Origins of Tea
The true origins of tea are actually unknown but are believed to date to around 2700 BC. Like coffee, its exact discovery and origins are shrouded in mystery and myth. What is known is that tea originated from the Eastern part of the world. Some scholars believe that tea was most likely discovered in the mountainous areas of China's far western provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. While others argue that tea originated in Burma and spread to China by the Han dynasty period (206 BC to 221 AD).
Myths and Legends
The question of whether tea came from elsewhere to Han dynasty China is obscured by legend. One of the earliest tales dates the origins of tea to 5000 years ago. According to legend, Shen Nung, "the Divine Healer" (2737 BC), was an early emperor, skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. When his servants began to boil water for the court to drink, dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, according to legend, tea was created.
Other legends state that tea bushes first sprang up when a Buddhist monk cut off his eyelids to keep from falling asleep while meditating. According to this, the monk Bodhidharam sat meditating for 9 year until he finally fell asleep. When he awoke and discovered his lapse, he disgustedly cut off his eyelids. They fell to the ground and took root, growing into tea bushes containing a stimulant that was to sustain meditations forever after. And yet other legends offer variations on the tale of Shen Nung. The deposed evil Emperor Wan Tu, lived in disgrace and poverty in a southern part of China. He spent most of his days plotting revenge, whilst sipping a modest drink of boiled water in the shade of a large bush.One autumn day, a light wind blew a few dried leaves from the bush into his drink, Wan Tu studied the leaves as they gave of a light colour to the water. He gingerly tasted the infusion and was delighted with its taste.s he fell asleep, he realised that it also had mystical relaxing qualities. Indeed so relaxing was this infusion that he spent the next seven years sitting under this bush and renouncing his past evil ways, vowing to make amends. Having discovered such tranquillity of soul he named this infusion Tai, which means peace
Written References
It is said that Confucius (550 BCE) spoke of an herb called t'u in his writings, which in Chinese, later translated to the word tea, so it was possible that the beverage was known at this early time. However, the first reliable written reference to tea is found in a book of Chinese medicine dating back to 350 BCE. In it, tea is considered a remedy to be used in the form of infusion, paste, or ointment. It invigorates, soothes headaches, and aids digestion.
Many Chinese poems have been devoted to tea since the T'ang era, including Lo-tung's:
The first cup moistens my lips and throat,
the second dispels my solitude,
the third penetrates my innermost organs, there to bestir a thousand strange ideograms,
the fourth brings on a light perspiration, and my pores exhale all my impurities,
with the fifth cup I am cleansed,
the sixth transports me to the realm of the immortals,
the seventh! ah! the seventh ... but I can drink no more! I feel only the breath of the icy wind filling my sleeves"
Tea Etymologies
From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink. By the third century AD many stories were being told and some written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 906 AD) that tea became China's national drink and the word ch'a was used to describe tea.
The first book on tea "Ch'a Ching", circa 780 AD, was written by the Chinese author Lu Yu. It comprises three volumes and covers tea from its growth through to its making and drinking, as well as covering a historical summary and famous early tea plantation. There are many illustrations of tea making utensils and some say that the book inspired the Buddhist priests to create the Japanese tea ceremony. The Chinese character ch'a, the modern Mandarin word for tea is, except for a single vertical stroke, identity with the character t'u. As early as the Han dynasty (206 BC to AD 24), tea switched from t'u to ch'a.
The modern term "tea" derives from early Chinese dialect words - such as Tchai, Cha, te and Tay - used both to describe the beverage and the leaf. Known as Camellia sinensis, tea is an evergreen plant of the Camellia family. It has smooth, shiny pointed leaves which look similar to the privet hedge leaf found in British gardens.
The Chinese passion for tea, nicknamed "liquid jade", is also attributed to the poet Lu Yu, about the year 780, in one of the most popular works of the time, the Chaking (the classic of tea). Even today this text continues to be re-issued, and is considered the "Bible of tea".
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