What is the function of Tea Culture?
Historical Review
1. When it comes to the discovery of tea, people naturally think of the legend of Shen Nong tasting a hundred herbs. However, tea is considered a beverage and a spiritual enjoyment, and there are truly historical records dating back to the Western Han Dynasty. Wang Bao's "Tong Yue" records "cooking tea to the fullest" and "buying tea in Wuyang" fully demonstrate the formation of tea drinking customs and the existence of the tea market at that time. Changqu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty recorded in his "Huayang Guozhi. Ba Zhi" that many Gongwu people in the Ba and Shu regions even offered tea as a tribute. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was a common practice for some knowledgeable people to cultivate humility through tea. For example, Lu Na, the governor of Wu Xing in Jin, had developed a habit of only serving tea, and this may be the best example of guests offering tea.
2. The Tang Dynasty was a relatively prosperous dynasty in history. Lu Yu's "Classic of Tea" systematically summarized the experience of tea production and drinking during the Tang Dynasty and before its development, and also proposed the spirit of refined and frugal tea ceremony. Lu Yu and some of his contemporaries attached great importance to the spiritual enjoyment and moral standards of drinking tea, and also placed great emphasis on tea utensils and the art of brewing tea. It can be said that Chinese tea ceremony and art emerged from this. At that time, the folk tea custom of drinking from every household, as well as the luxurious and grand imperial court tea banquets, as well as the tea poetry, calligraphy, and painting of literati, were all concentrated expressions of the formation and development of tea culture.
3.In the Song Dynasty, tea production further developed and tea drinking became more popular. The Jianzhou Longtuan Fengbing, as a tribute, was even more innovative. Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, wrote "The Grand View of Tea", which is the only emperor in Chinese history who personally wrote a tea book. Many literati and scholars who followed suit also wrote poetry and tea paintings. At the same time, the art of tea drinking has also further developed, with the technique of "ordering tea" becoming more standardized, the trend of "tea fighting" prevailing, the flourishing of Buddhist tea industry, and the rapid spread of tea drinking skills with the spread of Buddhism, both domestically and internationally.
4. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, loose leaf tea developed rapidly, and the structure of multiple types of tea gradually formed. The method of drinking tea also evolved from ordering tea to brewing tea, and the brewing tools became more and more sophisticated. Exquisite craftsmanship such as purple clay teapots and porcelain tea sets with lids also emerged. The culture of offering tea to guests and treating them with tea has become more popular, and there are numerous tea houses in cities. It is common to use tea houses for leisure and business negotiations, and the culture and education of tea houses have been developed.
The connotation, form, and social function of Chinese tea culture
1. In the long river of history, the Chinese nation has continuously transformed nature and created material wealth, while also creating a brilliant culture, making tremendous contributions to the progress and development of humanity around the world, with profound significance. Tea culture is an important component of Chinese cultural education, with extremely rich connotations, including various aspects of tea production and consumption, as well as their impact on people's spiritual life.
2. The expression and form of tea culture education include both material and spiritual forms. Manifested in material forms, such as historical relics, relics, tea books, tea paintings, various famous teas, tea houses, tea sets, tea songs and dances, and tea art performances of tea. Manifested in spiritual forms, such as tea ethics, tea ceremony spirit, serving guests with tea, nourishing integrity with tea, nourishing character with tea, and so on.
3. Due to the extremely rich connotation of tea culture, which is both material and spiritual, the social functions and roles played by Chinese tea culture in the development process are inevitably multifaceted. The relationship between traditional tea culture and people's social life has always been very close. Whether it is the "qin, qi, calligraphy, painting, wine, poetry, tea" in the lives of historical literati or the "firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea" in the lives of ordinary people, tea is indispensable. Tea culture has developed to modern times, and the social function of tea has become more prominent. There are roughly 21 important aspects of tea, including meeting friends with tea, forming friendships with tea, showing etiquette with tea, replacing wine with tea, advocating integrity with tea, expressing virtue with tea, using tea as a model, nourishing nature with tea, using tea as a medium, offering sacrifices with tea, using tea as Zen, using tea as poetry, painting with tea, singing and dancing with tea, performing with tea, traveling with tea, cooking with tea, eating with tea, hosting banquets with tea, and exercising with tea Tea based pharmaceuticals.
Meeting friends through tea: Respecting tea to guests has always been a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Meeting friends, drinking tea and narrating, creating a new and peaceful atmosphere.
Tea party: Various social activities, in the form of tea parties, are both solemn and lively.
Using tea as a gesture of respect: Whether it is a solemn high-level meeting or an important meeting, when meeting with family and friends or interpersonal communication, each person has a cup of clear tea, demonstrating a respectful etiquette. In modern society, those who give work as a gift appear noble.
Replacing wine with tea: From ancient times to the present, there have been many people who use tea as a substitute for wine. In modern interpersonal communication, advocating the use of tea as a substitute for wine is truly a noble act.
Promoting integrity through tea: A cup of clear tea is an important measure to oppose extravagance and waste and promote integrity.
Using tea as a symbol of virtue: The spirit of the Japanese Chihiroshi tea ceremony is "harmony, respect, and tranquility", while the Chinese tea ethics advocated by the famous contemporary tea expert Zhuang Wanfang are "integrity, beauty, and respect".
Using tea as a model: Using the spirit of tea dedication as a model, advocating to be an honest and upright "tea person".
Using tea to nourish one's character: From ancient times to the present, many literati and scholars have advocated using tea to cultivate one's mind and character, and to improve people's moral standards.
Using tea as a medium: In Chinese history, tea has a close relationship with marriage, and the tradition of using tea for marriage and marriage has been passed down to this day.
Tea Sacrifice: Many Chinese folk funeral activities still have the tradition of using tea as a sacrifice.
Using tea as Zen: Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "tea Zen is one flavor". Zen tea, Pu tea, and tea making in temple tea ceremonies are important rituals for understanding the Tao through tea.
Using tea as poetry: Throughout history, there have been many poets who have written tea poems, with a wide range of content and diverse forms.
Painting with Tea: Throughout history, there have been many calligraphy and paintings depicting tea parties, tea cooking, tea drinking, and other content, with high artistic value.
Tea Song and Dance: There are many lively and lively songs and dances that involve picking and drinking tea.
Performing with Tea: Various schools of tea art performances have appreciation value, and many tea drinking customs of different regions and ethnic groups have strong artistic appeal.
Tea tourism: Tea town tourism is a characteristic tourism project in modern tourism industry, integrating famous mountains, temples, and drinking famous tea, which is very popular.
Cooking with tea: Many ethnic minority regions have the custom of cooking with fresh tea. In places with frequent tea culture activities, the recipe for cooking with tea is also rich and colorful.
Taking tea as food: tea is added to food and drinks for consumption, and gradually becomes popular. Tea chewing gum, tea cake, tea noodles, tea wine, etc. have been accepted by people.
Banquet with tea: morning tea and night tea from all over the country are popular by combining tea drinking with eating small Dim sum.
Tea fitness: It is known that tea has multiple benefits for human health, and drinking tea for fitness is a firsthand experience for many tea enthusiasts.
Tea based pharmaceuticals: The separation and extraction of substances with medicinal effects from tea leaves to produce drugs for disease prevention and treatment, which is a new contribution of tea to human health.
Based on the main social functions of tea mentioned above, it can be concluded that tea has a significant impact on social life and development, and its impact can be summarized as follows:
1. Meeting friends through tea, forming friendships through tea, offering tea as a gesture of etiquette, advocating for "harmony in the city of Guiyang", and promoting bi monthly publication to enhance friendship and regulate social interpersonal relationships.
2. Replacing alcohol with tea, advocating integrity with tea, advocating tea ethics and the spirit of tea people, nurturing nature with tea, can help improve people's ideological level, and promote the construction of spiritual civilization in society.
3. Through the use of tea as the main medium, tea worship, and the combination of tea meditation, the mediating and spiritual role of tea can be fully utilized.
4. Poetry and painting with tea, singing and dancing with tea, performing arts through tea, traveling to tea towns, advocating for elegant artistic enjoyment, and beautifying people's lives.
5. Cooking with tea, using tea as food, hosting banquets with tea, advocating tea as a national drink, and enriching people's dietary life.
6. Drinking tea for fitness, using tea as a medicine, leveraging the health benefits of tea, and improving people's health levels.
7. Promote tea culture, promote social progress and the development of the tea industry in the 21st century.
The overall purpose of promoting tea culture is to contribute to the civilization and progress of human society. Specifically, in the tea industry itself, promoting tea culture should promote the development of the tea industry. Therefore, as we enter the 21st century, the goal of promoting Chinese tea culture is to promote the growth of tea consumption, benefit human physical and mental health, and promote the construction of spiritual civilization. The work that should be carried out around this goal at present and in the early next century mainly includes the following aspects:
1. Digging and organizing tea historical materials, establishing a treasure trove of Chinese tea culture
The history of tea development spanning thousands of years, with tea scholars writing and commenting throughout history, has accumulated a wealth of historical information on tea, including tea books, tea poetry, tea calligraphy, tea paintings, tea songs and dances, historical documents on tea, and local chronicles related to tea. The content is very extensive. If we can put in effort and effort to organize them, it will be an important treasure trove of Chinese tea culture education and an important task that must be done well to promote tea culture.
2. Discover and protect the historical relics of Chinese tea culture education, and develop tea culture tourism industry
China's tea region is vast and has a long history. There are many historical relics related to tea that need to be excavated and protected in various places, such as cliff carvings, buildings, ancient tombs, utensils, monuments, pavilions, wells, gardens, trees, etc. All those with preservation value should be protected and managed well. And places with conditions can support the development of tea culture tourism, which can expand publicity and increase economic income.
3. Give full play to the promotional role of various media and popularize knowledge of tea culture
Promoting tea culture should not be limited to small circles in the tea and cultural circles, but should be widely promoted through various media, so that more tea enthusiasts and consumers can continuously increase their knowledge of tea culture and promote tea consumption.
4. Advocate the spirit of tea people and tea ethics, and promote the construction of spiritual civilization
There is no unified statement on which specific words or sentences should be used to summarize the spirit of Chinese tea people and tea ethics. The concept of "refined and frugal morality" proposed by Lu Yu, the concept of "honesty, beauty, and respect" advocated by Zhuang Wanfang, and the author's suggestion of "harmony between reason and respect". Although each formulation has its own emphasis, the basic spirit is consistent. We should carry forward the spirit of these tea people and tea ethics, purify people's ideological consciousness, improve moral standards, and promote the development of spiritual civilization construction.
5. Restore and develop historical famous teas, enrich the tea product market
The work of restoring and developing historical famous teas has been widely carried out in various regions. This work must be based on the laws of the market economy, not blindly pursue high precision and excellence, and not only adopt single bud tea. Instead, it should be aimed at mass consumption, establish famous brands, and pursue high quality and high efficiency as the goal.
6. Train and standardize tea art and ceremony, guide the healthy development of tea houses
The tea drinking techniques vary in different parts of China. The various tea houses and art houses that have emerged in various regions are like mushrooms after rain. Although there are differences in grade, they should all aim to meet the legitimate needs of various consumer groups. Therefore, guiding consumers on how to scientifically brew a pot (cup) of tea, how to appreciate and drink it, and fully tap into the drinking value of tea is the focus of our work. As for the tea ceremony and tea art performance, as an art form, it can be standardized and retained, but it is not recommended to drink tea slowly like this. The Chinese people have long adopted the artisan and easy-going way of drinking tea, which is still the best way for the people themselves.
7. Expand international tea culture exchange activities, enhance friendship, and promote the development of tea trade
Chinese tea culture is not only a traditional culture of the Chinese people, but has also had a positive impact on world tea culture. Further expanding international tea culture education and exchange activities is beneficial for enhancing friendship and promoting the development of peace, as well as for more international friends to understand China's diverse tea products and promote the development of international tea trade.
8. Strengthen scientific research on tea and health, and promote tea consumption
Drinking tea is beneficial to health, which is a common knowledge among people. However, it is necessary to strengthen scientific research on the health benefits of tea, how to drink it correctly and scientifically to achieve the desired effect, and how to choose tea based on the different physical conditions of different consumers. Only by popularizing the scientific knowledge obtained through research through various channels to ordinary consumers can tea consumption be truly promoted.
The Chinese tea culture is vast and profound, and fully utilizing its functions and effects will undoubtedly promote the development of the tea industry, promote human civilization and progress, and make positive contributions to social development.
