a cultural timelineThe History of Tea:

Chinese tea history follows a

long and detailed pathway to the

creation of the first teacups, water

ewers, and teapots. Approximately

five thousand years ago, the earli-

est Chinese people made crude,

simple tablewares of rudimentary,

unglazed clay.

Tea has a long & turbulent history,filled with intrigue, adventure, fortune gained and lost, em-

bargoes, drugs, taxation, smugglers, war, revolution, religious

aestheticism, artistic expression, and social change. Tea’s

association with colorful, far-off lands fabled for richly textured

fabrics, aromatic spices, and delicate porcelain tableware helps

to explain how a humble commodity from China came to both

fire the imagination and stimulate the palate of upper-class

Europeans in the early seventeenth century.

This commodity, not only spread to the Europeans, but to the

entire Western world. This sweeping history, contained in a

single cup of tea, is a riveting narrative that belies the gentle

and relaxing nature of this mild-mannered beverage. Around the

planet millions of people in all walks of life begin their day with a

brisk cup of hot tea. They rely on the soothing, relaxing nature of

tea in the afternoon to smooth away the rough edges of the day.

Researchers of Chinese history have reconstructed a timeline

tracing the development of tea drinking in China, noting that the

use of tea changed and evolved with the advent of each succes-

sive dynasty. Thus tea was brewed in various ways, depending

on the fashion of the day and the whims of the emperor. As tea

usage in China changed, the culture of tea drinking developed

into a highly stylized and sophisticated social etiquette, with

established manners, status, and rank that in turn encouraged an

appreciation for art, poetry, and songs.

Shang Dynasty

Tea was being used as a medicinal

remedy. Mixed with other plants,

seeds, barks, leaves, it could

cure any sickness.

1766 – 1050 BCE

Zhou Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

China’s three great philosophy

religions- Buddhism, Confucian-

ism, and Daoism-sprouted in

the middle of the Zhou Dynasty.

Each religion embraced tea for

its healthful virtues and powers

of rejuvenation. As popularity of

these religions spread, so did an

awareness of life-enhancing tea.

A holy man named Wu LiZhen

is credited with planting a tea

garden in an isolated spot atop

Mengding Mountains in Sichuan

Province. They are known as the

Seven Tea trees. Wu LiZhen is

thus called the forefather of

tea cultivation.

1122 – 256 BCE

221 – 210 BCE

Under the rule of Qin Shihuangdi,

citizens started learning about

the benefits of tea. During his

reign China became a unified

country; Fortification walls built in

earlier times were linked together

to create one strong defensive

wall that defined his empire. This

was the first stage of the Great

wall of China.

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty brought tea

drinking to a refined, sophisticated

level. They were the first to enjoy

formal tea gatherings.

Lu Yu, often called the father of

tea, writes a treatise on the art of

tea drinking, called The Classic

of Tea.

618 – 907 CE

Song Dynasty

Yuan & Ming

The Song Dynasty, often referred

to as the romantic period of Chi-

nese tea drinking, expanded upon

the Tang dynasty, bringing social

etiquette rules to involve guests

and other people. Teahouses also

became popular during this time,

providing regular citizens the

opportunity to drink tea in public

rather than in the seclusion of their

own circle of family and friends.

From the beginning of Kublai

Khan’s Yuan dynasty, ceramics

production in China began its

ascent to glory. Imperial teawares

were no longer made in the kilns

in the outlying provinces but were

now commissioned in porcelain

factories located in the city of

Jingdezhen, in Jianxi Province.

Teacups became objects of desire.

Emperor Huizong favored deep

chocolate brown, almost black

glazed teacups, streaked with fine,

thin tan lines. Known as “rabbit

hair glaze”, this style became

very popular as it was said that

the black glaze pleasingly offset

the froth color of whisked tea.

960 – 1279 CE

1271 – 1368 CEDynasty

Yuan & Ming

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty

(some 275 years later) continued

the tradition of commissioning

fine tableware. The porcelain kilns

at Jingdezhen started produc-

ing underglaze blue and white

wares known as mei-ping. Small,

handle-less teacups acquired a lid

and deep saucer for the cup to fit

down into called a gaiwan.

With the overthrow of the Ming

dynasty, porcelain production

continued at Jingdezhen during

the arrival of the Manchu rulers.

Rebellions caused many of the

kilns at to be destroyed, however,

the Manchu restored them and

created a separate kiln to produce

wares for the palace. This imperial

porcelain factory created some of

the most brilliant pieces of porce-

lain ever designed.

One of the last great contributions

of the Qing dynasty to porcelain

making was the invention of

fencai, an elaborate style of raised

overglaze enamel decorating that

replicated the look of cloisonné

design and allowed the use of

bright colors and elaborately

painted designs.

Qing Dynasty1644 – 1911 CE