User:Crystalyu1214/sandbox

The article that you chose to add to, "History of Tea in China" is a fairly disorganized one without any logical flow.  Therefore, you can really put your section "Religious Impact on Chinese Tea" anywhere on the page.  What you have is an OK start but you need to spend the next few weeks developing this article further.  One concern is your second sentence.  What evidence do you have for stating that the Tang and Song dynasties are the most innovative period in tea history?

Peer review from Yi Zhou:

Love your work! Thinking about dive your articles into pieces by regional instead of by time? I think for Chinese tea history it is far more important to talk about it by region. All the resources seems good to me. Grammar is OK too. Keep going!

Article Evaluation

-History of tea in China

• [1], "Origin of Tea" This link is no longer available.
• I think the way Wikipedia discusses the history of tea misses the religious impact on Chinese tea. Chinese tea has an extremely close relationship with Buddhism. It is Buddhism that helps Chinese tea to spread in the global community.
• Etymology section does not have clear sources, which makes the idea untrustworthy.

Add to an article

-History of tea in China

Potential Topics

-History of tea in China- Add a section of how Buddhism impacts tea in history

-History of coffee- Add a section of how coffee is related to religion. How christianity incorporated coffee into their culinary system

-Buddhist cuisine- Add a history of Buddhist cuisine by exploring how Buddhism cuisine impacts Chinese, Japanese and Korean foodways.

Finalize Topic:

-History of tea in China

I want to add the religious and cultural transformation in Chinese tea. Religious ideas greatly influenced the history of Chinese tea. Confucianism,Buddhist ideas and Taoist concepts influenced the acceptance of tea as a beverage. I also want to explain the art of tea, which shows how tea drinking can be regarded as a representation of the oriental culture. The health benefits of drinking tea also need to be added.

Resources: Laudan, Cuisine and Empire, chapter 3: Buddhist Cuisines, 260 B.C.E.–4800 C.E.

James A. Benn, Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History

McMaster University The Importance of Religion for Tea in China

Liu, Tong (2012). Chinese Tea

Luo, Jialin, The China Tea Book

Bret Hinsch,The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Tea

Ling Yun,Chinese Tea (Discovering China)

Daniel Reid, The Art & Alchemy Of Chinese Tea

Draft

Religious Impact on Chinese Tea

Religious ideas influenced the invention and development of tea in traditional China. Tang and Song dynasties are the most innovative and exciting period in tea history. During this period, major developments in tea cultivation and drinking occurred and therefore tea became a religious and cultural commodity of traditional China. Tea had long associated with Buddhism and Taoist in the southern part of China. Record of Divine Marvels (Shenyi ji) by the Taoist priest Wang Fu (fl. ca. 300 CE), provides the first documented association of Taoism and tea.The important Taoist writer Tao Hongjing (456–536) also ties together tea and the Master of Cinnabar Mound. In his Separate Account of Famous Medicines (Mingyi bielu), he writes, “Tea (mingcha) makes the body light and changes the bones. However, the habit of drinking tea did not start until in medieval China when Lu Yu’s compilation of the Classic of Tea and the dissemination of tea drinking by itinerant Buddhist monastics. Before the eighth and ninth century, alcohol is the national drink that is not only for personal pleasure but also for social bondings and ritual purposes. However, Buddhist ideas of abstinence from alcohol helped tea compete with alcohol as a national beverage. Also, Buddhist and Taoist institutions influenced the growing, processing, and marketing of tea. For example, tea-drinking ceremonies were significant ceremonial events in Chinese Buddhist monasteries. Monks grew many famous, rare, and expensive teas in and around monasteries. This attracted rich tea connoisseurs to these places and stimulated their interest in Buddhist institutions.

The Art of Drinking Tea

"Final Draft"

Introduction

In China, there is a long history and importance on tea. According to Chinese legend, Shen Nong, the Divine Cultivator discovered tea accidentally about 3000 B.C and taught the people to farm. As an experimental herbalist, Shen Nong sampled various kinds of plants to determine each individual plant's effect. Some of the plants are poisonous, and Shen Nong used tea as an antidote. The medical value of tea led to the culture of tea drinking in China.

In the twelfth century B.C, tea has been cultivated in present-day Sichuan. In the third century, the tea was not only boiled with water, but also dried and processed because tea became a daily beverage during that time. By the time of Jin dynasty (1115–1234) tea drinking has spread all parts of the country.

Significance

Tea drinking became an art in Tang dynasty and flourished in the Song dynasty. In the time of Tang dynasty, tea was compressed into teacakes to keep it fresh. Due to the connivence of transporting tea, tea became the most popular commodity in foreign trade. Before the Tang, the tea in Chinese character is written as 荼，which means "bitter" to show the taste of tea. Tang people removed one line from 荼 and renamed tea as 茶. This character gives the tea a meaning in its shape. The top part is 艹，meaning grass; The middle part is 人，meaning people；The bottom part is 木，meaning wood. This suggests tea is a symbol of harmony between people and nature.In Tang dynasty, tea houses was first introduced to people. In addition to this, the first publication about tea-The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu was written during the Tang dynasty.

Song dynasty is the golden time for tea and tea house as a new social meeting place played an important role. Emperor Huizong of Song wrote General Remarks on Tea and the calligrapher Cai Xiang wrote Record of Tea during this time period. It is in the Song dynasty that artistic concept including poetry, calligraphy, painting, and sculpture blended into the tea culture. These art forms are shown in the design of tea cups and other tea drinking equipments.

The process of drinking tea reflects an important Chinese philosophy-Five elements (China) which are wood, water, fire, metal, and earth. Tea first came from wood. When boiling, tea met water, "the friend of tea" and fire, "the teacher of tea" which bring the aroma and character of tea. The ewers for hot water were metal. Finally tea was served in ceramic cups that represented earth.

The Religious Impact on Chinese Tea

Taoism and Tea-Record of Divine Marvels (Shenyi ji) by the Taoist priest Wang Fu (fl. ca. 300 CE), provides the first documented association of Taoism and tea.The important Taoist writer Tao Hongjing (456–536) also ties together tea and the Master of Cinnabar Mound. In his Separate Account of Famous Medicines (Mingyi bielu), he writes, “Tea (mingcha) makes the body light and changes the bones. Taoism, the oldest spiritual principle in China, states that man is an integral part of nature, emphasizing the harmony among man, nature and the universe. According to Taosit theory, humans vitality lies within collateral channels. Tea acts like a filter, absorbing impurities and help people to achieve the harmony of the soul. In addition to this, Taosims encourages a person to practice extreme acts of asceticism or self-sacrifice as "immortals". Tea helps a person to relax and intoxicates a person's body, which meets the demand of Taosim.

Buddhism and Tea- Tea and Buddhism is closely associated during the Tang dynasty. During this period, Japanese Buddhists brought tea leaves back from China to Japan as gifts. Lu Yu, the first Chinese tea master, was an orphan raised in a Buddhist monastery, who remained close to monks all his life. Tea is an important innovation that Chinese Buddhist monks contributed to Buddhist cuisine. Before the eighth and ninth century, alcohol is the national drink that is not only for personal pleasure but also for social bondings and ritual purposes. However, Buddhist ideas of abstinence from alcohol helped tea compete with alcohol as a national beverage in China. The calming effects of tea allowed Monks to concentrate and focus, therefore Monks use tea to stay awake during meditation.

Also, Buddhist and Taoist institutions influenced the growing, processing, and marketing of tea. For example, tea-drinking ceremonies were significant ceremonial events in Chinese Buddhist monasteries. Monks grew many famous, rare, and expensive teas in and around monasteries. This attracted rich tea connoisseurs to these places and stimulated their interest in Buddhist institutions.

The Art of Traditional Tea Set

Chinese who love drinking tea also usually appreciate the beauty of tea set because the design of the tea set is an important part of the Chinese traditional tea culture. The tea set is consists of the teacup, teapot, Zhan(small cup), teacup holder, and tea plate. Lu Yu designed 24 utensils for tea drinking in his book The Classic of Tea including stove, bamboo basket, coal breaker, fire-clip, boiler, stand, paper bag, tea roller and tea dust cleaner, tea basket, ze(pancake-shaped soup spoon), water container, a tea cup.

As tea drinking became more and more popular, tea set became simplified, leaving tea pot and tea cup the most important utensils.Tea pot and tea cup are usually made of same material, called the "set of Mother and Son". It is like a mother nursing her children when tea was poured from the pot into cups. Yixing clay teapot is the best tea pot because its ability to maintain the aroma and the taste of the tea. Yixing teapot is made of zisha, purple unglazed clay, which can absorb a small amount of tea while brewing. Therefore the longer a person use Yixing teapot, the better flavor, color and scent of the tea is presented after brewing.

The Art of Chinese Tea Ceremony

Tradition and art has had an impact on shaping the tea culture in China and helped to elevate tea drinking into an art form known as the "tea ceremony". There are a well-ordered steps to follow in preparing, servicing, and drinking tea, including choosing the tea, brewing the tea, selecting the tea set, and creating the proper drinking tea environment.

According to Xu Cishu, a tea expert of the Ming dynasty, water quality is essential in determining the flavor of the tea. Water from the mountains is the best. Tea water should be clear flowing water in sparsely populated area.

The Health Benefits of Tea Drinking

According to Lu Yu, "tea tempers the spirit and harmonizes the mind; dispels lassitude and relieve fatigue; awakens thought and prevents drowsiness; lightens and refreshes the boy and clears the perceptive faculties" A long listed health beneficials effects were summarized thusly:

1. Tea can relieve headaches and fatigue by dredging clear the body's channels.
2. Tea can reduce the effects of alcohol.
3. Tea can allay hunger.
4. Tea can reduce summer heat.
5. Tea can reduce drowsiness.
6. Tea can purify the sprit, calm people down and eliminate anxiety.
7. Tea can help people to digest food.
8. Tea can intoxicate the body.
9. Tea can contribute to longevity.
10. Tea can inspire the mind.