How did Chinese tea conquer the world?

No matter what time

Have a cup of tea first

Whenever asked

Which beverage best represents China?

The answer is beyond doubt

Tea

Tea plantation area in China

About 49 million mu

It is equivalent to planting a Hainan Island.

Annual tea production

More than 3 million tons

Equivalent to 2.1 kg per person for 1.4 billion people

Most of China

All are leaping with its greenness

(Distribution diagram of representative Chinese teas. This map is a summary of the results of multiple "Top Ten Famous Teas" competitions at home and abroad. Map by @陈志浩&王申雯/Planet Research Institute)

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It originated in the southwest

Winding among the green mountains

(Jingmai Mountain Tea Garden in Pu'er, Yunnan, photographer @柴俊峰)

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It swept Jiangnan

Nestled between pink walls and black tiles

(Hui-style houses and tea gardens in Huangshan, Anhui, photographer @方叹士)

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It embellishes North China

Arranged between the blue sea and blue sky

(Laoshan Green Tea Garden, located below the Cloud Waterfall in the picture, picture source @Visual China)

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It even rushed to the plateau

Accompanying the snowy mountains and blue skies

(Please watch in horizontal mode, tea garden at the foot of Mount Gongga in Sichuan, photographer @喜谦)

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Two thousand years

Such a seemingly ordinary plant

How to "conquer" the Chinese step by step

And expand to the whole world?

01

Early expansion

Millions of years ago

Wild tea tree

Originated from the Southwest

There is plenty of rain and heat here

The mountains are undulating and the forests are extensive

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Ancient Tea Forest of Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, Yunnan, photographer @张肇海)

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Wild tea trees are over ten meters tall

Thick trunk and large leaves

It is a "tree-type large-leaf species"

(Morning light at Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, Yunnan, photographer @子涵)

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Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan

The terrain is steep and the drop is huge

Creating conditions for tea tree evolution

The tree and leaf shapes gradually diversified

Small-leaved shrub species

While being more cold-resistant

It is also easier for humans to cultivate

(Diagram of tea tree types and leaf species. Due to space limitations, the figure only shows the comparison between tree types and shrub types, and large-leaf species and small-leaf species. Map by @王天怡&王申雯/Planet Research Institute)

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In ancient times

Shennong discovered the medicinal effects of tea

Spring and Autumn Period

People eat tea leaves as vegetables

Cooking soup with boiling water

It is called "Mingcai"

(Sakura Tea Garden in Pingba, Guizhou, photographer @Qu Wenben)

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In the mysterious country of Cuba

That is, the area around eastern Sichuan and Chongqing

Some people started to boil tea leaves to drink.

Theanine Stress Relief

Caffeine to refresh your mind

Addictive

Later, Qin conquered Badi

Tea began as a beverage

Enter more people's field of vision

(Gu Yanwu, Qing Dynasty, "Rizhilu")

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"After the Qin conquered Shu, tea drinking began."

(Chengjia Tea Garden, Pujiang, Chengdu, Sichuan, photographer @王进)

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Hills are widespread in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

There are many cloudy and foggy days, and the temperature difference between day and night is large

Good for the accumulation of amino acids

Rich in high-quality small-leaf varieties

From the Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty

Taking advantage of the gap in the southern beverage market

The tea drinking trend spread from Sichuan to Jiangsu and Zhejiang

It was easy to conquer Jiangnan

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Longjing Tea Garden, West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, photographer @朱露翔)

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‍‍

However

After the Jin Dynasty

Nearly five centuries

Why tea failed to catch on in the north

Because at this time, the northern

Its two rivals

Cheese and syrup

02

Unify the world

Northern and Southern Dynasties

Cheese is a popular drink among the Hu people in the Central Plains

It's not the cheese of today.

It's a goat milk version of yogurt.

It was the aristocrat among beverages at that time.

493 AD

Wang Su, a member of the Wang clan of Langya who defected from the Southern Dynasty to the Northern Wei Dynasty

Emperor Xiaowen asked about his diet and daily life

Wang Su simply declared

Tea is only fit to be a slave to cheese

(Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang, by Yang Xuanzhi, Eastern Wei)

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"Only tea is not good, and I am a slave to cheese"

(A Northern Wei stone boy leading a sheep, now in the Luoyang Museum; during the Northern Dynasties, sheep dominated the livestock industry in the Central Plains; the stone boy in the picture is severely damaged and difficult to identify, photographer @李琼, map @王申雯/Planet Research Institute)

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In addition to cheese

At that time, there was also a leading beverage in the Central Plains.

Pulp

It has a wide variety

Rice milk, fruit milk, honey milk

All belong to its category

(Rice wine, rice wine can be regarded as the product of further fermentation of rice milk, photographer @陈荣)

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Noble Nutrition

Taidou sweet and sour

Tea market development is full of difficulties

I had to wait for the opportunity to go north.

After the An-Shi Rebellion

The time finally came

then

Years of war have caused a reduction in grain production

Cereal-based syrups and wines

Starting to get expensive

The trend of "replacing wine with tea" is growing

Tea demand surges in the north

(Please watch in horizontal mode, a Ming Dynasty copy of Yan Liben's "Xiao Yi Earns the Lanting Pavilion" from the Tang Dynasty (partial), now in the National Museum of China; in the picture, Xiao Yi is arguing with a monk, and two servants are brewing tea. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @王申雯/星球研究院)

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The invention of a tea-making technique also created conditions for the long-distance transportation of tea from the south to the north, namely the "steamed green tea" in the Tang Dynasty, commonly known as tea cakes.

After picking the fresh leaves, they are first steamed. High temperatures will inhibit fermentation.

Buy time for transportation

Then pound the steamed loose leaves into powder so that the tea can be formed more easily.

Then, the tea powder is poured into the mold and beaten into cakes on the stone support to save transportation space.

Finally, the tea cakes are placed on the stove for baking (the production process of steamed green tea in the Tang Dynasty, drawn by @王天怡&王申雯/Planet Research Institute) ▼

The opening of the Grand Canal during the Sui and Tang dynasties

It makes tea more powerful

Tea produced in Jiangnan

Passing through the Central Plains, straight to the frontier

In contrast

Cheese is difficult to store, and milk is not easy to transport.

Their weaknesses

This is the strength of tea

(The Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties has long been abandoned, so the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal overlapping with the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties is used as an illustration. Photographer: @陈剑峰) ▼

Secondly

The Tang Dynasty was a warm period in climate history

Rising temperatures make you feel sleepy

Drinking tea to refresh your mind

Not only popular among the public

It also attracted the attention of the monks

After all, sitting in meditation can easily make you sleepy.

(Lingyin Yongfu Temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the tea garden is located at the bottom of the picture, photographer @肖奕三) ▼

More importantly

Tea was recognized by literati

This is thanks to the "Tea Saint" Lu Yu

His great promotion of the method of brewing tea

Make tea drinking more sophisticated

First, fry the tea cake and grind it into powder

Then boil the water three times

Add salt once boiling

Second boiling, add tea powder

Boil three times before drinking

(The process of drinking tea by boiling water in the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, "one boil", "two boils" and "three boils" refer to the different boiling degrees of tea. Map by @王天怡&王申雯/星球研究院) ▼

To make tea drinking more exquisite

People put a lot of effort into tea sets.

Zhejiang Yue Kiln is famous in both north and south

Cyan porcelain sets off green tea

Complement each other

(The Classic of Tea - Four Utensils, Lu Yu, Tang Dynasty)

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"Yue porcelain is blue and tea is green"

(A secret color porcelain saucer from the Yue Kiln in the Tang Dynasty, now in the collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; secret color porcelain is the best kind of celadon, and Lu Yu in The Classic of Tea believed that the Yue Kiln was the best celadon in the country, photographer @川后, map @王申雯/星球研究院)

at the same time

In the warm Tang Dynasty

Northerners can already drink local tea

This is because the temperature rises and the precipitation increases

The tea-growing area has expanded significantly northwards

(The expansion of tea-growing areas from the heyday of the Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty. The extent of the northward expansion of tea-growing areas in the Tang Dynasty was staggering. Modern tea farmers have introduced drought-resistant varieties to Penglai, Shandong with the help of modern technology. Map @陈志浩&王申雯/星球研究院) ‍‍‍ ▼

In today's North

Some of the production areas have already emerged in the Tang Dynasty

For example, Xinyang, Henan

(Tea garden in Xinyang, Henan, photographer @焦潇翔)

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So far

Small tea leaves originated in the southwest

Finally unified the north and south in the middle Tang Dynasty

Finished

“The Medieval Beverage Revolution”

03

Mission accomplished

Just took the first seat

Tea is given an important mission

“Using tea to strengthen the border”

This starts with a friend of tea.

horse

As the core of combat power in the cold weapon era

Seems particularly important

At this time, the Tang Empire

The most lacking thing is horses

Longxi has a long history of horse breeding

However, the Tibetans invaded the east

Take this area under your control

The Tang Empire lost its state-run military horse farm

(Shandan Military Horse Farm in Zhangye, Gansu; Shandan Military Horse Farm is the world's largest horse farm and also the oldest horse farm. It still supplies more than 100,000 fine horses to all parts of the country every year. Image source: @Visual China)

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The Tang Empire needed war horses so much

What do the Uighurs in the north need?

Nomadic peoples have long been eating meat and drinking milk

Tea polyphenols can relieve greasiness and remove fat

(Detail of the Tang Dynasty silk painting "Ladies Playing Chess", unearthed from Tomb No. 187 in Astana, Turpan, Xinjiang. The woman on the left holds a teacup, indicating that tea had been introduced to the Western Regions during the Kaiyuan period; the tomb was located on the border between the Uighurs and Tubo during the mid-Tang Dynasty. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @王申雯/Planetary Research Institute)

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In this way

The two sides hit it off

From the private sector to the official sector, the tea-horse trade gradually flourished

It can both exchange for horses and appease foreign tribes.

A small piece of tea is like the Great Wall on the frontier

Turning our gaze eastward

Tea also plays a role in promoting exchanges between China and Japan

Among the cultural ambassadors of that time

In addition to Jianzhen who traveled to Japan

There are also "scholar monks" who come to China to explore Buddhism.

(Please watch horizontally, Volume 1 (partial) of the "Eastern Expedition Picture Scroll" from the Kamakura period of Japan, now stored in the Toshodaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, showing the scene of the arrival of the Tang envoys to China as imagined by the Japanese painters; there are many different opinions on the origin of tea drinking in Japan. One theory is that the monk Saicho who followed the Tang envoys to China to seek Dharma was the first person to introduce the custom of tea drinking to Japan. Image source @ Gifu City History Museum, Japan, map @ Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

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805 AD

Monk Saicho returns to Japan

Not only did he bring back 127 Buddhist scriptures

I also brought back some tea seeds.

And planted them at the foot of Mt. Hiei in Kyoto

Japan's first tea garden was born

He brewed tea for Emperor Cuo'e

Saga Daxi is passionate about Chinese culture

The "Hongren Tea Trend" was launched among the aristocracy

(Uji Tea Garden in Kyoto, Japan. "Uji Tea", one of the three famous teas in Japan, originated in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, near Mount Hiei; "Korin Tea Style" is named after the reign title "Korin" of Emperor Saga. Image source: Visual China)

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Later, tea was silent in Japan

During the Song Dynasty, relations between the two countries warmed up.

Tea represents China again

A wave of "cultural export" to Japan

The Matcha Tea Ceremony We Know Today

This is the product of this wave of cultural output.

And its source

It is the "tea-making method" of the Song Dynasty.

(Uji Matcha dessert, nowadays "Uji Matcha" flavor can be found in various snacks; but in the final analysis, "Japanese Matcha" is largely a "Chinese creation", picture source @Visual China)

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First, add water to the tea powder to make a paste

Then use the tea whisk to "beat" the tea soup

Whether it is equipment or action

It's like stirring egg liquid.

Because of its competitive nature

Therefore, it is also called "Tea Fighting"

Who produces more white tea foam?

The tea foam will burst later

The tea soup boundary appears later

Who will win the game

(The tea foam produced when whisking the tea soup with a tea whisk. The victory or defeat of the Song Dynasty "tea fighting" was determined by the length of time it took for the boundary between the tea soup and the tea cup to appear. Image source: Visual China)

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The Song people also came up with new tricks

Before the tea foam fades

“Drawing” poetic patterns

For tea

(Lu You, Southern Song Dynasty, "The Spring Rain in Lin'an Has Just Cleared")

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"The clear window, the fine milk, the tea"

That is to say

Coffee latte art invented in modern Europe and America

In fact, in China, it already existed

("Tea Opera", the art of "tea-dividing" was once lost in modern times. Wuyishan City, Fujian Province successfully restored the art of "Tea Opera" in 2009; the restoration of the "tea-dividing" scene in "Dream of Splendor" was designed with reference to "Tea Opera", picture source @Visual China)

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The aesthetics of teaware has also spread abroad

In order to highlight the white tea foam produced by whisking

The Song Dynasty people admired black-glazed tea cups

(Tea Records by Cai Xiang, Northern Song Dynasty)

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"White tea is best served in a black cup"

Among the black glaze

"Yōbō Tenmoku glaze" is the most supreme teaware

Brilliant and dazzling

Only three tea bowls are left.

Japan still regards it as a national treasure

(The Southern Song Dynasty Yaobian Tenmoku glaze tea bowl is now in the collection of the Osaka City Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Japan; there are only three and a half pieces left in the world today. In addition to the half piece unearthed in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the other three pieces handed down are all in Japan. Photographer @苏李欢, map @王申雯/Planetary Research Institute)

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but

Thousands of years

No matter how complicated the process is

Chinese people are drinking green tea alone

If the tea flavor is too single

Then this drink is bound to die.

Only by constantly breaking through the taste

This is the way to dominate the market for a long time

04

Colorful transformation

In the turbulent Ming Dynasty

Seize every chance

Tea leaves have achieved a colorful transformation

Founded the modern tea pattern

The key to this transformation

It's fermentation

(Illustration of the fermentation degree of the six major types of tea. It is worth noting that, except for black tea, the "fermentation" commonly referred to in the production process of other types of tea is not the fermentation involving microorganisms in the biological sense, but the oxidation catalyzed by oxidase. Map by @王申雯/星球研究院)

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Speaking of fermentation

First of all, we have to mention a breakthrough in green tea making technology.

Second half of the 16th century

Huizhou monks created the Songluo method

Stir-fry the fresh leaves in a pan

The space is more open and moisture can be lost more easily

The tea aroma is stronger

While frying

Rolling the tea leaves

Damage to cell structure

Promote the release of aromatic substances

“Stir-frying + rolling”

It is still used by most green teas today.

(In addition to the above advantages, the stir-frying process of Rizhao green tea is easier to control the heat than the steaming process in the steamer. Photographer @开心建)

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Later, the stir-frying method was introduced to Fujian

Late Ming Dynasty

Legend has it that once the army entered Tongmu Village in Wuyi Mountain

Tea farmers hurriedly hid in the mountains

After picking, I forgot to stir-fry the fresh leaves in time.

Tea leaves ferment at night

This fatal mistake in making green tea

It became the inspiration for the birth of black tea

(Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea garden in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. Zhengshan Xiaozhong is the ancestor of Chinese black tea. There have been many theories about the origin of the withering process. The above is one of the more popular ones. Photographer @吴永烨)

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As the water in fresh leaf cells evaporates

Enhanced hydrolase activity

Some sugars are broken down into monosaccharides

Significant increase in sweet substances

Shaping the unique taste of black tea

(The withering process of black tea production can be considered as the first step of the broad "fermentation" process. Image source: @天福茗茶)

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Local tea farmers continue to explore

Directly rolled without roasting

Pressure causes cell disruption

Under the catalysis of oxidase

Tea polyphenols are oxidized to thearubigins

Creating the iconic color of black tea

(The fermentation process of black tea production, picture source: @天福茗茶)

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Tea farmers would never think

Sweet and mellow black tea

By sea

A big hit on the other side of the world

Mid-17th century

Black tea sold to the UK

From the royal family to the common people

Tea drinking is becoming more popular

(The Cutty Sark, docked in Greenwich, London, is a symbol of the history of tea trade between China and Britain. When it was built in the 19th century, Chinese black tea was being marketed in Europe. Photographer @张震)

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In addition to sea routes

Black tea also travels across the Eurasian continent

Direct to St. Petersburg

(Xiamei Village, Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. The Tea Horse Road, starting from Xiamei Village, Wuyishan, passes through Hankou, Zhangjiakou, Ulaanbaatar and Kyakhta, and finally reaches Moscow and St. Petersburg in Tsarist Russia. Photographer @张安涧)

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Wuyi tea farmers’ creativity does not stop there

Mid-Qing Dynasty

Between black tea and green tea

They also created a new type of tea

Oolong Tea

It inherits the withering of black tea

It also retains the green tea flavor.

(Wuyi Rock Tea Garden in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. Wuyi Rock Tea is a type of oolong tea. Compared with the widespread cultivation of black tea in East Asia and South Asia, the main production areas of oolong tea are limited to Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. Photographer @茶小二)

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Unique innovation is also necessary

After withering and before stir-frying

Added the shaking session

Put the tea leaves into the round sieve

Slowly shake left and right

(In the process of shaking oolong tea, the use of machinery significantly improves the efficiency of shaking; shaking can be understood as a slow fermentation process that occurs at the edge of the leaves. Image source: @天福茗茶)

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By collision between blades

Accelerates enzymatic reactions at leaf edges

Then stir-fry

Prevents the fermentation area from expanding toward the center of the leaf

Thus forming "green leaves with red edges"

(Tieguanyin tea, Tieguanyin is a representative variety of oolong tea; "green leaves with red edges" not only means a unique appearance, but also gives oolong tea a unique fruity aroma, photographer @Qiu Daocen)

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at the same time

The people in the west are also busy.

After the Tang Dynasty

The tea-horse trade gradually expanded to Tibet

The rise of the ancient Tea-Horse Road between Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet

(Yigon Tea Farm in Nyingchi, Tibet, the highest tea farm in the world; now tea can also be grown on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, photographer @万瑞)

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During the long-distance transportation of tea

Sun and rain create a hot and humid environment

In addition, the influence of human and animal body temperature

Facilitates the growth of microorganisms

Tea Fermentation

The taste becomes more mellow

(Hu Leaping Gorge in Shangri-La, Yunnan, people carrying loads on their backs and horses on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, photographer @Lu Wen)

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Later, the Sichuan and Hunan horse gangs invented the pile-wetting process.

That is, the mildew process under human control

As the only tea fermented by microorganisms,

Dark tea was first recorded in documents in the Ming Dynasty.

But the actual history is obviously earlier

(Yunnan Pu'er tea, picture source @Visual China)

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To facilitate transportation and trade

Northwest border residents transformed the product appearance

Pressed into bricks with high temperature steam

Brick tea

(Pu'er brick tea, the fundamental difference between brick tea and steamed green tea is that the former is made by pressing loose tea, while the latter is made by patting tea powder. The next section will explain the origin of loose tea. Image source: @Visual China)

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but

Tea faces a fatal problem

The Tang and Song traditions are indeed exquisite

But it's really troublesome to drink

In order to improve national

Keep it simple

05

Simplify the complex

I don't know if you noticed

Differences between tea drinking in ancient and modern times

The key

It's the appearance

This determines how tea is consumed.

Break through all these cumbersome tough guys

Name is Zhu Yuanzhang

He was born into a peasant family

Feeling the inconvenience of making and drinking tea

1391

He ordered to stop paying tribute to Tuancha

"Disband the group"

Roasted tea leaves

No more grinding

Serve directly on the tea table

(Loose tea, the development of the above-mentioned stir-frying and fermentation technology in the Ming Dynasty are closely related to the "abolishing group tea and changing to loose tea" reform in the Hongwu Dynasty. Image source: @Visual China)

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Streamlining tea making

Promoted the modernization of tea drinking

Today's direct brewing method for drinking tea

Appeared in the Ming Dynasty

It was called "Yuè drinking method" at that time.

The emergence of brewing

Completely broke the class segregation of Chinese beverages

No need for exquisite utensils or skilled techniques

A day's work

Farmers can also drink tea easily

(Old teahouse in Pengzhen, Chengdu. The modern brewing method is similar to the Ming Dynasty brewing method. Photographer: @郭冀华)

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From this

Teahouses are found in towns and cities

In Ming and Qing China

Transformed into a public space in the city

Food, information, socializing, entertainment

Almost omnipotent

Beijingers are rough and bold

Walking the bird in the morning

I feel thirsty at noon

Find a tea stall and drink a lot

"Big Bowl Tea" came into being in the late Ming Dynasty

Hawkers often ask for information here

They called teahouses "Cuan [cuán] er shang"

(Beijing Zhengyi Temple Theater, audiences drinking tea while watching opera; teahouses are also integrated with Beijing's cultural specialty "Peking Opera". The predecessors of many old theaters in Beijing are teahouses. Image source: @Visual China)

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"Morning water bag"

Yangzhou people have exquisite food

Combine tea with breakfast

That is morning tea

(Yangzhou Fuchun Tea House, not only in Yangzhou, but also in many places in the south, there is a long-standing tradition of morning tea, photographer @杨诚)

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The Land of Abundance is Lazy and Rich

"There is little blue sky above, but many teahouses in front of us"

In Chengdu, which is always rainy

Hiding in a teahouse and playing mahjong

It's not unpleasant

As early as the late Qing Dynasty

Chengdu teahouses are already world-famous

(Chen Jinji Tea Shop in Chengdu, Sichuan, photographer @蒋小翼)

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In the humid and hot Lingnan

It is particularly important to relieve heat and dampness

Chaozhou people are particular about their work

Integrating folk customs into tea ceremony

Since the Ming Dynasty

Gongfu tea is popular in Fujian and Guangdong

In Teochew

"Gongfu" means "exquisite"

(Chaozhou Gongfu tea, photographer @丁俊豪)

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A further breakthrough in tea drinking

Happened by chance on the other side of the ocean

In Europe and America, where people love to drink black tea

In order to increase the contact area between tea leaves and boiling water

This makes the tea more concentrated

At the expense of viewing pleasure

Roll and cut tea leaves into fine tea

(Broken tea, before the fermentation process, the black tea has been cut into pieces while being "rolled and twisted", so it is called "rolled and cut", picture source @Visual China)

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1904

Thomas Sullivan, New York tea merchant

Put the broken black tea into a small silk bag

Send to customers as samples

Customers don’t know how to unpack

I have to brew the silk bag directly

But I found it quite convenient

Sullivan had an idea

Switch to cheap tulle bags to pack broken tea

"Tea bags" are popular in Europe and the United States

Completely free from the constraints of equipment

Drink whenever and wherever you want

Just a cup

(Tea bags. Although tea bags sacrifice their ornamental value, they are widely popular for their hygiene and convenience. Photographer: @melo)

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So far

As a traditional drink

Tea has been simplified to the extreme

But to conquer the modern market

Strong alliance is needed

The tea alliance

The enemy from thousands of years ago

Dairy

06

Ancient Drinks Reborn

Entering the modern era

Beverage selection is becoming more diverse

Tea's weakness is magnified again

Bitter

Through fermentation process

Can only reduce but not eliminate

The aroma of milk

It can cover up the bitterness

So

A pair of enemies from thousands of years ago shook hands and made peace

The ancestor of modern milk tea

Most likely Tibetan butter tea

Tibetans extract butter from yak milk

Then boil the tea leaves with butter

Intake and digestion

(Tibetans are making butter tea. It is said that butter tea was introduced to Britain via India and evolved into the popular English milk tea. Of course, there is also a saying that English milk tea was introduced to Europe by Dutch merchants from Guangzhou. Photographer @丁嘉一)

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Via India

Milk tea becomes a favorite of European women

In postwar Hong Kong

The tea soup is filtered through cotton yarn

Add condensed milk

It's for "Silk Stocking Milk Tea"

(The production of Hong Kong silk stocking milk tea, photographer @一碌糖)

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In the 1980s, Taiwan

White tapioca pearls added to milk tea

Because of its pearl-like shape

Named "Pearl Milk Tea"

later

More ingredients added to the team

Tea for everyone

In the 21st century

Presenting the grand scene of "new Chinese style" tea drinks

(In Changsha, Hunan, there is a bustling crowd in front of the tea shop. Photographer: @任俊豪)

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Looking back over the millennium

Countless drinks have been lost over time

Only tea

Never eliminated by the times

Instead, it always leads the trend

Buddhists often say "Tea and Zen are one"

Tea leaves represent the ups and downs of life

As the saying goes

“Every difficulty can be overcome, the road ahead is long but bright”

Just like the true color of tea

Fiery and full of vitality

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Enshi Hefeng Tea Garden, photographer @曹明雄)

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This article was created by

- Planet Research Institute -

Written by: Hong He

Editor: Director

Image: Grateful Heart

Design: Wang Tianyi & Wang Shenwen

Map: Chen Zhihao

Proofreading: Xiang Bu Xiang & Lin Xuan Wen & Wu Xin Tian

Cover Photographers: Zhu Yuming, Xiqian

Expert review

College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University

Professor Zhang Lingyun

College of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University

Professor Ling Tiejun

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[5] Rowell et al. The Basics of Chinese Tea[M]. CITIC Press, 2018.

[6] Yu Fulian. Ancient Tea Trees in China[M]. Yunnan Science and Technology Press, 2016.

[7] Li Bincheng et al. Chinese Tea History: Tang Dynasty Volume[M]. Shaanxi Normal University Press, 2013.

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