Tea drinking has been a living habit and communicative etiquette since ancient times in China, and health tea is different from ordinary tea in that it focuses more on the health care effect of tea. And most of the health tea, in the form of tea, play the effect of medicine. Tea containing tea, herbs, herbaceous plants, or made from the same raw materials as medicine and food for the purpose of health care,are collectively called health tea.
Origin
China is the origin of tea, which first appeared in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Xishuangbanna region in southwest China.《Shennong Bencao Jing》is the first pharmaceutical monograph in China. It was written in the Warring States Period (about 2700 years ago) and completed in the Western Han Dynasty.In the form of legend, this book collects the knowledge of medicine accumulated by working people for a long time since ancient times, including such records: "Shen Nong tasted all kinds of herbs, encountered seventy-two poisons a day, got tea and solved them." According to textual research: tea here refers to the ancient tea, the general idea is that, in ancient times, the legendary Emperor Yan, personally tasted the hundred grasses, in order to find out the plants conducive to human survival, even in a day many times poisoning. But he was saved by taking tea. Although this is a legend, but it can also be learned that human use of tea, may be from the beginning of medicinal.This is also the earliest record about health tea, dating back about 4600 years.
Popularized in the Tang Dynasty
In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618__907), tea was expanded and popularized as a popular drink, and from the nobility to the common people. Tea was no longer used only as a medicine, but became a popular drink because of its refreshing properties. The Chinese character "茶" was then commonly used as a formal pronoun. The making and serving of tea gradually developed into a complex ritual, and the cultivation and processing of tea gradually developed standards and specifications. At that time, Lu Yu, the tea sage, recorded in detail in the book The book of Tea.
Before the Ming Dynasty (1368__1644 AD), all tea produced in China was green tea, and most of it was made into tea cakes (not cakes, but tea leaves in the shape of cakes) for easy transportation. Emperor Taizu issued an edict abolishing tea cakes and promoting leaf tea. In addition, tea officials were appointed to administer tea business and trade. Since then, tribute tea was changed from tea cake to loose leaf tea. Due to the change of drinking habits, black tea and scented tea were developed in the Ming Dynasty. The production of black tea solved the problem of tea being transported over long distances and became widely accepted in Europe.
Rise and fall in the Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty (AD 1644__1911) was the most popular period for Chinese tea in the European market. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the British East India Company began to purchase Chinese tea in large quantities and ship it back to England, becoming the forerunners of Chinese tea directly sold to the British market. During the Guangxu period, due to changes in the international situation, European countries such as Britain and France began to buy tea from India and Sri Lanka.
Further developed in modern China
China also organized tea delegations to India and Sri Lanka to investigate tea production, and introduced some tea machinery, tea industry has been further developed in China, has long been the world's largest tea production and consumption country.
Enlightenment in Europe
Tea was brought to Europe around the beginning of the 17th century, when the Netherlands and Portugal both traded with China by sea, first in silk, sateen, and spices, and soon in tea. The Dutch exported tea to Italy, France, Germany and Portugal. And arouse the strong interest of French and German people, but except East Frisia region in northern Germany and some upper class people in France, tea is not really included in the daily drink. By the end of the 17th century, however, coffee was the most popular drink in Germany and France, but in Russia and England, the tea market was still expanding.
Popular in England
Tea makes its first recorded appearance in England in 1658. "Tcha", "Tay" and "Tee" were used by merchants at that time, and the exaggerated curative effect was the selling point. Tea took a big turn in 1662, when Princess Catherine of Portugal, who was fond of tea, became the new queen of England. After her marriage, she started the habit of serving tea to princes and nobles, so tea began to spread among nobles and rich people. In the 18th century, tea became the most popular drink in Britain and replaced wine as a part of the meal.
The beginning of afternoon tea
In the early 19th century, tea could be consumed at any time of day, especially after dinner to aid digestion, and afternoon tea was invented by the British Duchess Anna. Anna is the seventh lady of the Duke of Bedford. Due to the dining habits of British aristocrats, there is a long time between small lunch and dinner. In order to eliminate the discomfort caused by hunger, she asked a servant to bring a pot of tea and some snacks to her room. And began to invite her friends to join her for tea. Before long, this kind of afternoon tea activity let London all the upper class people indulge in it, developed the English afternoon tea habit.
Tea in the U.S.
As the British immigrated to North America, tea entered the United States and developed in the United States. The famous Boston Tea Party took place, which also witnessed the independence of the United States.
From tea into the United States, after two or three centuries, the United States developed a large cup of fast iced tea with sugar, which has become an indispensable part of the American food culture.
Today, iced black tea is still the most popular tea drink in the United States. As for more textured tea, Americans are still accustomed to the characteristics of highly fermented tea. Even oolong tea is more accepted and preferred in the United States because it is heavily roasted.
(So we can see,tea is truly a part of the cultural history of the world.)
(The significance of history is to remind us to keep peace and love.)🕊️️️🕊️🕊❤️💛💚️
Tea as a drink has changed people's bad habit of drinking raw water and greatly improved people's health level.Also developed a variety of different health effects and rich taste health tea. All these fully reflect the importance of health tea to the world.
The development of health tea from ancient China to contemporary times has experienced thousands of years of research and historical and cultural development, and has been spread to the present day. In modern China, it has developed into an independent science -- herbology, and has become a precious intangible cultural heritage of China and even the world.
