Chinese Tea

Culture
 I History of Tea

II Chinese Tea Types

Content III Manners of Tea Drinking

Things You Might Not Know

IV
about Tea

V Chinese Tea Houses

Tea is a very important part of Chinese tradition
and remains so today. Tea production has played
a vital role in influencing economic development
and the consumption of tea has remained a part
of daily life in China. 
 Chinese Tea Culture

Grass 艹 is above, tree 木 is under and

people 人 is in the middle, therefore the
whole character means people are
surrounded by grass and trees, which is the
nature. The second meaning is tea is from
the nature, so when you are having tea, you
are tasting the nature, feeling the nature.
Ⅰ History of Tea
History of Tea
China, the homeland of tea, is a leading producer and consumer,
and the discovery and usage of tea have a history of four or five
thousand years. Tea developed from the earliest fresh-boiled tea
taken as a kind of soup, to later dried-and-preserved teas, and
from simple green tea to the blending of six major kinds of tea.
History of Tea

It is said that Shen Nong, the God of

Agriculture, was believed to be the first to
discover tea. In his “Book of Herbs”, it says
that “Shen Nong personally tasted hundreds
of species of herbs and he was hit by 72
poisons in a single day. But he used a kind of
tree leaves to ease his case and it turned out
to be tea tree.”
History of Tea

Chinese tea was primarily used as a medicine

before the 8th century B.C..
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chinese
people chewed tea leaves and enjoyed the taste of
the juice itself.
In the next stage, Chinese tea was cooked like a
soup. Tea leaves were eaten along with the soup.
Tea leaves were even mixed with food. Ancient
Chinese books documented that tea was eaten and
used with other spices to cook.
History of Tea

By the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), the

function of tea to refresh the body and clear the
mind had gradually replaced its function as
medicine. People started drying the leaves to
preserve tea. When they made tea, they put the
leaves into a pot and made a kind of thick soup.
History of Tea

During the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC - 8

AD), simple processing of Chinese tea emerged. Tea
leaves were pressed into balls, dried and stored.
When served, tea balls were crushed and mixed with
green onion, ginger and then boiled in teapots. This
is the point where Chinese tea turned from a
medicine into a beverage. Also, it marked the
beginning of Chinese tea being used to treat guests.
History of Tea
Chinese tea evolved from a palace treat to a
common beverage during the Jin Dynasty.
Tea trading did not start until the Tang Dynasty
(618 AD - 907 AD) when techniques in tea plantation
and processing advanced at great speed, resulting in a
lot of famous teas.
Tang Dynasty was a peak time for tea development.
Tea became a wider drinking beverage in people’s daily
life. A lot of tea trees were extensively planted and the
tea culture developed fast.
History of Tea
According to “Cha Jing” (an early book about tea) written by Lu Yu (a writer who
lived in Tang Dynasty), the tea plant and the process of tea were recorded in detail. It
is said that tea had widely spread and it had become one of the irreplaceable drinks
in people’s life. The book also recorded the history of tea before Tang Dynasty and
described the types of tea.

The sculpture of the Sage of Tea - Luyu

History of Tea

Brick tea was the main style of the

tea in Tang Dynasty. Tea leaves were
made into cake forms. In order to
make the hot drink, brick tea was put
into the boiling water in kettles to
cook for some time.
History of Tea

Song Dynasty (690-1279 A.D.) is another important period for the

development of tea. More tea species appeared in Song Dynasty. The
requirement of tea was stricter and stricter at the time. Tea connoisseurs
even held competitions to judge the quality of tea including the tea leaves,
water, and the mixture. Books, poems, and paintings about tea were
popular in the whole country which promoted the tea trade between
Central Plains (the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) and the
outside of the great wall. The country benefited a lot from the tea taxes
which started in Tang Dynasty.
History of Tea
The number of social tea houses increased rapidly in Song Dynasty. Tea
culture was formed day by day. Tea became people’s essential drink in
daily life. People still made the tea leaves into the brick tea. It is said that
the Japanese tea ceremony was originated in the tea in Song Dynasty.

Teahouse in Southern China

History of Tea

Tea had reached folklife and be widely

loved by all levels of people. And the
government allowed people to plant tea
trees freely. There were more categories of
tea including green tea, flower tea, oolong
tea, and black tea in the Ming and Qing
Dynasties. The making process of tea had
been improved and it also influenced the
drinking styles of tea.
History of Tea

People also paid attention to the

exquisite teapots. Yixing Purple Clay
Teapots were the most popular teapots
during this period which had formed a
new art of the teapots. Tea houses were
located everywhere in the street. The
number of tea works including books,
poets, paintings of tea was the biggest in
all the dynasties.
Ⅱ Chinese Tea Types
Chinese Tea Types

There are fifteen major tea-producing

provinces in mainland China, and Taiwan
also produces tea. Chinese teas are
generally divided into six major types,
mainly according to the method of
production. These types are green tea,
black tea, Oolong tea, white tea, yellow
tea, and dark tea.
Chinese Tea Types
Besides these, there are processed sorts such as
jasmine tea and compressed tea. Each type has its
representative “celebrity tea”, each with its unique
appearance and aroma, and some are even
associated with beautiful legends.
The best teas, renowned for their top quality in
color, fragrance, and taste, are mostly the result of
excellent natural conditions, a top-class variety of
tea trees, refined picking methods, and exquisite
processing techniques.
Chinese Tea Types
 Green Tea

Green tea is the oldest type of tea in China, and it is also produced there in the
greatest quantities. Many provinces and cities are renowned for their production of
green tea, the most eminent provinces being Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui.
In green tea the leaves are not fermented, so they largely retain the original flavor
of tea, which is simple, elegant, and enduring. At first sip, green tea may taste a little
thin, but after a while, it gains a fragrance in the mouth that lingers.
Green Tea
As early as the Tang Dynasty, Tianzhu Temple and
Lingyin Temple in the West Lake were already
growing tea. Longjing tea quickly became famous as a
special tea, with qualities of freshness and
tenderness.
The best Longjing tea leaves should be picked and
processed before Pure Brightness Festival (a day
around April 5 or 6), and was called “before-
West Lake Longjing Tea
brightness tea”. Leaves picked and processed after
Pure Brightness and before Grain Rain was a little
inferior in quality, and were known as “before-rain
tea”.
Green Tea
Mount Huangshan is situated in Anhui Province
and is one of China’s most famous mountains,
revered from ancient times. The tea from Mont
Huangshan, known as Maojian, has a light yellow
sheen.
The leaf is covered with white hairs, and the shoot
tip is shaped like a mountain peak, giving rise to its
name (meaning soft tip). After brewing, the water is
clear and bright, with a touch of apricot yellow. It Maojian Tea of Mount Huangshan
tastes strong and fresh and pure. The best Maojian
tea leaves an aftertaste even after being brewed five
or six times.
Green Tea
Pilochun comes from Mount Dongting of Wu County in
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, so it is also called “Dongting
Pilochun”. Its special feature is its luscious fragrance, so the
tea was once known by the locals as a “frightening
fragrance”.
Pilochun looks verdant and like a trumpet shell, with fine
and dense flosses around the circumference. It is best to use
glasses when drinking Pilochun because the tea leaves slowly
unfold after absorbing water. When they sink and float in the
water, their white hairs can be clearly seen, like snow flying
in the wind. Pilochun not only has a pleasant aroma and
Pilochun
taste, but it also gives people visual enjoyment.
Black Tea

Black tea is a type of fermented tea; originating from green tea after it is mixed,
kneaded, fermented, dried, and otherwise processed. Tea made from green tea leaves is
a fresh green while that made using black tea is orange-red. But this difference is
superficial.
While green tea retains the thin and refreshing flavor of the leaves, the fermented
black tea gives a stronger and thicker flavor. Black tea first appeared in Qing Dynasty, and
so is much younger than green tea. But it occupied an important position in China’s
foreign trade at the end of the Qing Dynasty and was the main type of tea exported to
Europe and America.
Black Tea
Oolong tea is somewhat intermediate between green
and black tea. The finishing technique is that of green
tea, but the preparation involves fermentation like black
tea – it is a semi-fermented tea.
It, therefore, has characteristics of both green and
black tea: the fresh and clear flavor of green tea and the
thick and luscious fragrance of black tea.
Chinese Oolong tea comes mainly from Fujian, and
Guangdong, and is also grown in Taiwan. Fujian has been Oolong Tea
the hometown of tea since early times. Most tribute tea
in the Song Dynasty came from Fujian.
Dark Tea

Dark tea was invented by accident. Long ago, in order to supply tea to the ethnic
groups of the northwest, tea produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, and other
places had to be transported to the north by sea, and then to the northwest via the Silk
Road.
In ship cabins and on horseback, the tea traveled far and was affected by the
weather, and alternating damp and dry conditions caused major changes to the
chemical composition of the leaves, and also turned them blackish-brown.
In spite of this, they still give off a rare fragrance, and this type of tea quickly came
to be appreciated by the locals.
Black Tea

Pu’er tea is a special kind of dark tea that has been

produced in Yunnan Province for more than 2,000 years.

Pu’er tea can be roughly divided into two types. The

first type is made through simple sun-drying, and is
usually known as “Raw Pu’er”. The other kind is made
with the technique of “heating pile” (sprinkling water
over a pile of leaves to induce fermentation), and is Pu’er Tea
usually known as “Ripe Pu’er”.
Yellow Tea

Like dark tea, yellow tea was also a chance discovery when making green tea.
People found that if leaves were not dried promptly after being finished, kneaded, and
twisted, they would turn yellow in color, forming yellow tea.
Yellow tea is a type of fermented tea, the fermentation process here being known
as “annealing yellow”. Junshan Silver Needle of Hunan and Mengdi Yellow Shoot of
Sichuan are two representatives of yellow tea. Being one of the ten top teas of China,
Silver Needle tea is both beautiful and delicious.
White Tea

White tea is slightly fermented. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, people regarded
white tea as very valuable, but at that time white tea was just a rare kind of tea tree
whose leaves were white, not the same as the white tea we know today.

White Hair Silver Needle and White Peony produced in Fujian are representatives
of white tea.
Chinese Tea Types
In addition to the above six major types of tea,
there are also tight-pressed teas and scented teas
produced by re-processing the leaves. Tight-
pressed tea comes from tight pressing crude tea
leaves after steaming at a high temperature.
Scented tea, with a history of over 1,000 years,
is made from a mixture of edible flowers and tea
leaves. Scented teas were popular in the Qing
Dynasty. The most common scented tea –jasmine
tea- is very popular in Beijing and Tianjin.
Ⅲ Manners of Tea
Drinking
 How to Drink the Tea

The skill of tea making and drinking is expressed in seven

basic steps.

1. The preparation of the tea leaves.

2. The preparation of the water.
3. Starting of the fire for boiling the tea.
4. Getting the right temperature of the water for the boiling
of the leaves.
5. Putting in tea leaves.
6. Boiling the tea leaves.
7. Serving the tea.
 Manners of Tea Drinking

There are also detailed requirements for the

drinkers. Meanwhile, with the popularization of tea,
people in different regions and of different nationalities
developed their own unique customs of taking tea.

In Guangdong, for example, people like drinking

morning tea, in Fujian they prefer Kungfu tea, Hunan
has Lei tea, Sichuan people love “covered-bowl tea”,
while people of the Bai nationality treat their guests with
“Three-Course Tea”. Tibetan people prefer buttered tea
and those from Inner Mongolia like milk tea.
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 Kungfu Tea
Kungfu tea is not one kind of tea or the name of
tea, but a skill of making tea. People call it Kungfu
tea for the reason of its exquisite process. The
operational procedures require certain techniques,
knowledge and skill of brewing and tasting tea.
Kungfu tea originated in the Song Dynasty and
prevailed mostly in Chaozhou, Guangdong
Province. It later became popular around the nation.
Kungfu tea is famous for its high concentration.
Oolong tea is mainly used in making the Kungfu tea
because it can meet there quirements of color,
flavor and taste of the Kungfu tea.
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 Lei Tea

Lei tea is very particular about picking

and making. You have to go to the mountains
in the early morning. Pick wild vegetables
with dew, complete the preparation of the
main raw materials for making Lei tea with
mint, Perilla leaves and other wild
vegetables. In order to fully integrate tea and
wild vegetables, two special tools are : tea
bowl and tea stick.

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 Lei Tea

Yuan camphor wood is often used as

the tea challenge stick. It's made from the
mountain Cang tree or Camellia oleifera
tree. If other miscellaneous wood is used,
the taste will be greatly reduced. After
completion, a good bowl of Lei tea should
be sweet and fragrant. The color is like
emerald, refreshing and delicious. It has a
rich taste and strong aroma .

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 Covered-bowl Tea
Covered bowl tea is a traditional drink of the Hui
group. Since the tea set consists of a tray, a
trumpet-shaped bowl and a cover, the drink is
called covered bowl tea or three forts.
According to legend, this tradition dates back to
the Zhenguan years during the Tang Dynasty. The
tea is named after different ingredients, such as tea
with three sweeties (tea leaf, crystal sugar and
longan), spiced tea (crystal sugar, tea leaf, longan,
raisin and dried apricot), and assorted tea (red
date, wolfberry, walnut meat, longan, sesame,
raisin, white sugar, tea leaf).
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 Covered-bowl Tea
The Hui group pays particular attention to
infusing. They believe snow water and spring water
are the best. When the tea is served to the guest,
the host must open the cover first, water the bowl
with hot water, put in sugar, tea and other raw
materials and then fill in boiled water. Then the host
shall hold the tea to the guest with both hands. This
is to show respect to the guest and the tea is not
left over by others. In general different types of tea
are prepared according to seasons and people’s
physical condition. In summer jasmine tea and
green tea are most popular; while in winter oolong
tea is better.
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 Three-Course Tea
The Bai people have formed their unique tea
culture on offering tea to guests. It is known as the
“Three-Course Tea.” That means the tea comes in
three styles.
In the first round, the Bai people place an empty
teapot on the fire until its surface is hot. Then they
put a handful of tea leaves inside the teapot, and
shake it to make sure the tea leaves are evenly
baked. When the tea leaves turn yellow and emit
an aroma, they pour boiled water into the teapot.
The tea looks amber and tastes bitter. The host will
offer a half cup of tea to guests, who are expected
to drink at one time.
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 Three-Course Tea

In the second round, the Bai people make the

tea the same way, but they add some brown sugar,
cheese slices (a local product), and cinnamon to
sweeten the mixture.
In the third round, the Bai people add honey,
puffed sticky rice, dry Sichuan pepper, and ground
walnuts, so the tea has various flavors, including
sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, and rich aftertastes.
The Three-Course Tea also reflects the philosophy
that life is both bitter and sweet, but every moment
is cherished when looked back on.
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 Buttered Tea
Buttered tea is a featured drink of the Tibetan
people. They like to drink it alongside Tsampa
(roasted barley flour). There are many functions of
butter tea, such as warming up the body, avoiding
mountain sickness and preventing dryness.
One method to make butter tea is to boil water,
and add a handful of the tea into the water, and
then allow it to steep until it turns almost black. Salt
and butter is then added. The tea is then strained
into a slender wooden barrel and churned until the
tea reaches the desired proper consistency.
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 15 Things You
Ⅳ Might Not Know
about Tea
 Things You Might Not Know about Tea
Tea has long been popular in China, with some 5,000 years of history. Here are 15
interesting things to help you learn more about (Chinese) tea.

1. Tea originated in the Wuyi Mountain region of Fujian Province in China. The Da
Hong Pao (Big Red Robe, 大红袍 ) tea from that region is probably the most expensive
tea in the world. A small number of its tea leaves can be worth a million dollars or more.

2. The world’s largest tea consumer is China; but Turkey, Ireland, and the UK are the
three countries with the highest per capita consumption of tea. The British people drink
about 165 million cups of tea a day i.e. 62 billion cups a year.
 Things You Might Not Know about Tea
3. In Victorian times, the British had a special teacup designed to prevent people’s
beards from steeping in tea while drinking. The Mustache Cup was invented by a British
potter, Harvey Adams, because in the 1860s, growing a beard was very popular. Even
now, you can still find some of these cups for sale on eBay.

4. Tea is the second-most-popular drink in the world, after water. People worldwide
drink about 3 billion cups of tea a day, and the USA consumed 80 billion cups last year.

5. Drinking tea can reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. According to
scientific research, we’d better drink tea rather than coffee.
 Things You Might Not Know about Tea
6. Pu'er tea can inhibit weight gain and has a good lipid-lowering effect.

7. The invention of the teabag was a complete accident: a businessman from New
York, Thomas Sullivan, often put tea leaves into small silk bags and distributed the bags
to his customers. He expected the customers to pour out the tea leaves and steep the
leaves before drinking, but they misunderstood.

8. There are hundreds of types of tea in the world, but all tea comes from the same
plant: Camellia sinesis. The different tastes of tea depend on different ways of processing
tea leaves.
 Things You Might Not Know about Tea
9. According to legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BC
(nearly 5,000 years ago). Iced tea was first offered at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair.

10. Drinking tea first started to become popular during the Tang (618-907) and Song
(960-1279) dynasties and has continued into modern times.

11. Putting dry tea bags in stinky shoes can help absorb those unpleasant smells.
Teabags can also be used to relieve pain from sunburn.

12. Tea is a good facial toner, helping to protect your skin against greasiness.
 Things You Might Not Know about Tea
13. Tea can be used to clean wooden furniture. You can first clean the furniture with
a rag dampened with tea, then dry it with a dry cloth.

14. Dark tea and oolong tea should be washed quickly with boiling water before
drinking. This can warm the tea leaves and help to release the tea’s fragrance. Green tea,
black tea, and other tea, however, don’t need this process.

15. Generally, the ratio of tea leaves to water should be controlled at around 1 to 50
or 60; that is, e.g., about 150 to 180 ml of hot water should be added to 3 grams of dry
tea leaves.
Ⅴ Chinese Tea House
Tea House has been ranked as the public
place for drinking tea, relaxing, and
entertainment since ancient times, acting as
a vivid epitome of Chinese tea culture and
Chinese people’s leisure life.
 Chinese tea houses enjoy a long-standing history, dating back to the Tang
and Song dynasties. Chinese tea houses originated in the Western Jin Dynasty,
took shape in the Tang Dynasty, and developed and completed in the Song,
Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It became prosperous in modern times and
early years after liberation. In the contemporary era, it becomes glorious. The
developing courses of the teahouse reveal the developing condition of the
economy, society, and culture in a certain period.

After reform and opening-up, with the rapid development of the economy and
improvement of people's living standards, tea houses flourished in China.
According to the statistics, there have been more than 25,000 teahouses in
China, with employees of over 2,500,000.
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 Beijing Tea Houses

There is a great variety of tea houses in

Beijing, including Big Tea house, Qing Tea
house, Storytelling Tea house, and Wild Tea
house. In ancient times in Beijing, there
were a number of storytelling tea houses,
where listening to the storytelling was the
main purpose. The famed tea houses in
Beijing are arranged and decorated
fastidiously, creating the atmosphere for
listening to storytelling.
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 Chengdu Tea Houses

People of Sichuan Province have been

keeping the habit of drinking tea. Drinking tea
in tea houses is the typical tea activity of
Sichuan. In Chengdu, tea houses and tea
rooms of different sizes are spread all over
the cities. Some are decorated with
calligraphy, painting, flowers, and
mediascape, creating a beautiful and quiet
environment.

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 Guangdong Tea Houses
The tea houses of Guangdong feature
magnificent appearance and they are decorated
gorgeously, with a rich cultural atmosphere.
There are thousands of tea houses in
Guangzhou, including professional tea houses
and hotel tea houses. Guangdong tea houses
are also served as restaurants for having meals.
There are over 60 varieties of delicate
refreshments. In Guangzhou, people having a
date, holding family reunion parties, and having
business negotiations are all usually held in tea
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houses.
Thank You !