Influence of Silk Road on Tea Culture in China
First of all, the Silk Road is one of the earliest windows for China and the western world to understand each other.
After the opening of the Silk Road, China's silk products enjoyed a high reputation in Europe, especially in the Roman Empire, which regarded China's silk products as precious items and called China "the country of silk". Caesar, the consul of Rome and China, once appeared in the theater in a silk robe, causing a sensation. Later, wearing China silk robes became the social fashion of the upper class in Rome.
The Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty in China, from 202 BC to 220 AD, were the initial prosperity stages of China feudal society, and they had already created cultural achievements with world influence, such as Confucianism, the Great Wall and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. At that time, Europe was in the era of Roman Empire, at the peak of slavery society, and the stories of Caesar and Octavian and _ _ were recorded in history. China culture has influenced many countries and regions in East Asia, and Roman culture has also influenced Europe and the Mediterranean. At that time, what the two civilized regions of the East and the West lacked was mutual understanding, mutual communication and mutual absorption. Therefore, the Silk Road to China is a very important event in the history of world cultural exchange, which was earlier than the opening of the new air route 1500 years.
Secondly, the Silk Road is a channel for the ancient western minorities in China to accept advanced culture and understand the outside world.
The Han people's cast iron, ditching and sinking techniques, silk products and metal tools were introduced to the western regions, which greatly promoted the economic and cultural development of the western regions.
Thirdly, the Silk Road is one of the greatest feats in China's ancient history.
China's ancient world feats include the Great Wall, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the Grand Canal and the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, which are universally recognized, and tourists are like boats. Comparatively speaking, the Silk Road can be regarded as a real feat of China, because it shows the foresight of China people in opening up to the world. Secondly, Europe had no contact with China, and ancient China people didn't know how big the world was. Even in the late Qing Dynasty, under the influence of China's concept, North Korea had a "map of the world", which occupied the whole map with China as the center, surrounded by a circle of sea and another circle of dams. Numerous small rectangular strips in the ocean represent many islands, including Japan and many unknown "lilliputian countries" and "women's countries". Until the Opium War, the emperor of China thought that China was "the kingdom of China" and made many mistakes. However, as early as the Western Han Dynasty about 2000 years before the Opium War, the people of China made a lot of preparations for the opening of the Silk Road.
The Communication History of Tea Culture on the Maritime Silk Road
Tea drinking is very popular in China, but people in the western world have never heard of it during the long period of poor communication between East and West. In modern times, with the development of capitalist overseas trade, information about tea drinking entered Europe through the eastern routes opened by European navigators, and tea drinking was once popular in Europe.
According to the existing literature, Venetian writer Ramach was the first European to describe tea drinkers. /kloc-In the middle of the 6th century, he wrote China Tea, Sailing Travels and other works, covering the tea-drinking customs in China, including the origin, drinking methods and main functions of tea. However, Lamacher didn't see it himself or even drink tea. The source of information is visiting businessmen from West Asia. Europeans personally saw or even drank tea in the early days, and they were missionaries studying in China. Encouraged by the new sea route, European Catholic missionaries came to China along the eastern sea route opened by navigators. Portuguese missionary Gaspar? Da? Klose once lived in Guangzhou. The Chronicle of China, published after returning to China, records: "If there are guests visiting, it is the custom of decent people to offer a kind of hot water called tea, which is put in a porcelain cup and placed on a delicate plate. Hot water is red and has a strong medicinal taste. They often drink it. It is made of grass and tastes slightly bitter. " Since then, the Italian missionary Louis? Aimeida, Spanish missionary Juan? Both Mendoza and Italian missionary Matteo Ricci have described the custom of drinking tea, and Portuguese missionary Zeng Dezhao also paid special attention to the etiquette of drinking tea: "After arranging suitable seats for guests, the host will immediately serve tea as a drink and send it in order. In some provinces, frequent tea service is a sign of respect, but not in Hangzhou Province. If you drink tea for the third time, it means that the guests should go. "
Missionaries kept sending information about tea drinking back to Europe. At the same time or later, other Europeans also came into contact with tea drinking and gave a brief description. For example, Dutch sailors Ducker and Lin Si Gordon, who used to work for Portuguese ships, described tea and tea in the East, and Phillips, an official of the Dutch East India Company? Baudaus also talked about drinking tea, saying that "drinking tea not only enables Asian residents who have this hobby to effectively resist many diseases, but also can be used by the Dutch".
With the historical opportunity of the global transportation network in the era of geographical discovery, a small number of Europeans gradually learned about tea drinking information and introduced it to Europe, while European countries came to Europe for commercial purposes to a large extent, and tea was naturally included in the scope of purchasing goods.
Tea trade is conducted through the Maritime Silk Road.
Although the Portuguese took the lead in geographical discovery, the main concern of East-West trade was traditional commodity spices. Tea is regarded as an exquisite and extraordinary thing, an excellent treasure and a delicious drink, but it has not become a fixed commodity in trade. Due to the need of competition, the Dutch "took away the well-preserved dried sage when they sailed to China for the second time and exchanged it for tea from China", thus the Dutch really started the trade of Chinese and western tea.
In the first half of17th century, the British followed the footsteps of Portugal and Holland and established a series of commercial pavilions from India to Japan. At this time, Britain mainly bought tea from Bandan, surat, Madras and other places, but it was not satisfied with this, and then opened direct trade with China with the help of Taiwan Province Province controlled by Zheng Group. With this process, the number of tea purchases increased rapidly, and Britain gradually occupied a dominant position in the tea trade between China and the West. In order to ensure the maritime tea trade, the British attach great importance to shipping. From the transportation route, British merchant ships set off from England to the south, bypassed the Cape of Good Hope, and then either directly crossed sunda strait to China, or arrived in India and then crossed the Straits of Malacca to China. Tea needs long-distance sea transportation to reach Europe, and the British East India Company gives special protection. "Put the tea in the lowest temperature part of the ship; For the goods stored in the cabin, when the weather is good, open the hatch as soon as possible for ventilation. " These measures are to ensure the quality of tea.
In addition to the Netherlands and Britain, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Prussia, Spain, Austria, Italy and Portugal have all joined the ranks of buying tea. The famous shipwreck "Gothenburg" carrying a huge amount of tea is a clear proof of history. Tea has become a key commodity in Sino-Western trade, and the Maritime Silk Road is filled with tea fragrance that fascinates Europeans at this time.
Tea trees are all over the Maritime Silk Road.
Tea is very popular in Europe, and propagandists believe that it is "mild in texture, suitable for both winter and summer, and drinking tea is beneficial to hygiene, health and longevity". With the rapid growth of tea trade between China and the West, they are unwilling to buy and sell passively, but deliberately introduce tea trees, and the Maritime Silk Road has also become a channel for tea trees to spread abroad.
As early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Japanese monks brought tea seeds to Japan by sea and planted them successfully. Similarly, a few Europeans began to try. /kloc-in the late 7th century, Andre, a German naturalist who worked for the Dutch East India Company? Kreye introduced tea trees from Japan and planted them as decorative plants in Batavia's house, which was the earliest attempt of Europeans to grow tea. By the beginning of the18th century, with the increasing importance of tea trade, the board of directors of the Dutch East India Company decided to introduce China tea seeds, but the Dutch East India Government was not very active in this regard, and the matter was dropped.
Because the British people's position in the tea trade is extremely important, they pay more attention to the problem of tea planting. 1780, the British East India Company shipped a small amount of tea seeds from Guangzhou to Calcutta. Kaide planted some in a private botanical garden, which was the first time that India planted tea trees. When Magalny delegation visited China, the British East India Company asked Magalny to pay attention to the cultivation of tea trees. On the way back, the delegation passed by the tea-producing area, and Magalny took the opportunity to "buy some from the villagers", thinking that "if it can be properly cultivated and promoted by local officials, Indian coffee tables will be famous all over the world within ten years". Magalny also brought tea seeds, some of which germinated successfully in Calcutta Botanical Garden.
Because the British East India Company has monopolized the trade with China for a long time, it has caused more and more dissatisfaction in Britain. Finally, the British Parliament cancelled its privilege in 1834, and it can no longer monopolize trade with China. The company began to strongly support the cause of tea planting. 1834 organized the tea Committee, appointed G.J. Gordon and botanist Robert? Fu Qiong has carried out relevant work. Gordon and Fu Qiong traveled across the ocean many times to China. They not only learned about the distribution of tea areas, observed the planting and processing of tea trees, collected tea trees and tea seeds, but also recruited experienced tea makers and brought them to India through Shanghai and Hong Kong. The unremitting efforts of the British laid the foundation for the rise of Indian tea industry, and the monopoly position of China tea in the world became a thing of the past.
The history of tea culture
1. Speaking of the discovery of tea, people will naturally think of the legend that Shennong tasted a hundred herbs. However, the real historical record of tea as a drink and a kind of spiritual enjoyment should be counted from the Western Han Dynasty. Wang Bao's "Make all the tea" and Wuyang's record of buying tea fully prove the formation of tea drinking custom and the existence of tea market at that time. Changqu in the Eastern Jin Dynasty described many roads of Bashu in Huayang Guozhi. Bazhi ",even with tea as a tribute. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it became a common practice for some people of insight to "cultivate modesty with tea". For example, the satrap of the state of Jin formed the habit of drinking only tea, which is perhaps the best example.
2. The Tang Dynasty was a prosperous dynasty in history. Lu Yu's Tea Ceremony systematically summarizes the experience of making and drinking tea in the Tang Dynasty and before its development, and also puts forward the spirit of tea ceremony of thrift. Lu Yu and some of his contemporaries attached great importance to the spiritual enjoyment and moral norms of tea drinking, tea drinking utensils and the art of brew tea. It can be said that the tea ceremony and tea art in China were thus produced. At that time, the folk tea custom, even the luxurious and grand palace tea banquet, as well as the literati's tea poems, tea paintings and calligraphy, were all concentrated expressions of the formation and development of tea culture.
3. In Song Dynasty, tea production developed further and drinking tea became more popular. As a tribute, Jianzhou Longtuan Wind Cake is even more gaudy. Evonne, the emperor of Song Huizong, wrote Daguan Tea Classic, which is the only emperor in China history who wrote it himself. Many scholars who followed also wrote poems and made tea paintings. At the same time, the art of drinking tea has been further developed, the art of "ordering tea" has been further standardized, the wind of "fighting tea" has prevailed, the Buddhist tea industry has flourished, and the art of drinking tea has spread rapidly abroad and spread all over the world with the spread of Buddhism.
4. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, loose-leaf tea developed rapidly and gradually formed a pattern of various teas. The method of drinking tea has also developed from ordering tea to making tea, and the instruments for making tea have become more and more exquisite, and exquisite teapots and bowls of porcelain tea sets have emerged. It is more popular to treat guests with tea, and there are more teahouses in cities. It is very common to use teahouses for leisure and business talks, and the culture and education of teahouses have also developed.
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