The History of Tea
Transcript
During a long day spent roaming the forest in search of edible grains and herbs, the weary divine farmer Shennong accidentally poisoned himself 72 times.
But before the poisons could end his life, a leaf drifted into his mouth.
He chewed on it and it revived him, and that is how we discovered tea.
Or so an ancient legend goes at least.
Tea doesn’t actually cure poisonings, but the story of Shennong, the mythical Chinese inventor of agriculture, highlights tea’s importance to ancient China.
Archaeological evidence suggests tea was first cultivated there as early as 6,000 years ago, or 1,500 years before the pharaohs built the Great Pyramids of Giza.
That original Chinese tea plant is the same type that’s grown around the world today, yet it was originally consumed very differently.
It was eaten as a vegetable or cooked with grain porridge.
Tea only shifted from food to drink 1,500 years ago when people realized that a combination of heat and moisture could create a complex and varied taste out of the leafy green.
After hundreds of years of variations to the preparation method, the standard became to heat tea, pack it into portable cakes, grind it into powder, mix with hot water, and create a beverage called muo cha, or matcha.
Matcha became so popular that a distinct Chinese tea culture emerged.
Tea was the subject of books and poetry, the favorite drink of emperors, and a medium for artists.
They would draw extravagant pictures in the foam of the tea, very much like the espresso art you might see in coffee shops today.
In the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty, a Japanese monk brought the first tea plant to Japan.
The Japanese eventually developed their own unique rituals around tea, leading to the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony.
And in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese emperor shifted the standard from tea pressed into cakes to loose leaf tea.
At that point, China still held a virtual monopoly on the world’s tea trees, making tea one of three essential Chinese export goods, along with porcelain and silk.
This gave China a great deal of power and economic influence as tea drinking spread around the world.
That spread began in earnest around the early 1600s when Dutch traders brought tea to Europe in large quantities.
Many credit Queen Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese noble woman, for making tea popular with the English aristocracy when she married King Charles II in 1661.
At the time, Great Britain was in the midst of expanding its colonial influence and becoming the new dominant world power.
And as Great Britain grew, interest in tea spread around the world.
By 1700, tea in Europe sold for ten times the price of coffee and the plant was still only grown in China.
The tea trade was so lucrative that the world’s fastest sailboat, the clipper ship, was born out of intense competition between Western trading companies.
All were racing to bring their tea back to Europe first to maximize their profits.
At first, Britain paid for all this Chinese tea with silver.
When that proved too expensive, they suggested trading tea for another substance, opium.
This triggered a public health problem within China as people became addicted to the drug.
Then in 1839, a Chinese official ordered his men to destroy massive British shipments of opium as a statement against Britain’s influence over China.
This act triggered the First Opium War between the two nations.
Fighting raged up and down the Chinese coast until 1842 when the defeated Qing Dynasty ceded the port of Hong Kong to the British and resumed trading on unfavorable terms.
The war weakened China’s global standing for over a century.
The British East India company also wanted to be able to grow tea themselves and further control the market.
So they commissioned botanist Robert Fortune to steal tea from China in a covert operation.
He disguised himself and took a perilous journey through China’s mountainous tea regions, eventually smuggling tea trees and experienced tea workers into Darjeeling, India.
From there, the plant spread further still, helping drive tea’s rapid growth as an everyday commodity.
Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and from sugary Turkish Rize tea, to salty Tibetan butter tea, there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage as there are cultures on the globe.
Vocabulary List
roam
(verb) to wander aimlessly or without a specific destination
edible
(adjective) fit or suitable to be eaten
weary
(adjective) very tired
drift
(verb) to move along smoothly and slowly in water or air
revive
(verb) to bring back to life or consciousness
cure
(verb) to make something healthy or well again
cultivate
(verb) to grow plants or crops
varied
(adjective) having many different forms, types, or qualities
grind
(verb) to crush something by rubbing it against a hard surface
emerge
(verb) to become known
extravagant
(adjective) spending a lot more money or using a lot more of something than you can afford or than is necessary
virtual
(adjective) almost or nearly as described
credit
(verb) to give someone praise or recognition for something they have done
noble
(adjective) belonging to a family of high social rank
lucrative
(adjective) producing a lot of profit
resume
(verb) to begin again or continue after being interrupted
unfavorable
(adjective) not good and likely to cause problems
standing
(noun) the position or rank of someone or something in society
commission
(verb) to give someone authority to do something
covert
(adjective) secret or hidden
perilous
(adjective) dangerous or threatening
Grammar Point
In this lesson, we will:
– identify prepositional phrases in the video
– observe the function of those prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition.
Examples:
– at home (preposition + noun)
– for me (preposition + pronoun)
– in my office (preposition + noun phrase)
– without thinking (preposition + gerund)
Prepositional phrases can function as:
– adverbs (describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs) or
– adjectives (describe nouns or pronouns)
Here are some prepositional phrases in the video:
But before the poisons could end his life, a leaf drifted into his mouth.
into = preposition
his mouth = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “drifted.”
That original Chinese tea plant is the same type that’s grown around the world today, yet it was originally consumed very differently.
around = preposition
the world = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “grown.”
It was eaten as a vegetable or cooked with grain porridge.
as = preposition
a vegetable = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “eaten.”
with = preposition
grain porridge = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “cooked.”
Tea was the subject of books and poetry, the favorite drink of emperors, and a medium for artists.
for = preposition
artists = noun
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “a medium”
They would draw extravagant pictures in the foam of the tea, very much like the espresso art you might see in coffee shops today.
in = prepositions
coffee shops = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “see.”
And in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese emperor shifted the standard from tea pressed into cakes to loose leaf tea.
in = preposition
the 14th century = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “shifted.”
during = preposition
the Ming Dynasty = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “shifted.”
That spread began in earnest around the early 1600s when Dutch traders brought tea to Europe in large quantities.
in = preposition
large quantities = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “tea.”
Many credit Queen Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese noble woman, for making tea popular with the English aristocracy when she married King Charles II in 1661.
for = preposition
making = gerund
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “credit.”
And as Great Britain grew, interest in tea spread around the world.
in = preposition
tea = noun
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “interest.”
At first, Britain paid for all this Chinese tea with silver.
for = preposition
all this Chinese tea = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “paid.”
with = preposition
silver = noun
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “paid.”
This triggered a public health problem within China as people became addicted to the drug.
within = preposition
China = noun
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “a public health problem”
Then in 1839, a Chinese official ordered his men to destroy massive British shipments of opium as a statement against Britain’s influence over China.
over = preposition
China = noun
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “influence”
This act triggered the First Opium War between the two nations.
between = preposition
the two nations = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective that describes the noun “the First Opium War”
So they commissioned botanist Robert Fortune to steal tea from China in a covert operation.
in = preposition
a covert operation = noun phrase
The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb that describes the verb “steal”
Common Expressions
or so it goes
Or so an ancient legend goes at least.
The phrase “or so the story goes” is used to indicate that the speaker is repeating a story that they have heard from someone else, and that they cannot guarantee the truth of the story. The phrase can also be used to express a sense of doubt or skepticism about the story.
in earnest
That spread began in earnest around the early 1600s when Dutch traders brought tea to Europe in large quantities.
The phrase “in earnest” means “seriously” or “sincerely.” It is used to indicate that someone is doing something with full attention and commitment. For example, you might say “I’m looking for a job in earnest” to mean that you are actively searching for a job and are not just casually interested.
The phrase “in earnest” can also be used to describe a situation that is becoming more serious or intense. For example, you might say “The negotiations are now in earnest” to mean that the two sides are now serious about reaching an agreement.