Tasting Famous Chinese Teas -- Series on Chinese Tea Culture

Author: Wang Jianrong and Wu Shengtian (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Tea, as one of the three major non-alcoholic beverages (tea, coffee, cocoa), has become popular worldwide. Currently, more than 50 countries produce tea, with an annual output of approximately 2.9 million tons. Around 3 billion people in over 160 countries drink tea. So, when did tea actually originate? Historically, it is said: "Tea originated from Shennong, became known to the Duke of Lu and the Duke of Zhou, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty." According to botanists, the tea tree has a long history of 60 to 70 million years since its origin. However, humans only discovered and utilized tea about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. China is the world's earliest country to discover tea trees and use tea leaves. The tea-drinking habits and tea production techniques of countries around the world were originally introduced directly or indirectly from China. Therefore, China is known as the "Hometown of Tea," and the southwestern region of China (including Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan) is the center of the original habitat of tea trees. Legend has it that Shennong was the one who tasted the fresh leaves of the tea tree and discovered its miraculous detoxifying properties. In the Han Dynasty's pharmacological text, the Shennong's Herbal Classic (attributed to Shennong), there is a record: "Shennong tasted the flavors of hundreds of herbs and the sweetness and bitterness of springs, so the people knew what to avoid and what to pursue. At that time, he encountered seventy-two poisons daily, and tea helped him relieve them." Here, "tea" refers to tea.