Tea – the most powerful drink in the world
Has anyone never drunk tea? Indeed, tea is the world’s second-most consumed beverage, just after water. Surprisingly, this bitter brew once shook the world and shaped human history! So, where did tea originate, and how powerful is it?
1. Origins
Ancient Chinese records show tea was used thousands of years ago. In The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu (Tang dynasty), tea’s origin is traced to Shennong, a legendary ruler who discovered tea’s detoxifying power after falling ill from a plant—he chewed its leaves to heal. Early on, it was used medicinally and for cooking, not as a drink. Initially rare—grown only in places like Sichuan’s Bashu region—tea became a luxury of Han elites. Emperor Xuan of Han even grew a sweet variety called “Mengding Ganlu” for himself. Civil wars slowed its spread until the Sui-Tang reunification.
2. Tang to Song: Tea culture
Tea became widespread in the Tang Dynasty (6th century). Tea cakes were ground to powder and whisked into water—matcha—as described by Lu Yu, who elevated it to a cultural phenomenon. By Song times, loose-leaf tea replaced powdered tea in China but matcha culture flourished in Japan. Song era Confucian influence popularized tea across all classes, aided by Yunnan-based Dali’s supply.
3. Ming onward: Global influence & “power”
Once the Ming dynasty replaced the Yuan (14th century), China monopolized tea trade, improving processing (roasting rather than smoking) and expanding cultivation (Hunan, Fujian, Zhejiang). Oolong and flower-scented teas emerged. A Dutch East India ship arrived in Amsterdam in the early 17th century—Europeans first tasted tea. Through Catherine of Braganza’s marriage to Charles II, tea became essential in Britain, spurring the afternoon tea tradition and fueling British imperialism. Tea was ten times costlier than coffee, prompting fast “clipper” ships.
Tea’s role even led to historical turning points: the Boston Tea Party (1773) contributed to American independence, and the British trade deficit with China led to the Opium Wars, ending in the cede of Hong Kong and weakening the Qing dynasty. The British later smuggled tea seedlings via botanist Robert Fortune to India (Darjeeling), ending China’s monopoly.
In the 20th century, tea lost strategic status as other crops and beverages rose, but it rebounded late-century—green tea, oolong, jasmine, ready-to-drink cans, bubble milk tea—competing with Coca‑Cola globally.
4. Epilogue
From its ancient medicinal roots to fueling empire-building, rebellion, and modern drink culture, tea has permeated global life—it truly is powerful.
Sidebar: One Buddhist legend credits Bodhidharma bringing tea to China from India in the 5th century CE. Wild tea plants found in Northern India support this, but evidence of Indian tea-drinking then is scarce.
Cultural note: Ming-era porcelain tea wares influenced tea customs in Vietnam, Japan, Korea—now many Vietnamese households own a porcelain tea set.
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