Ancient China and the Tea Canon.
Subject of trade
The first written mention of tea dates back to 770 BC. A certain Zhougong in the book ‘Erya’, listing consumer products, mentions tea. Later written sources testify that already in the III – II centuries BC tea was widely spread in the province of Sichuan. It was also the first place where it became an object of trade.
The medicine
At the dawn of the new era, tea was already revered and loved by the emperor and his court, and was also an important ceremonial drink. In those early times, tea was often used as a medicinal plant and its drink as a potion. Tea ointments were used for rheumatism, and the drink was recommended for stomach heaviness, depression, hangovers and many other ailments. Ancient Taoists included tea in the elixir of immortality. And the emperor rewarded dignitaries who distinguished themselves in the service with tea.
Tea as a Meal
Over the next three centuries, tea in China became available to all classes. It was then that the first tea shops appeared and the tradition of collective tea parties was born. By the 5th century, tea had spread to the north and north-west of China, and was popular with Mongol nomads and Tibet. Often, once in the diet, tea became food rather than a beverage. For example, in Tibet tea was prepared with rice, ginger, salt, and sometimes with onions. The Mongols added salt and oil to tea.
Art
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the art of making and drinking tea became one with calligraphy, poetry, martial arts and other traditional Chinese arts.
Lu Yu and his Tea Canon.
In the middle of the 8th century, the poet Lu Yu created the world’s first fundamental work on tea, called the Cha Ching or Tea Canon. This sort of tea encyclopaedia contained information on how to grow and produce tea, how to prepare a tea drink, what utensils to use, how to serve the table and what ceremonies to observe. Of course, Lu Yu, like a true poet, created his work in an elegant style. Here is a short passage from the ‘Cha Ching’, in which the author describes what an ideal tea leaf should be: ‘…It should be wrinkled, like the creases on the boots of Tatar riders, have curls, as on the breastplate of a mighty buffalo, sparkle, like a lake touched by the breeze, soften as gently as the dust beaten to the ground by the rain’. Even this short passage is enough to realise how fine and refined was the art of tea in those times, what heights of perfection the tea masters of ancient China reached.
A ceramic bottle instead of a kettle
Tea itself, as a product, bore little resemblance to modern tea. After picking, the tea leaf was dried and ground into a powder, from which a paste was made. The paste was then divided into portions, which were shaped into small cakes. The cakes were then dried. To drink such tea, one had to cut off a small piece from the scone and put it into a special ceramic bottle with boiling water. Ginger, mint or orange peel was often added to this tea.
Monopoly
During the Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Tea Monopoly was established. This meant that from now on, the people of the Middle Kingdom were obliged to pay a special tax to the Emperor in tea. Only the best quality tea, grown in the area south-east of Beijing and near where Shanghai is today, was supplied to the court. A pound of such tea was worth two ounces of gold.
A teapot instead of a ceramic bottle
When China was under the rule of Mongol invaders, the role of tea in the life of the people diminished and tea culture gradually deteriorated. However, whenever a new truly Chinese dynasty came to power, tea returned to the court and tea culture was enriched with new discoveries. This was the case during the Ming dynasty, which ruled from 1368 to 1644. Powdered tea and the ancient tradition of drinking it were forgotten. In its place came the custom of drinking tea more familiar to us – from leaves processed in a special way. A characteristic feature of this period was the appearance of teapots, which replaced the ceramic bottle.
Tea and Horse Agency
Under the Ming dynasty, tea continued to grow in importance as an important international trade commodity and a significant source of treasury replenishment. The nomads living near the northern borders of China willingly exchanged their horses, so essential for the Imperial cavalry, for tea. A special ‘Horse and Tea Bureau’ was established to carry out such trade operations.
Imperial Tea Administration
The emperors of the Manchu Qing dynasty (1644-1911) did their best to isolate the country from contact with the outside world. The Imperial Tea Office was in charge of tea production and market circulation, and its task was to classify all the tea produced in the country. This was not an easy task, as tea was produced by thousands of small family estates throughout the country. Eventually, the classification became so complex and confusing that it became impossible to use.
Tea in Japan: simplicity and elegance
ON PAIN OF DEATH
Throughout the history of tea cultivation in China, emperors, like all their subjects, believed that tea was their national treasure and that the secrets of its cultivation and production should never fall into the hands of foreigners. Tea seeds and seedlings were forbidden to be taken out of the country on pain of death.
Nevertheless, at the end of the 8th century, two Japanese monks returning from a pilgrimage to China managed to smuggle out some tea tree seeds. This event marked the beginning of tea cultivation in Japan. Over time, tea plantations began to appear on the lands of Buddhist temples and monasteries. Thus, the spread of tea culture in Japan went hand in hand with the spread of Buddhism.
Buddhist monks and priests not only promoted the spread of tea culture in Japan, but also laid the foundations of Japanese tea drinking traditions. As early as in the VIII century they established the ritual of Incha. The emperor invited priests to his palace to conduct a religious ceremony, after which a mass tea party was held.
