To welcome the sixth United Nations “International Tea Day” on May 21, 2024, with the support of all sectors of society, the Capital Civilization Engineering Foundation and the Civilization magazine have specially planned to launch a special commemorative issue titled “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea,” which, in 180,000 words and over 600 images, maps, and diagrams across 367 pages, unfolds the grand yet intricate history and memory of Chinese tea, as well as depicts its magnificent yet detailed story. “Tea has deeply integrated into the lives of the Chinese people, becoming an important carrier for inheriting Chinese culture.”

“The Chinese nation has a human history of one million years, a cultural history of ten thousand years, and a civilization history of more than 5,000 years.” Similarly, “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” unfolds a grand narrative of civilization:

The Chinese people possess a tea plant history dating back over 1.4 million years, marked by tea seed fossils;

A tea usage history from about 8,000 to 6,000 years ago since the birth of civilization;

A tea tree cultivation history of over 5,000 years since the creation of civilization;

A tea culture history of over 3,000 years since the establishment of Zhou rituals;

A tea industry history of over 2,000 years since the move towards unified civilization;

A tea aesthetics history of over 1,700 years since the Western Jin Dynasty;

An Asian tea civilization circle dissemination history of over 1,300 years since the Tang Dynasty;

A global tea drinking history since Chinese tea porcelain entered Africa over 900 years ago during the Song Dynasty, Europe over 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty, and America over 200 years ago during the Qing Dynasty.

“The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” verifies this famous statement: “China is the homeland of tea. Tea has deeply integrated into the lives of the Chinese people, becoming an important carrier for inheriting Chinese culture. From the ancient Silk Road, the Tea Horse Road, and the Ancient Tea Ship Road, to today's Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, tea has transcended history and crossed borders, being loved by people around the world.”

“To let more people know about tea, love tea, and share the aroma and charm of tea, enjoying a better life.” To achieve this, in the preface “Tasting ‘The Classic of Tea': Savoring Tea, Taste, and Life – The Chinese Philosophical Paradigm and Civilizational Inclusiveness,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” describes the philosophical significance of tea culture and the tea industry in relation to Chinese Five Elements philosophy. It returns to the philosophical realm of Lu Yu's “The Classic of Tea” to argue the micro-operational mechanism of Chinese tea philosophy within the system of traditional Chinese medicine theory, as well as the historical process of Chinese technological civilization spreading inclusively worldwide, represented by tea porcelain, among other things.

In the first chapter “Origins and Cultivation: Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Initial Sprout of Chinese tea culture,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” tells the story: Recent archaeological discoveries show that there are multiple regions where tea trees originated and where the Chinese first utilized tea. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, along the Yangtze River basin, China had formed five basic tea-producing areas, which were expanded upon in subsequent dynasties. During the Three Kingdoms period, people west of the Yangtze River invented the tea porridge method, while during the Western Jin Dynasty, people east of the Yangtze River created the clear tea method based on the tea porridge method, laying the foundation for the mainstream tea drinking methods and developing the narrative method of tea aesthetics.

In the second chapter “Prosperity and Theory: During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Tea Drinking Flourished in Various Forms,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” unfolds the narrative of the tea civilization circle: During the Tang Dynasty, a complete system was gradually formed in tea production techniques, tea utensils, and tea tasting etiquette. Lu Yu's “The Classic of Tea” laid a solid foundation for later discussions on tea, and tea poetry and tea painting flourished alongside the Tang tea culture. At this time, an Asian tea civilization circle began to form. During the Northern Song Dynasty, tea drinking became a widespread secular behavior, and the popularization of tea competitions influenced the formation of tea culture in Liao and Jin. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty's “Comprehensive Treatise on Tea” pushed tea culture to its peak. During the Yuan Dynasty, loose tea began to appear.

In the third chapter “Market and Secular Life: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Skills and Commercial Landscape,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” summarizes: During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang abolished Compressed tea cakes in favor of loose leaf tea, thus opening the way for the “ancestral method of tea drinking.” During the Qing Dynasty, the six major types of tea formed a richly layered and structurally complete system, and “tribute tea” was sent to the imperial court, leading to the peak of palace tea culture during the Kangxi and Qianlong eras. The existence and development of tea utensils, tea houses, and tea shops paint a broader picture of Chinese tea taking root among the common people at the beginning of the Age of Discovery, enduring ups and downs, and persistently striving to survive.

In the fourth chapter “Trade and Dissemination: Across the Globe, Changing the World Landscape,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” makes a “geographic discovery”: Since the Tang Dynasty, elements such as tea, tea utensils, and tea drinking methods, carrying Chinese tea culture, spread through the maritime and land Silk Roads in Asia. After the 16th century, merchants and travelers, as well as missionaries, brought the “magical eastern leaves” to the West, causing commercial competition and military conflicts that changed the entire world order and shaped tea drinking habits in many parts of the globe.

In the fifth chapter “From Small ‘Tea Leaves' to Big ‘Tea Industry': Telling Modern Tea Stories,” “The Heart Rhythm of Chinese Tea” portrays the concept of coordinating tea culture, tea industry, and tea technology, further promoting the flourishing development of the tea industry across the country. Whether it is through the continuous hosting of various tea expos and tea events or the continued prominence of different teas and related customs in intangible cultural heritage, a “new classic of tea” is being written, with a profusion of varieties and fragrances wafting across the world.

According to surveys, statistics, and certifications by relevant United Nations agencies, tea drinking culture and Olympic sports culture are the largest cultural forms globally, with nearly 4 billion people experiencing and participating in these two cultural forms each year. What is the principle of civilizational dissemination behind this?