5. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
tea when leaves fell in his cup of water.
5
Legendary Emperor (deity) Shennong
6. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
as medicine. Helped sages and Buddhist monks
stay awake as they studied.
6
Legendary Emperor (deity) Shennong
7. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty made tea
currency. Tea leaves were compressed into coin
bricks.
7
Tea leaves compressed into bricks shaped like coins
8. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty currency
1368 - 1644 — Ming Dynasty moved to loose leaf
tea, as we know today.
8
Tea leaves compressed into bricks shaped like coins
9. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty currency
1368 - 1644 — Ming Dynasty moved to loose leaf
1620 — Dutch ships introduced tea to Europe
1649 — First English teahouse opened.
9
10. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty currency
1368 - 1644 — Ming Dynasty moved to loose leaf
1620 — Dutch ships introduced tea to Europe
1649 — First English teahouse opened.
1839 — China fought the Opium war with Britain
because they monopolized the tea trade.
10
11. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty currency
1368 - 1644 — Ming Dynasty moved to loose leaf
1620 — Dutch ships introduced tea to Europe
1649 — First English teahouse opened.
1839 — China fought the Opium war with Britain
1850s — Britain employed Indian slave labor to
grow and export British tea out of India.
11
12. History of Tea
2500 BC — Shennong accidentally discovered
2nd Century BC — Han Dynasty popularized tea
960 - 1279 AD — Song Dynasty currency
1368 - 1644 — Ming Dynasty moved to loose leaf
1620 — Dutch ships introduced tea to Europe
1649 — First English teahouse opened.
1839 — China fought the Opium war with Britain
1850s — Britain employed Indian slave labor
1990s — Boba tea spread from China to California
12
16. Tea Ceremony
1. Prepare tea
2. O
ff
er to pour a cup of tea
3. Pour a cup of tea
4. Look at and appreciate the cup
5. Sni
ff
and swirl the tea
6. Sip the tea
7. Tap two
fi
ngers on table to say
“thank you”.
16
17. How to drink tea
1. Find a relaxed atmosphere
2. Minimal noise or interruptions
3. Only a few people at a time
4. Experience tea as a spiritual
exercise
5. Tea is drunk as a social occasion
17
18. Daoism and Tea
1. Tea connects the body with nature
2. Tea is medicine for the body
3. Tea cultivates the mind
4. Tea should be drunk
contemplatively
18
19. Tea Occasions
Hospitality — Always o
ff
er guests
Respect — Expression Filial piety
Apologize — To show repentance.
Gratitude — to show thanks
Weddings & Life Cycle Events
19
23. How can we understand
Chinese culture through Tea?
24. Food Ethnography
1. What is the history of the food?
2. How is the food used in the culture (ex. Occasions, holidays, religious)?
3. What are the ingredients that go into the food?
4. How is it prepared? Is there a community or religious element involved?
5. How is it presented and what rituals are involved?
6. How is it received, consumed, and what traditions are involved?
7. How do people make meaning with the food and rituals?
8. What else can you learn about the culture through the food?
24
