中国茶和茶文化(英文).doc

Chinese Tea and tea CultureDo you know the name of the three most famous drinks in the world? They are tea, coffee and cocoa. Tea is a kind of drinks that originates from China, and it was used as antidote. Then people found tea was good for health, and could refresh oneself, so tea has become more and more popular and more and more people have to drink tea every day. Just as coffee became a part of daily life in the West, tea became a part of daily life in China. It was Chinese that earliest discover and use of tea. According to legend, tea has been known in China since about 2700B.C. It is said that Shen Nong Shi, the God of Agriculture, was believed to be the first to discover tea. In his “Book of Herbs”, it says that “Shen Nong shi personally tasted hundreds of species of herbs and he was hit by 72 poisons in a single day. But he used a kind of tree leaves to ease his case and it turned out to be tea tree.The history of Chinese tea is a long and slow story of refinement. Generations of growers and producers have perfected the Chinese way of producing tea, along with its many unique regional variations.Advantages of Tea-Drinking Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to have their after meal tea. In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring on instant coolness together with a feeling of relaxation. Medically, the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tannic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China. Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers, it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wining, strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up.Chinese Tea ClassificationTea is classified according to the way it is made. Principally, there are green tea, black tea and Oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea, dark tea and reprocessed tea.Green tea is also called unfermented tea. Green Tea is the most natural of all Chinese tea classes. Its picked, naturally dried, and then baked briefly (a process called killing the green) to get rid of its grassy smell. Green Tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. About 50% of Chinas teas is Green tea. Representative teas include the West Lake Dragon Well tea, Xinyang Maojian tea and Biluochun tea.Black tea is also called fermented tea. It takes new shoots of tea trees that are suitable for making this tea as raw materials. Representative teas include Dianhong black tea and Yixing black tea.Oolong tea also called blue tea, it is an unfermented tea. It is a tea category with unique and distinctive characteristics among the several tea categories in our country. The Wulong tea, which blends the production of green tea and black tea together, has a quality between green tea and black tea. It not only has the thick and fresh flavor of black tea, but also has the pleasant fragrance of green tea. Representative teas include Wenshan Baozhong tea, Anxi Tieguanyin, Dongding Wulong tea and Wuyi Dahongpao. Chinese tea cultureChina is the home country of tea, and tea has become the national drink. We can see teahouses scattered on the streets of China, much like cafes on the streets of the West. The Chinese have such a close relationship with tea that a new culture relating to tea began to rise in China. Tea Culture includes articles, poems, pictures about tea, the art of making and drinking tea, and some custom about tea.Tea plays an important role in Chinese social life. Tea is always offered to a guest immediately upon entering a Chinese home. Serving a cup of tea is more than a matter of mere politeness. It is a symbol of togetherness, a sharing of something enjoyable, and a way of showing respect to visitors. In some areas of China, it might be considered rude not to take at least a sip.Chinese tea culture has a long history. Tea culture entered its most prosperous ear in Tang and Song Dynasty, which had evolved into a condition that the fashion drinking tea had extended all over the country and tea had thus won the status as national beverage.During the Song Dynasty, Lu Yu, who was honored as “the Saint of Tea” and his masterpiece The Scripture of Tea appeared which promoted the Chinese tea culture to an altitude that had never been previously attained. This scripture describes in detail the processes of planting tea bushes, picking tea leaves and preparing leaves for brewing. Famous poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi created large numbers of poems about tea. Famous painters Tang Bohu and Wen Zhengming even drew many pictures about tea. Those continually emerging eminent figures in the tea industry propelled an intentional pursuit for water, tea, tea set and decoction in tea drinking to such an extreme elegance, perfection, delicacy and sophistication, so much so that in late Tang and Song Dynasty, an extravagant fashion was formed and occurred in tea culture Spirit Pursuits When Drinking TeaThe Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of savoring. Savoring tea is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm.Chinese people hopes have four mental shackles when they dink tea in formal situation. These four mental shackles are clean, respect, harmonious, and real. Clean concludes two connotations. First one is that tea set must be clean, because the flavor of tea is very to be changed, so the tea set mast be very clean. The second one is that when one is drinking tea, he has to pure and clean in mental, he should not has distracting thoughts. Then he can taste the tea better. Respect means that when someone is drinking tea, he has to respect others and himself. Harmonious means peace, and want to get some the life philosophy while drinking tea. Real means keep the natural instincts, and abandon material desire when people drink tea. Real is the ultimate pursuit in the Chinese tea ceremony.Chinese Tea ArtThe Chinese tea lore is several hundred years and even thousands of years earlier than that of Japan. It can be said that the Chinese tea lore places an emphasis on spirit and makes light of form. It also has different representations at different historical stages. Teas are also different but all embody the tea spirit of “clearness, respect, joy and truthfulness”. Drinking tea：Tea is taken as a beverage to quench thirst. Tasting tea：Emphasis is placed on the color, fragrance and flavor of tea, water quality and tea set. When taking tea, the taster should also be able to savor tea carefully. Tea art：Attention is paid to environment, atmosphere, music, infusing techniques and interpersonal relationships. The highest ambit tea lore：Philosophy, ethics and morality are blended into tea activity. People cultivate their morality and mind and savor the life through tasting tea, thereby attaining enjoyment of spirit.The emergence of the tea culture brings the spirit and wisdom of human beings to a higher level. Tea has an extremely close relationship with culture, covers a wide field and has very rich content. It not only has the embodiment of spiritual civilization, but it also has the extension of the ideological form. There is no doubt that it is beneficial in enhancing the cultural accomplishments and artistic appreciation of people.Tea is an important part of the traditional Chinese culture. With the socia