan as the Japanese tea ceremony, Chanoyu. The spread of tea cultivation throughout China and Japan is largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.
960-1280 Sung Dynasty. Tea was used widely. Powdered tea had become common. Beautiful ceramic tea accessories of dark-blue, black and brown glazes, which contrasted with the vivid green of the whisked tea, were favored.
1101-1125 Emperor Hui Tsung wrote about the best ways to make whisked tea. A strong patron of the tea industry, he had tournaments in which members of the court identified different types of tea. Legend has it that he became so obsessed with tea he hardly noticed the Mongols who overthrew his empire. During his reign, teahouses built in natural settings became popular among the Chinese.
1206 - 1368 Yuan Dynasty. Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan conquered Chinese territories and established a Mongolian dynasty in power for more than a century. Tea became an ordinary drink, never regaining the high status it once enjoyed.
1368-1644 Ming Dynasty. People again began to enjoy tea. The new method of preparation was steeping whole leaves in water. The resulting pale liquid necessitated a lighter color ceramic than was popular in the past. White and off-white tea-ware became the style of the time.
Indian legends credit that the practice of tea drinking was begun in honor of Bodhidharma (ca. 460-534). Bodhidharma was a monk and the founder of the Ch'an (or Zen) sect of Buddhism. Born near Madras, India, he traveled to China in 520.
The Indian legend tells how in the fifth year of a seven-year sleepless contemplation of Buddha he began to feel drowsy. He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby brush and chewed them, which dispelled his tiredness. The bush was a wild tea tree.
Original Source: The History of Tea
Tea is first mentioned in Chinese writing in 222 AD as a substitute for wine, and in a circa 350 AD Chinese dictionary.
By the third century AD tea was being advocated for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Nobility of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 906 AD) made tea fashionable, that tea became China's national drink
As the demand for tea rose steadily, Chinese farmers began to cultivate tea rather than harvest leaves from wild trees. Tea was commonly made into roasted cakes, which were then pounded into small pieces and placed in a china pot. After adding boiling water, onion, spices, ginger or orange were introduced to produce many regional variations.
Tea consumption spread throughout the Chinese culture.
In 780 A.D., Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on tea, the “Ch'a Ching”. He was orphaned and raised by scholarly Buddhist monks in one of China's finest monasteries. However, as a young man, he rebelled against the discipline of training. In mid-life he retired for five years into seclusion. Drawing from his vast memory of observed events and places, he codified the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China. The vast definitive nature of his work projected him into near sainthood within his own lifetime. Lu Yu is known as the "Tea Saint”.
The book inspired the Zen Buddhist missionaries to create the form of tea service that would later be introduced to imperial Japan as the Japanese tea ceremony, Chanoyu. The spread of tea cultivation throughout China and Japan is largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.
960-1280 Sung Dynasty. Tea was used widely. Powdered tea had become common. Beautiful ceramic tea accessories of dark-blue, black and brown glazes, which contrasted with the vivid green of the whisked tea, were favored.
1101-1125 Emperor Hui Tsung wrote about the best ways to make whisked tea. A strong patron of the tea industry, he had tournaments in which members of the court identified different types of tea. Legend has it that he became so obsessed with tea he hardly noticed the Mongols who overthrew his empire. During his reign, teahouses built in natural settings became popular among the Chinese.
1206 - 1368 Yuan Dynasty. Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan conquered Chinese territories and established a Mongolian dynasty in power for more than a century. Tea became an ordinary drink, never regaining the high status it once enjoyed.
1368-1644 Ming Dynasty. People again began to enjoy tea. The new method of preparation was steeping whole leaves in water. The resulting pale liquid necessitated a lighter color ceramic than was popular in the past. White and off-white tea-ware became the style of the time.
Indian legends credit that the practice of tea drinking was begun in honor of Bodhidharma (ca. 460-534). Bodhidharma was a monk and the founder of the Ch'an (or Zen) sect of Buddhism. Born near Madras, India, he traveled to China in 520.
The Indian legend tells how in the fifth year of a seven-year sleepless contemplation of Buddha he began to feel drowsy. He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby brush and chewed them, which dispelled his tiredness. The bush was a wild tea tree.
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