Archive for December, 2011

The Tea Culture of China

Have you ever wondered why so much attention is paid to tea ceremonies in the East? If you have ever traveled to either China or Japan, then you have no doubt encountered the cultural phenomena of tea drinking. China is the origin for the tea drinking cultures of most of East Asia. It is one of the oldest and longest lasting practices which most of these cultures have in common. When one examines the historical evidence intelligently, it is not hard to discover that the consumption of tea got started in China. Tea itself is a native to southern China. In order to appreciate the ways in which tea drinking can turn your Asian home or office into a beautiful place, it is necessary to explore the unique practice carefully. Tea drinking may have gotten its start in China but is was in no way limited to that region. Tea has been a vital part of the experience of many Asian cultures since then.

In Tang times (618-906 CE) tea became a national drink with an established custom in Buddhist monasteries. The idea was to prevent drowsiness in the monks during their times of lengthy meditation. In terms of archeology, tea has been found buried in several tombs with the dead. It was considered a “good” of the Han dynasty (206-220 CE) in the afterlife. There is also strong evidence which suggests that tea drinking began in China even before the time of Christ. (more…)