In Chinese history of tea culture, the way of drinking tea is classified into boiling tea method of Tang dynasty, pointing tea method of Song dynasty, and brewing tea method of Ming dynasty, which has transmitted into nowadays. Tea was originated from...
In Chinese history of tea culture, the way of drinking tea is classified into boiling tea method of Tang dynasty, pointing tea method of Song dynasty, and brewing tea method of Ming dynasty, which has transmitted into nowadays. Tea was originated from Bashu (巴蜀) and spread to the Han race. After then, it was propagated to many eastern and western countries. Tea was generalized for drinking among people from Tang dynasty. Also, it had become essential in their Ii fe like salt during Song dynasty. Before LuYu appeared in mid-Tang dynasty, tea was mostly used for food or medical purposes, but after 「Tea Classics」, it was standardized for the first time. A method called Gyunjin-cha(見眞葉), which people drank only Malbal (沫饒) after they boiling it, was settled at that time. This thesis examined the ways of drinking tea for each period, and derived following conclusions.
First, China had a representing tea and the way of drinking for each period, however, none of the periods produced only one kind of tea. People consider that boiled tea(煮茶), pointed tea(點茶), and brewed tea(泡茶) as the representatives of Tang, Song, and Ming dynasty. However, in Tang dynasty, there was not only cake tea, but also many different kinds of loose tea, which were deserved to be called famous tea. Also, all three of crumby tea(團茶), loose tea(散茶), and cake tea(餠茶) existed in Song dynasty. Even though loose tea was the main part of the culture in Yuan dynasty, many people drank crumby tea as they did in Song dynasty. Only in Ming dynasty, loose tea, which was made by steeping leaf tea in water, became a mainstream.
Second, the importance of loose tea in Chinese history should be appreciated. People normally recognize loose tea, to be just one kind of teas with cake tea and crumby tea, but its importance has to be emphasized and perceived in different point of view. It is because crumby tea and cake tea existed only in particular period, but loose tea has existed in forms of solar-dried and roasted tea from when it was used for beverage for the first time till now, and since the end of Tang dynasty, it became a popular tea that common people enjoy. Therefore, if there were not loose tea, tea couldn't be a daily beverage for all Chinese. Moreover, loose tea provided a basis for the development of various tea because the procedure of manufacturing this tea was simple and it was easy to keep true incense. In other words, there was a high possibility that major six sorts of tea in China couldn't be born without the emergence of loose tea.
Third, it is true that drinking loose tea was widely liked by people even before Ming dynasty. Most people think that loose tea appeared after Zhu Yuan-Zhang(朱元璋) prohibited the use of crumby tea, however it had been widely diffused much earlier. There were quite a few of famous loose tea in Tang dynasty, and in the end of South Song dynasty, common people drank the dusted loose tea which was ground by millstone using hydraulicity. As loose tea got developed prominently after Yuan dynasty, people especially drank lots of brewed and dusted loose tea. However, from Ming dynasty till the present day, just brewing loose tea method is being used.
Fourth, besides crumby tea, loose tea or cake tea were also objects of pointing tea method. People unconsciously think that the object for pointing tea method is just crumby tea. But the objects of this method appeared to be very different in each period. In Five dynasties, Ok-cha(沃茶) method included pointing dusted cake tea method, and in Song dynasty, common people used dusting loose tea method. Also, both pointing dusted loose tea method and pointing dusted cake tea method existed during Ming dynasty. Royal families in Yuan dynasty used pointing tea method to drink crumby tea without extracting tea ointment. Even though they were all pointing tea methods, it is very important to point out the big differences in each period.
Fifth, here is an analysis of the effect of tea competition(鬪茶) in Song dynasty on Chinese tea culture. Tea competition of Song dynasty was a contest to judge the merits of tea between people who favored tea. By becoming popular to drink tea from royal families to hamlets through tea competitions, it contributed not only to the generalization of tea cuIture but also to make tea highly qualified with advanced way of drinking it. Moreover, it sublimated true tools for drinking tea to an object of savor as a piece of art. Also, it played an important role to take the manufacturing of tools for drinking into a part of their industry.
Song's delicate way of drinking dusted tea, which were pointing crumby tea method and pointing loose tea method, was not only the most dignified tea method but also had a big influence over the countries around China. If the cuIture of loose tea from Song dynasty didn't exist, there would be no brewing method of leaf tea today. In the thesis, a general view of tea culture was made. Also characteristics of tea culture and causes of changes in each period were analyzed. Especially, this thesis is focused on a detailed analysis of pointing tea method culture of Song dynasty. Although pointing tea method culture of Song dynasty no longer exists, by understanding how people at that time enjoyed tea, it is possible to make modern tea culture richer. This thesis would possibly give some contributions to such a development.