A Drink with Jam and Bread
Tea was said to be discovered in 2737 BC when tea leaves blew into a cup of boiled drinking water of China Emperor Shen Nung. The emperor tasted the resulting concoction, enjoyed it and -- voila -- tea!
Or so the legend goes.
Supposedly, the first actual documentation of tea was a reference found in an ancient Chinese dictionary dated around 350 BC.
 And the first place where tea trees were planted by mankind was on Mengding Mountain in the Sichuan Province of China in 53 BC by grower Wu Lizhen.
Today, the Museum of World Tea Culture sits on Mengding Mountain, often referred to as one of the holiest tea mountains in the world. Mengding Mountain has also been called "the hometown of the holy tea" and "the cradle of the tea culture."
From Chengdu, the China travel party set out toward Mengding Mountain but first stopped in the small town of Chengjia where the Charming Green Tea Company is located. It's one of about 50 tea factories in this region of Sichuan.
After touring the facility and watching a small group of men and women packaging three types of tea, we sat down with the general manager of Charming Green Tea Company, He Bin.
A piping-hot glass of green tea was set in front of us all and we proceeded to learn about tea. Such as:
¡¤Tea trees produce best in a damp or foggy climate, hence the popularity of Mengding Mountain for growing tea.
¡¤Green tea is known for its medicinal purposes. Drank over a long period it is said to lower cholesterol and be good for the heart and digestive system.
¡¤"If people only drink tea, they have less chance of getting fat," He said through an interpreter. "And it can help lower cancer cells."
Tea is served without the tea bag in China. The tea leaves settle at the bottom of the glass. Once you drink it down, the host is quick to refill your glass and the leaves resettle and steep more tea.
Take a few more sips, as my friend Nik did in the GM's office, and your glass is quickly refilled whether you want more or not. Such is the etiquette in China. Only when you leave a glass full do you establish the fact you have drunk enough tea and don't want a refill.
From Chengjia, we drove up the winding road of Mengding Mountain, passing a tea house at every turn until finally reaching the Museum of World Tea Culture.
The place was empty of tourists. But, of course, it was November, when people don't travel as much. So the giant teapot was not pouring tea into the giant teacup, the tram was not running and there were no tea ceremonies.
But we did walk through the museum and see the documented history of tea -- See not read. Most everything was in Chinese, but you got the picture.
Especially fascinating were the sculptors of the tea artists striking various poses for pouring tea from four- or five-foot long spouts.
The long spouts are so the servers can pour without rudely reaching in front of people. We later saw them in action at the Chengdu Opera.
Yes, these people love their tea.
|
