Each page of Chinese history is imbued with the fragrance of tea.

A small tea leaf not only carries Chinese culture but also contains the path to health.

Many tea enthusiasts engage in various forms such as working in the tea industry, Drinking Tea, and appreciating its nuances. They immerse themselves in tea affairs and the tea way. However, in the public eye, tea is more commonly seen as a means for health preservation, used to alleviate anxiety and sub-health conditions brought about by high-pressure society. Labels such as green, organic, pollution-free, portable, and trendy have become associated with tea's development under market influence.

Putting aside the impact of marketing, what are the characteristics of modern tea? What are the highlights of modern tea production? How should one drink tea for healthy living?

Recently, Life Times conducted an exclusive interview with two academicians dedicated to tea research, who provided authoritative insights into the development of tea culture and the health benefits of tea.

This insightful article is worth reading, sharing, and learning about tea culture and the science of healthy Tea drinking!

Left: Academician Chen Zongmao, researcher at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Right: Academician Liu Zhonghua, professor at Hunan Agricultural University

The Evolution from “Eating Tea” to “Drinking Tea” to “Playing with Tea”

Speaking about the origin and journey of tea, 88-year-old Academician Chen Zongmao provides a detailed overview following a chronological timeline: “Chinese Tea culture flourished during the Tang Dynasty and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. It has since undergone an evolution from ‘eating tea' to ‘drinking tea' to ‘playing with tea'.”

01

Spring and Autumn Period to Warring States: Cooking with Seasonings Added

During the Warring States period, China's first specialized pharmacological text, The Classic of Materia Medica by Shennong, records: “Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, encountering seventy-two poisons in a single day, which were neutralized by tea.” At that time, tea was still considered a medicinal plant. During the Spring and Autumn period, people would cook tea leaves and add seasonings, consuming them as a vegetable side dish.

The Western Han scholar Wang Bao's Tongyue records: “Prepare tea utensils and purchase tea in Wuyang,” indicating that people at the time would cook tea as a beverage and use specific tea utensils. This period marked an important stage in the formation of tea-drinking culture.

Han Dynasty Painting: Brewing Tea

02

Tang Dynasty: Boiling and Infusing Tea Gained Popularity

In the Tang Dynasty, the publication of The Classic of Tea by the “tea sage” Lu Yu marked the flourishing era of tea culture. The practices of boiling, infusing, and drinking tea spread to the general public, making tea a common household beverage.

The Tang people invented the method of steaming green tea, which involved washing fresh tea leaves, steaming them, forming them into cakes, and drying them. When needed, a portion would be taken and boiled. Boiling tea followed three stages:

First boil: Add a little salt and boil until there is a slight sound in the water, with bubbles resembling fish eyes;

Second boil: Remove a ladle of water first, then add ground tea leaves and boil until bubbles around the edge resemble a string of pearls;

Third boil: Once fully boiling, add the water removed during the second boil, and the tea can then be drunk and the leaves chewed.

Due to the prosperity of Buddhist culture during the Tang Dynasty, Japan and other countries sent envoys and students to learn, and tea, with its refreshing aroma and invigorating properties, became very popular. As a result, tea culture spread beyond China's borders.

Tang Dynasty Palace Music Painting Depicting the Scene of Infusing Tea

03

Song Dynasty: Diancha (Pointing Tea) and Doucha (Tea Competitions) Became Popular

The Song Dynasty inherited the tea-drinking traditions of the Tang Dynasty, spreading further and reaching new heights. Professional tea masters, tea reviews, and literary works emerged.

The method of drinking tea in the Song Dynasty was called diancha and doucha.

Diancha involved placing finely ground tea powder in a tea bowl, initially adding a small amount of boiling water to mix the powder, then slowly pouring in boiling water while using a tea whisk to blend it, after which the pure tea liquid could be consumed;

Doucha was a competition to evaluate the quality of tea, most prevalent in northern Fujian. Poet Fan Zhongyan vividly described it as “the North Garden preparing to offer tribute to the emperor, while forest hermits compete in beauty.”

Scene of Diancha in the Song Dynasty Painting Niancha Tu

Tea was given as a precious gift to foreign envoys, and Chinese tea ceremony was formally introduced to Japan, where the practice of diancha remains popular today.

04

Ming Dynasty: Tea Became Popular in Europe

In the late Ming Dynasty, the Dutch transported tea seeds from Macau to Java (present-day Java Island region, Indonesia), and later to various parts of Europe, including Britain.

Academician Chen Zongmao explains that in the 17th century, Princess Catarina of Portugal had a strong love for tea, and her dowry upon marrying King Charles II of England included two large chests of tea. Some older ministers suffered from stomach ailments that Western medicine could not cure. Catarina tried blending different teas for them to drink, successfully curing their illnesses.

Princess Catarina Enjoying Tea

The health benefits of tea were widely promoted among the British upper class and gradually spread to the common people, leading to the saying “one cannot live without tea.” At the time, Britain needed to import large quantities of tea from China, putting significant financial pressure on the country. This led to the introduction of opium to China, becoming one reason behind the Opium Wars.

Notably, the British also introduced tea seeds to their colonies in India and Africa, promoting the global popularity of tea drinking and the spread of tea culture.

05

Modern Times: Drinking, Eating, and Playing with Tea

In modern times, both domestically and internationally, tea has become a common healthy beverage with diverse developments. People not only steep and boil tea but also make matcha powder from young tea leaves, incorporating it into various foods like cookies and ice cream. Many have even started “playing with tea,” such as nurturing tea pets and expanding tea garden tourism.

Three Major Health Benefits of Green Tea

What kind of health benefits lie within a single tea leaf?

Academician Chen Zongmao explains that although people have long known that tea is beneficial to health, serious research into the functional components of tea began in the 1980s. At that time, China advocated a return to nature, providing Traditional Chinese medicine with new opportunities, and the health value of tea received increasing attention