Art of Chinese tea

Chinese tea

The Chinese have a common saying, "Seven things in the house: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea." It shows that tea has already blended into Chinese daily social lives and has become an everyday consumer's item.

Tea contains many vitamins, theine, fluorides and more. Tea can improve vision, clear the mind, and benefit diuretic functions and so on. Not only do the Chinese believe that having tea regularly can prolong life and benefit health, but modern science has also proven that tea is a natural health drink good for the body. 

Influence of Chinese tea

The southwest part of China, the sub-tropical mountainous area, is the original birthplace of wild tea trees. At first, tea was only used as ceremonial offerings or food. In the Tang Dynasty when Buddhism was at its peak in popularity and influence, Buddhists discovered that tea can relieve drowsiness when meditating, and can help with digestion.

Therefore, tea drinking was promoted, and suddenly, almost every monastery or temple had tea. Soon, tea was accepted by the masses, from highly noble imperial families to the lowly merchants and labor workers, all drank tea. So it goes that “from days of old, famous temples produce famous tea.” This is because most temples and monasteries have their land and agricultural produce. The local believers in the faith help to plant and grow the crops. Improvements in the quality of the tea leaves and the promotion of the art of tea-drinking were helped by the somewhat highly educated and cultured monks. From then on, Chinese tea art along with Buddhism was brought to Japan. Starting in the Naryo Period (around the early 15th century), Japanese tea art took shape. Korea, as well as countries in Southeast Asia, was also influenced by tea-drinking customs.

Due to differences in culture and geography, the word “tea” in Chinese has mainly two ways of pronunciation. One is based on the northern dialects, which pronounces it as “cha,” the other is the southern dialect from areas like Fujian that reads it as “tee.” Those countries that imported tea from northern China, such as Japan and India, have their words for “tea” being similar to cha;” the Russian pronunciation is “chai” and the Turkish say “chay.” And those countries who imported tea from the southern coast of China, such as England, have the word “tea;” Spanish word is “té;” the French pronounce it as “thé,” and the Germans say “Tee.” They are mostly all phonetic translations of the Chinese word for “tea.”

The popularization of tea goes hand in hand with its development in trading. In Europe, the earliest tea drinkers were the British. The record shows that at the beginning of the 17th century, the English have already tasted tea from China, and thus aroused tremendous interest and need in tea supply. To secure a continuous supply of tea drinks, the British government ordered its East India Company to guarantee tea supply in stock. As tea gained popularity even among the general public, European countries’ need for tea supply increased exponentially as time went by. By early 19th century, China had a tea export volume of 40 million tons to England and created for large Sino-British trade deficits. 

Variety of Chinese tea

China has, including Taiwan, sixteen provinces, and regions that produce tea; including the northern provinces of Shandong, Shaanxi, and Henan. Since the Tang Dynasty, northern and northwestern nomadic nationalities began trading horses for tea with tea-rich regions, thus spurred a whole new kind of business. It was not until the mid-Qing Dynasty did the horse-tea commerce start to be replaced by hard currency. At present, tea has become a daily necessity for people in these areas.

Tea is made from leaves plucked from tea trees. Due to different processing procedures, it results in green, red (black), oolong, white, yellow and dark black teas. Famous high-grade teas are products made possible by many factors, including a superior natural growing environment, a superior breed of tea trees, accurate picking methods and exquisite treatment process. While holding high prestige, these high-grade teas also possess an essential position in the commercial market.

The crucial link in making tea is in its “fermentation.” Non-fermented teas are called “green tea,” which use fresh tea buds as a necessary ingredient. Through dry heating or steaming, fermentation of the tea is stopped. Then it is twiddled into strings and dried for the final touch. Tea drink made from green tea is verdurous in color or has a touch of yellow within. Its fresh fragrance is highlighted by a touch of bitterness. Among all kinds of tea, green tea has the longest history with the most extensive production volume and broadest production area. Of these, the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi have the most extensive production and best quality. Green teas, since ancient times, include a whole line-up of famous high-quality tea including West Lake Longjing, Longjing Lake Biluochun, Mount Huang Maofeng, Mengding Ganlu, Mount Lu Yunwu Tea, Xinyang Maojian, Liu’an Guapian, all of which are well-known both near and far.

Through fermentation, tea leaves will gradually turn from its original dark green color to a dark reddish tint (black); the longer the fermentation period, the redder the color. Its aroma would also change, depending on the degree of fermentation, flower fragrance, ripe fruit fragrance or malt sugar fragrance. The completely fermented tea is called “red tea (black tea in the English language).” It is made first by picking fresh tea leaves from the trees, then through a process called “withering,” the tea leaves are placed outdoors under intense sunlight. Then it is moved back indoors for cooling. Thus the tea becomes much more fragrant. Then the tea is kneaded, fermented, dried and so on through a series of processing stages. Due to its dark red color both when dry and when made into a drink, we call it “red (black) tea.” Red (black) tea in its treatment process has gone through chemical reactions, where the chemical contents of the fresh leaves change significantly. Its fragrance is much more apparent than the fresh leaves. More famous black teas include Qimen Red (black) Tea, Ninghong Gongfu Tea, Fujian Minhong and so on.

Semi-fermented tea, or oolong tea, is a unique Chinese specialty. The most representative production area of oolong tea is Anxi, Fujian Province. Oolong tea can be distinguished into three grades, which are light, medium and heavy fermentation. Lightly fermented oolong tea has the characteristics of strong aroma, high refinement, making for a golden colored drink. Medium fermented oolong includes Tie Guanyin (literally the Iron Bodhisattva), Shuixian, and Dongding. Its drink color is brown and is steady in taste, giving a rather strong touch to the throat. The heavy fermented oolong such as Baihao Oolong makes for an orange-colored drink with the sweetness and fragrance of ripe fruits.

In general, northern Chinese prefer the strong and fragrant Huacha (flower tea), or red (black) tea; the people south of the Yangtze River cannot live without Longjing, Maojian or Biluochun; people in the southwestern provinces are used to the pure and precious Pu’er; and people of Fujian and Guangdong like to use oolong to make “Gongfu” tea. The nomadic people of China drink milk teas of various types. Some people say that the green tea symbolizes the strong scholarly air of the Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) people. Red (black) tea, on the other hand, has a feminine quality, bringing a sense of peace. The oolong symbolizes the wisdom of the old, rich and polished. Drinking Huacha feels instead frolic as if walking the busy folk streets, with a right and full-bodied taste. Therefore, perceiving a Chinese with his or her tea can give many clues about where the person is from, the individual’s personality and level of self-cultivation.

In most tea-producing regions of China, the growing of tea trees and the plucking of tea leaves have its seasons. The plucking of tea usually takes place in spring, summer, and autumn. Tea leaves from different seasons have different appearances and inner qualities. Tea leaves plucked in spring, from early March to the Qingming Festival (also known as Pure and Bright Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day, around April 5th of each year), are called “pre-ming tea” or “first tea.” Its color is of light jade green and tastes pure with a touch of acerbity. Two weeks after Qingming, it is the Guyu solar term on the Chinese lunar calendar. During this time, the Jiangnan area will experience a round of fine precipitation for the moistening of crops. And this brings forth the second peak season of tea picking. Tealeaves collected after the Qingming but before Guyu is called “pre-rain tea,” and the spring tea picked after that is called “post-rain tea.” Spring tea’s prices usually vary according to the time the tea leaves were picked, with the costs being higher for previous tea and lower for the later. In most cases, early-spring green tea is the best in quality among all available tea throughout the year. Tea from the same year is considered new, while tea of more than a year old is deemed to be aged.

Green tea and oolong tea are better when fresh, while aged Pu’er tea also has excellent flavor. Tea lovers have different choices throughout the seasons. Green teas are high for spring, while Chrysanthemum tea (chrysanthemum flower dried under direct sunlight for soaking into drinks, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province produces the most famous chrysanthemum tea) accommodates nicely for autumn. In late fall and winter, oolong, Pu’er, and Tie Guanyin are great for the cold weather. Throughout the year, there are more varieties of tea than one can choose from. Experienced tea drinkers not only can discern between new and aged tea. They are even able to tell during which the season the tea was picked from.

History of drinking tea

Tea drinking is deeply rooted in Chinese nature. In mid-Tang Dynasty, a scholar by the name of Lu Yu (733–804 A.D.), who had spent his childhood in a monastery, collected and compiled older writings concerning tea and combined it with his thorough studies. Eventually, he completed the first work of writing in the world relating to tea, titled Cha Jing. This classic work systematically recorded the properties of tea trees; the traits of tea leaves; tea-growing, picking, and making; tea-brewing techniques and tea drinkware; experiences with tea and so on. The manuscript also introduced the origins of tea as well as tea-related matters before the Tang Dynasty, labeling tea production areas at the time. The book is an essential work of contribution to Chinese tea culture.

In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, there also emerged a competitive way to judge the quality of tea and tea-brewing techniques, as it was called Ming Zhan, literally meaning “tea war.” It was a reflection of the highest form of tea sampling in ancient times. In the Song Dynasty that followed, when tea drinking was the prevailing trend, it was a time in history that people paid the most attention to “tea battles.” From kings, generals and prime ministers to the common folks, all participated in the art. Not only were there competitions between famed tea production areas and respected temples, even at street markets selling tea, but people would also have to “duke” it out, and it was intimately connected to the trade. Many kinds of famous tea and tea used as imperial tribute came about either as a direct or indirect result of the tea battles. In a tea battle, usually, two to three people would gather together, each presenting one’s best available tea.

After heating water and brewing, the best tea makes the winner. Tea art emphasizes many ideas, as “freshness is noble” in tea stock and “liveliness is noble” in the water used. The taste of the tea depends on “fragrance and smoothness” for the best quality, and the fragrance of tea should be the “real fragrance” of the tea leaves. As for the color of the drink, “pure white (clear)” is the superior kind. Correspondingly, using black porcelain teacups (Fujian-made Black Porcelain from Jian Kilns) became the leading fashion that replaced the formerly used blue porcelain. As a result, the value of a teacup was not only in its aesthetic appearance, more importantly, it was its power to produce an unforgettable experience at times of enjoying tea, directed by the sense of touch, sight, smell, and taste. When making tea with a black porcelain teacup, the beauty of a white liquid casts a great sense of aesthetic satisfaction. It is an art appreciated by all social classes, from imperial tea feasts to gatherings of merchants and servants. This trend even found its way into Japan. Tea battle has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese tea culture.

How to drinking Chinese tea

The standards for sampling, evaluation, and inspection of tea in many ways were derived from the book of Cha Jing and tea battles. To make an excellent pot of tea, not only are high-grade tea leaves to be used, the water quality, temperature, quantity and the type of teaware must also be taken into account. The ancient Chinese believed that spring water from high up in the mountains is best for making tea. River water, ice melt, and rainwater are second in quality; with water from earth wells being the worst. In modern terms, best-quality water means fresh soft water with low mineral content, while hard water with high mineral content should not be used. The required water temperature should be adjusted accordingly with each kind of tea. For most tea, close to 100 degrees Celsius would be proper. However, for green teas and teas with a low degree of fermentation, water temperature should not exceed 90 degrees Celsius. The number of tea leaves used to make a drink also depends on the type of tea used. From a quarter to three-quarters of the teapot’s capacity are all possible. 

As for “teaware,” different types of tea require different vessels for the best experience. For Huacha, a porcelain pot is used so as to seal in the fragrance. Green tea is light in taste, and Zisha (literally “purple sand”) earthenware pots absorb taste and fragrance quickly, so it is best to use glass to preserve the fragrance and also allow for a clear view of the tea’s color and form in water. As for black tea and semi-fermented tea, the best utensil to use would be clay pots. To really comprehend the enjoyment of drinking tea, and feel the real taste of tea, requires very high culture and artistic cultivation in an individual. One can earn from the process of certain artistic enjoyment to eventually find self-cultivation and enlightenment. Therefore, drinking tea is the embodiment of the Chinese view on life as an art.

When it comes to teaware, before the Tang Dynasty, tea and food vessels were indistinguishable. As tea drinking-grew more popular, tea containers became more and more refined. By the end of the Tang, the ideal teaware was invented, the Zisha (purple sand) pot. It is different from most earthenware as it uses excellent maroon-colored clay as a raw base material. By skillful craftsmanship, it becomes a brownish-purple pot with an elegant and smooth touch and gives a primitive and simplistic aura of elegance. This kind of pottery, made by heating to about 1,100 degrees Celsius, has no glaze on either the inside or the outside. Looking at it through a 600 times magnification microscope, small pores can be observed on its surface that allows for the passage of air but not water, thus keeping the fragrance of tea sealed inside. With some literati and refined scholars at the time directly participating in the design and making of the pots, these pottery pieces combined poetry and rhymes, paintings, seal impressions and sculpture into one, possessing very high artistic and functional value.

The reason that the porous Zisha pots (紫砂壶) became famed throughout the land after the Ming Dynasty has to do with changes in tea-drinking practices. At the time, drinking Huancha, or bunched tea in a discus shape was giving way to drinking loose tea. But using small cups to brew loose tea was unsanitary and difficult to maintain temperature, so teapots were used. Using small teapots to make tea is a tradition that has started in the sixteenth century and continued to the present day, with already over four hundred years of history. When using Zisha pot to brew tea, its low inductivity of heat and a whole on the lid prevents drops of water vapor from coagulating under the lid and ruining the taste when dropped into the tea. Since the teapots have already been heat-processed when being made, it would not crack or break even when it is heated on a stove. The longer a Zisha pot is used, the more brilliant and smooth it becomes; tea made from it will have a stronger fragrance. Teapot aficionados like to use different pots for making different teas, so as to keep the seasoning of the teapot pure and consistent for a long time.

The birthplace of Zisha pots is in the famous “pottery city” - Yixing. It is situated at the common boundary of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, by the shore of Taihu Lake. In the Tang Dynasty, this place was already a famous tea production base, from which many famous types of tea were offered to the imperial courts. Yixing’s Zisha pots became widely known in the Northern Song Dynasty. By the Ming, there were many master pot-makers in Yixing, producing many pots with exotic forms and simplistic elegance that were the benchmark for teaware. Most tea lovers usually like to collect and enjoy teapots. Certain exquisite teapots by the hands of famous makers can be priced as high as pure gold. Collecting pots or “raising” pots is perceived as an elegant hobby until this very day.

What is worth mentioning is that in the Minnan and Chaozhou areas in southern China where people make Gongfu tea, Zisha pots from Yixing have been very popular ever since the Ming and Qing dynasties. There, finely crafted upscale Zisha pots were once the symbol of education, status and social role for local men. Regardless of high officials, the wealthy or ordinary citizens, they all leave no stones unturned in getting their hands on a Zisha pot and treasure it as a jewel of dear value. Some even take it with them to their graves. However, in Jiangsu, the production area of the pot, people prefer green tea. As techniques of tea-making improve, there are very few people today who still use Zisha pots for making green tea. Instead, they prefer white porcelain cups or glass. Zisha pots are now mostly regarded as an object of art to be appreciated in one's home. For a top-quality Zisha pot, people would instead pass it down the generations within the family, seldom would anyone keep it as a personal funerary object.

China always had the custom of “treating arriving guests with tea.” Some also advocate having tea in place of alcohol. The way of offering tea is really very simple. Before making tea, ask for the preference of the guests. The water used to make tea should not be too hot so as to burn the guest. When pouring tea, the rule of “full cup for wine and half cup for tea” should be observed; leaving one-fifth of the cup’s capacity unfilled should do the trick. When the host pours tea for the guest, the guest uses the index and middle fingers to knock on the table to show gratitude lightly. It is said that this custom was passed down from the Qing Dynasty and is not only popular in China, but also popular among overseas Chinese of Southeast Asia.

Gongfu tea

Gongfu tea is a unique custom of the Chaozhou region of Guangdong Province. It has existed since the Tang Dynasty. It is not just the first line of courtesy, as people of Chaozhou who travel or reside overseas use it as a way of paying respect to the ancestors. Authentic Chaozhou Gongfu tea sincerely abides by the old traditions, usually limiting the number of participants including host and guests to four. This is congruent with the older ideas of tea enthusiasts of the Ming and Qing dynasties, where “harmonious thoughts in different hearts” is advocated. One should not think too many ideas. When guests take seats, it must be in the order from senior to junior or from high to low status, starting from the right side of the host and make two rows. 

After the guests are seated, the host begins to work his magic. Not only is teaware as fascinating as appreciating antique, the quality of tea leaves, the water and the brewing, pouring and drinking tea all exciting areas of study. The teapot used in Gongfu tea is small and exquisite, only about as big as a fist. The teacups are even lower at about half a Ping-Pong ball size. The kind of tea chosen is the oolong, which is complete in terms of color, fragrance, and taste. Tea leaves are stuffed tightly into the pot, almost filling it all. It is said that the tighter you push the tea leaves together, the stronger the taste will be. It is best to use water that has been settled to make tea. When making tea, immediately pour boiled water into the pot. 

The first couple of rounds of tea water are not drinkable as it is for rinsing the tea leaves and the cups. When pouring tea, do not finish pouring into one cup and go on to the next. Instead, one should alternate between the four cups in the order, filling each little by little until all cups are about seven-tenths full. When the thickest tea water is left, containing the essence of the tea, one should evenly distribute it into each of the four cups to assure equally strong taste and uniformed fragrance. There exists a rule when drinking Gongfu tea. One should not drink the tea immediately but should rinse one’s mouth with cool water to guarantee to taste the real flavor of the tea. When drinking, one slowly sips and uses the tongue to feel and taste the tea. Gongfu tea is robust and contains a strong base. Therefore one would feel bitter and astringent at first. But as one drinks more, the tea becomes more fragrant and rather smooth and sweet, as one starts to feel more energized. While having Gongfu tea, people can chat to their hearts’ content and should feel the peace of mind. This is the true meaning of Gongfu, and also demonstrates tea art’s uniquely Chinese characteristic of upholding nature and freedom, reflecting a particular Chinese kindness that is honest and rich, with long-lasting charm.

From Gongfu tea, one can easily connect in mind various types of teahouses. In China, running a teahouse is a very popular service profession. Especially in the Jiangnan area, there are teahouses to be found in every corner of every small village, town, and a large city. There are teahouses that have kept to the centuries-old traditions; others combined features of cafes and bars. And a rather large percentage of teahouses provide dining services. When looking back in history, teahouses flourished beginning in the Song Dynasty. At that time, there were teahouses for every social class.

Drinking tea is a part of life in China

Upscale places not only have paintings and calligraphy pieces adorning its walls, but also all kinds of fresh flowers, bonsai trees inside, plus background music for an elegant feel. Upon reaching the Qing Dynasty under the reign of emperors Qianlong (1736-1795 A.D.) and Jiaqing (1796-1820), Beijing’s teahouses combined music and folk arts for a real treat. Customers can drink tea while enjoying live entertainment or can bring their own tea and pay for only water. 

Therefore, many opera theatres in Beijing were once called “Tea Gardens.”Beijing’s specialty, the Dawan Cha (Large Bowl Tea), is now hard to find. But in the old days, one can have a bowl of Dawan Cha under just about any tree while sitting at a shabby table on a shabby seat with a large rough bowl in hand. People of Sichuan have a long history of tea drinking, and teahouses are very popular. In the provincial capital, Chengdu, teahouses range from the smallest with three to five tables to the largest with several hundred seats. There, people use Gaiwan, a complete set of the tea bowl, stand, and lid. Using long-mouthed bronze pots to pour tea is an absolute Sichuan specialty; a long jet of tea water enters the bowl and stops just as it fills to the mouth, with not a single drop wasted. Elderly men prefer enjoying tea while watching Chinese opera performances or chatting with friends.

Modern white-collared professionals like teahouses for it gives them a chance to relax, socialize or talk business. There is a common saying in China, “Tea can purify the heart.” The peaceful and quiet state of mind that tea represents is different from regular society, full of blatancy and flippancy. People who like tea can easily find a state of purity and contentment.