Source: CCTV.com

06-28-2007 09:55

The origins of San Mao were never in question. But where does one go to discover the origin of tea ceremony? China of course.

Historical records and archeological discoveries are pointing toward east China as the earliest home of tea and the ART of tea.

Xinchang county in east China's Zhejing province has a recognized 1500-year history of tea planting. Latest archaeological research, rolls back the clock thousands of years on that.

Archaeologists have unearthed tea seeds dating back 8000 years. They are the earliest found in China so far. The Chinese origin of the tea ceremony is evinced by the poems of the Tang Dynasty some 1400 years ago. A detailed depiction of brewing and drinking tea, as well as the tea dance is found in poet Jiao Ran's lines. That puts the date 800 years earlier than the tea ceremony in Japan.

The Chinese government plans to apply for a place in the World Intangible Heritage List, recognizing the venerable and ancient tradition of the Chinese tea ceremony.

 

Editor:Liu Fang