Chinese Tea

Tea is an important part of Chinese tradition. As Chinese society developed and progressed, tea production has played a role in driving economic development while tea consumption has remained a practice of daily life.

The practice of tea culture can bring the spirit and wisdom of human beings to a higher orbit. Tea has an extremely close relationship to Chinese culture, and its study covers a wide field and has very rich content. It not only embodies the spirit of civilization, but also the spirit of ideological form. There can be no doubt that it has been beneficial in enhancing people's social accomplishments and appreciation of art.

History of Chinese Tea

The history of Chinese tea is a long and gradual story of refinement. Generations of growers and producers have perfected the Chinese way of manufacturing tea, and its many unique regional variations.

The original idea is credited to the legendary Emperor Shennong, who is said to have lived 5 000 years ago. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. A story goes that, one summer day, while visiting a distant part of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown substance was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, according to legend, tea was created in 2737 BC.

Chinese Tea Types

The main varieties of Chinese tea are classified as green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea, and dark tea. Read more on Chinese tea types.

Chinese Tea Culture

Drinking tea：Tea is taken as a beverage to quench thirst.

Tasting tea: The quality of the tea is judged by the color, fragrance and flavor of the tea, the water quality and even the tea set. When tasting tea, the taster should be able to savor the tea thoroughly.

Tea art: While drinking attention is paid to environment, atmosphere, music, infusing techniques and interpersonal relationships.

The highest ambit-- tea lore : Philosophy, ethics and morality are blended into tea activity. People cultivate their morality and mind, and savor life through tasting tea, thereby attaining joy of spirit.

Chinese tea lore is several hundred years, possibly even thousands of years, older than that of Japan. It is said that Chinese tea lore places an emphasis on spirit and makes light of form. Tea lore had different representations at different historical periods. Teas are also various, but all embody the tea spirit of “clearness, respect, joy and truthfulness”.

Tips of Effective Tea Drinking

Drinking tea offers numerous benefits. It refreshes the mind, clears heat within the human body and helps people lose weight. As you add a cup of tea to your daily routine, please check the following tips which help you reap the maximum health benefits.

1. Drink it hot. Tea oxidizes quickly after brewing, and its nutrients diminish overtime. It is suggested that you drink it hot to get the best out of tea.

2. Do not drink too much strong tea. It is likely to upset your stomach and cause insomnia if you make the tea too strong. Usually you can mix 4 grams (0.13 ounce) of tea leaves with 250 milliliters (0.44 pint) to make a cup of tea. An overall amount of 12 - 15 grams (0.4 - 0.5 ounces) of tea leaves is suitable for daily consumption.

3. The best time to drink is in between meals. Do not drink tea soon after or before meals. Otherwise it may quench appetite when your stomach is empty, or cause indigestion when your stomach is full.

4. Do not drink with medication. Tea contains large amount of Tannin, which will react with certain elements in the medicine, thus reduce medical effects. You can drink tea a couple of hours after you take medicine.

5. Green tea is the best option for office workers. Green tea contains catechins that help prevent computer radiation and supplement moisture content of the human body.

8 Types Green Tea

Tea is one of the essential parts of Chinese people's lives. The custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China and green tea is the most popular type of tea there.

It has been proven that the day assumption of green tea have many health effects including reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, loose weigh and anti-aging.

Here are eight high-quality teas with a high reputation in China. Most of the teas are named after their original producing areas.

1. West Lake Dragon Well Tea (西湖龙井Xī hú Lóngjǐng)

• Producing area: West Lake area in Hangzhou

Dragon Well tea, also known as Longjing tea, is the most famous green tea in China and is renowned around the world. It enjoys a high reputation for the sake of its gentle flavor and pleasing aroma.

There are various types of Dragon Well tea in China, but the authentic Dragon Well tea is the one where the tea is grown within the West Lake area in Hangzhou. Shi Feng(Lion Peak), Longjing, Wuyun Mountain, Hupao and Meijiawu are recognized as the five finest producing regions.

2. Biluochun (碧螺春 Bìluóchūn)

• Producing area: Dongting Mountain, Suzhou

The name Biluochun literally means "Green Snail Spring". It is cropped during the spring equinox and "grain rain" period (according to the 24 solar terms), and it has a curled shape resembling a snail. It has a strong aroma and fruity taste.

3. Huangshan Maofeng Tea (黄山毛峰 Huángshān Máofēng)

• Producing area: Huizhou City, Anhui

Huangshan Maofeng tea (literally meaning "Yellow Mountain Fur Peak") originates from the Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province. It has been famous since the Guangxu Emperor's reign during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and it's picked in the early spring. It has peak-shaped leaves with ivory-tinted hairs, and its golden tea is slightly sweet and fragrant with a lingering aftertaste.

4. Taiping Houkui Tea (太平猴魁, Tàipíng Hóukuí)

• Producing area: Yellow Mountain, Anhui

Taiping houkui literally means "monkey leader" in Taiping Prefecture (now the Huangshan area). It has a straight shape just like a bamboo leaf which is rare among tea and its leaves are larger than other types.

5. Lu'an Melon Seed Tea (六安瓜片Lù'ān Guāpiàn )

• Producing area: Lu'an City, Anhui

Lu'an Melon Seed tea was a type of tribute tea for the imperial family during the Qing Dynasty. The Guangxu Emperor (1871-1908) and Empress Dowager Cixi were very fond of it.

Lu'an Melon Seed tea also has a very high nutritional value. It was widely used to prevent sunstroke by the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

6. Xinyang Maojian Tea (信阳毛尖 Xìnyáng Máojiān)

• Producing area: Xinyang City, Henan Province

Maojian (毛尖"hairy tips") is a special type of tea. "Hairy" refers to the "tiny fuzz in cup" when it's brewed, while "tips" refers to the shape of the sharp, full, and young tea leaves.

Compared to other types of tea, Xinyang Maojian leaves are relatively small, being well-known since the late Qing Dynasty, with a green color, white hairs, and a thin and firmly rolled appearance with both ends in a pointed shape.

7. Lushan Yunwu Tea (庐山云雾 Lúshān Yúnwù Chá)

• Producing area: Lushan, JiuJiang City, Jiangxi Province

Listed as a tribute tea in the Song Dynasty(960-1279), Yunwu ("cloud mist") tea is grown on Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province. It is famous all over China owing to its origin on Lushan Mountain, and it's characterized by its tender leaves, jade green luster, clear tea and sweet flavor.

8. Nanjing Rain Flower Tea (南京雨花茶 Nánjīng Yǔ Huā Chá )

• Producing area: Yuhuatai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province

Nanjing Rain Flower Tea is a special type of green tea, which was named after the area it's grown in: Yuhua tai, Nanjing City. It is also known in Chinese as Yu Hua Cha which is a local product of Nanjing.

Nanjing Rain Flower tea leaves are processed with great care and have a delicate appearance with a pine needle shape. It has a light, smooth, and sweet flowery taste and has received a high reputation in Southeast Asia so that people consider it to be the perfect gift.

Infusion of Green Tea

According to the Chinese tea ceremony tradition, green tea should be infused three times, and each infusion has its own points for attention.

• The water used should be 80°C (176°F) to 85°C (185°F).
• Infuse for 2-3 minutes each time.
• Consume the tea (all three infusions) within 30 minutes.

The First Infusion of Green Tea — Fresh and Fragrant

Attention should be paid to the leaves dancing in the boiling water during the first infusion of tea. Drink it slowly in small sips to taste its fresh and fragrant flavor.

The Second Infusion of Green Tea — Strongest Taste

When two thirds of the first infusion is consumed, add the second infusion to the fair cup. (You'll need one vessel for brewing, one vessel for distributing –the fair cup, and cups for drinking.).

The second infusion of tea has a much stronger flavor and a lingering fragrance, which makes you feel fresh and joyous, and you're supposed to concentrate your attention on its flavor.

The Third Infusion of Green Tea — a Lighter Tea to Finish

When half of the second infusion of tea is left, add the third infusion to the fair cup.

The tea is typically light in color and possibly inspired in flavor by the third infusion. Some Chinese add sugar to the third infusion of tea to boost the flavor.

Green Tea's Benefit

It has not been proven that daily consumption of green tea has any health benefits, though it is statistically associated with lessened risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and death from any cause. However, this may be linked more with the less-stressed lifestyle and increased water consumption of habitual green tea drinkers, compared to non-green-tea-drinkers, than the tea itself.

Green tea makes up over 50% of China's tea market share. In TCM it has a high medicinal value and is, therefore, used as both a beverage and a medicine in China.

Museum of TCM

The Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the only state-level professional Chinese medicine museum in the country. It is seated at the foot of Wu Hill in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The museum is housed in the restored ancient structure-Hu Qing Yu Tang, meaning that it is also known as Hu Qing Yu Tang Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Hu Qing Yu Tang was a Chinese pharmacy which began business in 1874. It had won a great fame during its development. People regarded it as the 'King of Medicine' in southern China. Hu Xueyan, the first boss of the pharmacy, was not only a successful businessman but also a high-class official in the imperial court. In China's feudal society, people doing business were widely looked down upon whereas state officials were highly respected. Many tourists are attracted to the Hu Qing Yu Tang Museum to not only appreciate the treasures of Chinese medicine, but also to admire its magnificent architectural complexities and to learn more about Hu's legendary stories

The Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine consists of five parts: the Exhibition Hall, the Medicine Preparation Hall, the Chinese Health Care Clinic, the Restaurant of Medicinal Diet and the Sales Department. The Exhibition Hall introduces the development of Chinese medicine, including its origin, the life of well-known doctors in its long history, famous books of medical science and China's herb exchange with foreign countries, etc. In the Medicine Preparation Hall, the museum's staff also performs the arts of traditional pharmaceutics. If you are interested, you can even try it yourself. In the Chinese Health Care Clinic, visitors have the opportunity to receive Chinese-style health care served by experienced doctors. The Restaurant of Medicinal Diet provides visitors with numerous medicinal diets which are good for human health. The Sales Department sells Chinese medicine from almost all parts of the country.

Chinese Massage -TCM

Massage, in Chinese called 'an mo' or 'tui na', it is another great contribution of the Chinese people made to the world medical field. It is a kind of outer physiotherapy and has been approved to be one of great practical use. As doctors hold that, a network - 'jing luo' in human body serves as a passage for vital energy and blood, organs and joints all to be the entity of body, they regulate it through outside force of hands directly acting on the injured part, and turn the scale of pathological changes or improve the organ function to maintain health.

This marvelous treatment as a branch of Chinese medicine also has a long history. The earliest record on massage is in the inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty (16th -11th century BC). During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), a story that a miracle-working doctor Bian Que healed the faint prince through massage was written down, illustrating the amazing effect in such an early time. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386 - 589), six techniques of hand massage evolved and became more professional, such as to strand, shake, twine, twiddle, knead and roll, which are still widely used. Today it has developed over 20 varieties of techniques and the study on of it is thriving.

Depending on the strength and direction of hand, the power sinking into the body differs. Consequently some reach only the skin, some to the pulses, muscle and even marrow. The effects of massage have been affirmed by people who have experienced, that is, relieving the bones and muscles, detumescence, acesodyne, adjusting dislocation of the joints, removal of muscle spasm and so on. Today the massage by the blind in China has been a fashion because of the effect and the provision of work chance.

Besides these massages for cure, there are also ones for keeping fit. Kneading the acupoints around eyes can give you a good eyesight; massaging simply and exactly on the three acupoints of head can quickly relax yourself; and massaging feet known as reflexology in the west can reflect the effects all parts of the human body, as the feet have a close relationship with the whole body and are known as the 'second heart'.

Chinese Acupuncture - TCM

Acupuncture and massage have become more and more accepted within the medicine field of the world. What fascinates people is that fine needles and the gentle strength can make you healthy without taking lots of pills. Now these two, complementary medicines, are the major representatives of Chinese medicine in the west.

Acupuncture (Zhen Jiu)

Acupuncture is the experiential summary undergoing the long-term struggle by the Chinese people. Actually it consists of two parts: operations with needles and ones with fire, both of them are essential and correlative during curing. We will come to each respectively

Operations with Needles

This field features the pricks of needles on acupuncture point (acupoint for short) to adjust the organic functions and clear the energy channels of obstruction in our body.

It is said that as early as the Stone Age, an ancestor whose hands ached might touch a stone by chance during work, then he felt better. Over time they improved the shape of stone to be sharp enough to knead; their blood circulation became more smooth and hastened recovery.

In ancient China, it was called 'Bian Shu', a treat method with stone needles which then evolved into the bone, bamboo, and metal. Now it is popular to use stainless steel and silver needles among the doctors of Chinese medicine. They are so fine that the length is 15 - 125 millimeters and the diameter is 0.28 - 0.45 millimeters.

After thousands of years' clinical practice and summaries, complete theoretical systems came into being, like therapeutics, which effectively conduct the operation. Acupoint or Shu Xue in Chinese is exclusive to Chinese medical science. According to the records, it is on the passages named Jing Luo through which vital energy circulates around the whole body. If the passages like a network are blocked, doctors will prick acupoints to dredge them. Now these questions have been raised to be the hot point of international science, and someone have said it is the fifth great invention of China. On the passages, there dispersed hundreds of acupoints. Once the needle enters into the acupoints, deep or shallow, lifted or entwisted, inserted in different frequency, all according to the techniques of experienced doctors, the miraculous effect will appear.

The indications to the acupuncture are quite wide, including the frequently-occurring diseases of internal medicine, surgical medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, dermatology, etc. In 1958, acupuncture anaesthesia began to be used in clinical cure, adding new content to the anaesthetics. This kind of treatment does not do any harm to the body nor has any side effect. Doctors handling the needle freely, it is rather convenient and comfortable because it needs no special condition or facilities, except the small and thin needles. So it is easy for patients to accept. In 1982, Chinese ministry of Public Health had appraised the achievements of this method. After that, operations of lung removal, uterectomy, and others of difficulty have been successfully conducted with acupuncture anaesthesia, which shook up the medical world - World Health Organization has declared 47 instances of it to date.

Operations with Fire
In Chinese language from the linguistic angle, the character Jiu that represents this kind of operations - moxibustion, has a pictographic element of fire, that is to say, this method of treatment must have a close relation with fire.

Its origin can also be dated back to the Eolithic age. People have supposed that, it is possible when a cooking housewife approached fire and found lenitive at the ache. Gradually it developed and added the medical herbs to fume and reach the physical health.

The methods in common use are moxibustion with moxa cone and cupping. For people who want to have a try with moxibustion, they are really worthy of praise for their courage. The principle of cupping lies in that, when the fire in the jar is burnt, heating power ejects the air out, and the negative pressure makes the jar stick to the skin, which causes the stasis of blood to stimulate and adjust the organ functions, the moxa cone can also have this effect.

The manipulation of moxibustion with moxa cone goes like this: to enkindle a moxa cone by one end, position this end above a certain acupoint 2-4 cm away and fumigate, avoiding the skin being burnt. The other ways also varied to add pieces of ginger and mashed garlic which can be utilized as medicinal herbs, that is, to put them on the acupoint and the burnt moxa cone on them, then cure with fire indirectly.

The cupping operation needs more apparatus and techniques: the cupping jar should be of the appropriate size, with a thick and clean brim. Smear little Vaseline on the spot where treatment is required. Light a ball of cotton dipped with alcohol in the jar and quickly remove after several seconds. Cover the skin as soon as possible for 15 - 20 minutes, and when doctors take the jar away, you will find the recovery.

Besides these traditional methods of moxibustion, people have now improved them to be more convenient and efficient. Such as microwave needle moxibustion, electronic needle moxibustion, acupoint injection, acupoint magnetotherapy, and so on.

Tranditional Chinese Medicine

China was one of the first countries to have a medical culture. In comparison with Western method, Chinese medicine takes a far different approach. With a history of 5,000 years, it has formed a deep and immense knowledge of medical science, theory, diagnostic methods, prescriptions and cures.

Relative Properties - Yin and Yang

The Physiology of Chinese medicine holds that the human body's life is the result of the balance of yin and yang. Yin is the inner and negative principles, and yang, outer and positive. The key reason why there is sickness is because the two aspects lose their harmony. Seen from the recovery mechanism of organs, yang functions to protect from outer harm, and yin is the inner base to store and provide energy for its counterpart.

Basic Substance

Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine (abbreviated to TCM) believe that vital energy - moving and energetic particles, state of blood, and body fluid are the essential substances that compose together to form the human body, and the basis for internal organs to process. They are channeled along a network within the body - Jing Luo as their channels. On the physical side, vital energy serving to promote and warm belongs to the properties of yang, and blood and body fluid to moisten possesses the properties of yin.

Four Methods of Diagnosis

It is a wonder that TCM doctors could cure countless patients without any assistant apparatus but only a physical examination. The four methods of diagnosis consist of observation, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, pulse taking and palpation.

• Observation indicates that doctors directly watch the outward appearance to know a patient's condition. As the exterior and interior corresponds immediately, when the inner organs run wrongly, it will be reflected through skin pallor, tongue, the facial sensory organs and some excrement.

• Auscultation and olfaction is a way for doctors to collect messages through hearing the sound and smelling the odor. This is another reference for diagnosis.

• Interrogation suggests that doctors question the patient and his relatives, so as to know the symptoms, evolution of the disease and previous treatments.

• The taking of the pulse and palpation refer that doctors noting the pulse condition of patients on the radial artery, and then to know the inner change of symptom. Doctors believe that when the organic function is normal, the pulse, frequency, and intension of pulse will be relatively stable, and when not, variant.

When treating a disease, doctors of TCM usually find the patient's condition through these four diagnostic methods: observation, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, pulse, and palpation. Combining the collected facts and according to their internal relations, doctors will utilize the dialectics to analyze the source and virtue of the disease. Then make sure what prescription should be given. In traditional Chinese medical science, the drugs are also different from the West, because doctors have discovered the medicinal effects of thousand of herbs over a long period of time. Before taking the medicine, the patient will have to boil it. Then there is the distinctive method of preparation, associated with the acupuncture and massage, the treatment will take effect magically.

Such a complicated medical science had come down thanks to records like The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Interior Medicine, Shen Nong's Canon of Herbs, and the Compendium of Materia Medica, which are all comprehensive and profound works. There are also wide-spread stories praising the experienced and notable doctors in ancient China like Hua Tuo in the Three Kingdoms Periods (220 - 280). Today, though western medicine has been adopted, traditional treatments are still playing an important role and have raised great attention and interest worldwide due to the amazing curative effects reported.

Hua Tuo - Ancestor of Surgery - Chinese Medicine

Hua Tuo - Ancestor of Surgery - Chinese Medicine: The surgery of the Chinese medicine had already taken shape back in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). Hua Tuo is the ancestor of surgery in China.