The History of Tea in China

Chinese Tea was proved to be beneficial for human body, not just lose weight. Do you know the origin and history of Chinese tea? If you are interested in Chinese Tea history and want to find some secrets, please continue reading. In part 1 of Chinese tea history, you will find how Chinese tea found in the history.

China is the homeland of tea, taking a leading position in the planting, producing and drinking of tea. The discovery and usage of tea has had a history of four or five thousand years in China. From the earliest fresh-boiled tea taken as a kind of soup to later dried and preserved tea, from the simple green tea to the blooming of six major Chinese tea, which started catching on in the Tang(618 - 906) and Song(906 - 1279) dynasties, has carried itself to the contemporary times. The flavor of Chinese tea sometimes thin and sometimes thick, seemingly bitter but actually sweet. It has flown through the long history from ancient times up to now. What is more, with unique appeal, tea has broken the bound of fields and been brought to all parts of the world.

The origin of tea is lost among history and legends. What can be roughly confirmed is that tea originated in the southwest of China. In Yunnan and other places there still exist wild tea tree over 1,000 years old. It is said that the first man to discover what tea can do is Shen Nong - the father of agriculture and herbal medicine in Chinese legend. In time immemorial, people know very little about plants. In order to find out which plants could be eaten and which couldn’t, Shen Nong tasted various kinds of plants to find out their features as food or medicine. Fortunately, Shen Nong had a transparent stomach, which made it possible for him.

One day, after walking for a long time, Shen Nong felt tired and thirsty, so he rested under a tree and started a fire to boil water. Suddenly, some tree leaves fell into the water hollowware on the fire. Shen Nong drank the water and found it not only sweet and tasteful, but freshening as well. He found his exhaust in all gone, so he finished all the water in the hollowware. Another tale is a little different from this one, but more amazing. It is said that Shen Nong tried 72 different kinds of poisonous plants in a day and he lay on the ground, barely alive. At this moment, he noticed several leaves dropping from the tree beside him, giving off gusts of fragrance. What with curiosity and with habit, Shen Nong put a leaves in his mouth and chewed them. After a little while, he felt well and energetic again. So he picked more leaves to eat and thus cleared all the poison in his body.

Whatever way the story goes, Chinese tea interested Shen Nong and attracted him to do further research on its characteristics. The ancient Chinese medical book called Shen Nong Herbal, which is attributed to Shen Nong, says that “tea tastes bitter. Drinking it, one can think quicker, sleep less, move lighter and see clearer.” That is the earliest to put down the medical functions of the Chinese tea. From that time on, the real Chinese tea history began.