国之精粹——中国茶文化（Chinese tea culture）

Tea plays a vital role in Chinese life since ancient times. Chinese Tea has existed for more than 5000 years. It was said that tea was discovered by accident.

自古以来，茶在中国人的生活中起着至关重要的作用。中国茶已经存在了5000多年，据说茶是偶然发现的......

According to legend, an emperor called Shen Nong in the early ancient time discovered tea fortuitously. The emperor thought it can prevent people from diseases by drinking boiled water. One day, when his servants boiled the water for the emperor on the way to a long-distance region, a leave fell into the water. The emperor was quite interested in the mixture of water, and he drank it and discovered the fresh tea.

传说，远古时代的一位先帝神农偶然发现了茶。皇帝认为喝开水可以预防疾病。一天，当他的仆人端着烧好的开水去给神农送去，路上一片树叶掉进了水里。皇帝对水里泡着的树叶很感兴趣并喝了它，于是发现了新茶。

1.不同朝代茶叶的发展

Development of tea in different dynasties

Sui and Tang Dynasties

隋唐时期

Tea was evolved into a beverage from a medicinal plant in Sui and Tang Dynasties. To drink tea spread into more people’s life in Sui Dynasty. It became one of the trade products to the neighboring Mongolian country.

在隋唐时期，茶从一种药用植物演变成一种饮料。到了隋代，饮茶开始进入更多人的生活并且成为邻国蒙古的贸易产品之一。

Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.) was a peak time for tea development. Tea became a wider drinking beverage in people’s daily life. A lot of tea trees were extensively planted and the tea culture developed fast.

时至唐朝(公元618-907年)，茶叶的发展到达高峰期。茶成为人们日常生活中更广泛的饮料。大量茶树被广泛种植，茶文化发展迅速。

Song Dynasty

宋朝

Song Dynasty (690-1279 A.D.) is another important period for the development of tea. More tea species appeared in Song Dynasty. The requirement of tea was stricter and stricter at the time. Tea connoisseurs even held competitions to judge the quality of tea including the tea leaves, water, and the mixture. Books, poems, and paintings about tea were popular in the whole country which promoted the tea trade between Central Plains (the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) and the outside of the great wall. The country benefited a lot from the tea taxes which started in Tang Dynasty

宋代(公元690-1279年)是茶叶发展的另一个重要时期。宋代出现了更多的茶种，而且当时人们对茶叶的要求越来越严格。茶叶鉴赏家甚至举行比赛来评判茶叶的质量，包括茶叶、泡茶用的水和最终泡好的茶汤。有关茶的书籍、诗歌和绘画在全国流行，促进了中原(黄河中下游)和长城以外地区的茶叶贸易。始于唐代的茶税也成为国家税收的主要来源。

The number of social tea houses increased rapidly in Song Dynasty. Tea culture was formed day by day. Tea became people’s essential drink in daily life. People still made the tea leaves into the brick tea. It is said that the Japanese tea ceremony was originated in the tea in Song Dynasty.

在宋代，社会层面茶馆数量迅速增加，茶文化日益形成，茶水成了人们日常生活中必不可少的饮料，人们还把茶叶制成砖茶。据说日本茶道就起源于宋代的茶文化。

Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清时期

Tea had reached folklife and be widely loved by all levels of people. And the government allowed people to plant tea trees freely. There were more categories of tea including green tea, flower tea, oolong tea, and black tea in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The making process of tea had been improved and it also influenced the drinking styles of tea.

茶已经进入民间生活，受到各阶层人民的广泛喜爱。政府允许人们自由种植茶树。在明清时期，茶的种类更多，包括绿茶、花茶、乌龙茶和红茶。制茶工艺的改进也影响了饮茶的方式。

People also paid attention to the exquisite teapots. Yixing Purple Clay Teapots were the most popular teapots during this period which had formed a new art of the teapots. Tea houses were located everywhere in the street. The number of tea works including books, poets, paintings of tea was the biggest in all the dynasties.

人们除了喝茶之外，还把注意力放到那些精致的茶壶上。宜兴紫砂茶壶是这一时期最受欢迎的茶壶，形成了一种新的茶壶艺术。茶馆在街上随处可见。包括书籍、诗人、茶画在内的茶作品数量是历代最多的。

A large abundance of tea trades carried on bringing benefits for the government. The government made tea business with a lot of foreign countries such as African and Asian countries and European countries including the Britain and Dutch.

在此时期，大宗的茶叶贸易继续给政府收益。与中国政府有茶叶贸易往来的国家涉及非洲和亚洲国家以及包括英国和荷兰在内的欧洲国家。

Modern times

现代

Tea has become one of Chinese specific drinks in the world. A large number of teas are exported to foreign countries. Tea shops and Tea houses in the street are easily found in China. Chinese tea culture and arts attract a lot of people. It is irreplaceable in Chinese life.

现代，茶已经成为世界上中国特有的饮料之一。不仅有大量的茶叶从中国出口到国外，而且在国内大街上茶馆和茶楼随处可见。中国的茶文化和艺术吸引了很多人，它在中国人的生活中是不可替代的。

2.茶叶的种类

Types of Chinese tea

There are fifteen major tea-producing provinces in the mainland of china. Chinese teas are generally divided into six major types, mainly according to the method of production. These types are green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea, and dark tea.

中国大陆有十五个产茶大省，台湾也产茶。中国茶一般分为六大类，主要是根据制作方法。这些类型是绿茶、红茶、乌龙茶、白茶、黄茶和黑茶。

绿茶Green tea

Green tea is the oldest type of tea in China, and it is also produced there in the greatest quantities. Many provinces and cities are renowned for their production of green tea, the most eminent provinces being Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui. Such as Longjing tea , Maojian Tea of Mount Huangshan, Dongting Pilochun, Sweet Dew of Mengding

绿茶是中国最古老的一种茶，也是中国产量最大的茶。许多省市以生产绿茶而闻名，最著名的省份是浙江、江西和安徽。比如：西湖龙井，黄山毛尖，洞庭湖碧螺春，蒙顶甘露。

In green tea the leaves are not fermented, so they largely retain the original flavor of tea, which is simple, elegant, and enduring. At first sip, green tea may taste a little thin, but after a while, it gains a fragrance in the mouth that lingers.

绿茶中的茶叶没有经过发酵，所以它们很大程度上保留了茶的原始风味，简单、优雅、持久。第一口，绿茶的味道可能有点淡，但过一会儿，它会在口中获得一种挥之不去的香味。

To make green tea, the methods used are mainly (green) steaming, (green) frying, and (green) sun-drying, to remove the moisture in the fresh tea leaves and to bring out their fragrance.

制作绿茶的方法主要是蒸(青)、炒(青)和晒(青)，以去除新鲜茶叶中的水分并带出其香味。

红茶Black tea

black tea翻译成红茶的原因是因为在红茶的加工过程中，茶叶的颜色会逐渐变深，最终变成黑色，但泡出来的茶汤是红色的。红茶品种外形颜色偏黑，自然而然就因外形特点而称呼它为Black Tea了。

Black tea is a type of fermented tea; originating from green tea after it is mixed, kneaded, fermented, dried, and otherwise processed. Tea made from green tea leaves is a fresh green while that made using black tea is orange-red.

红茶是一种发酵茶，它源自绿茶，经过混合、揉捏、发酵、干燥和其他处理后制成。用绿茶制成的茶是鲜绿色的，而用红茶制成的茶是橙红色的。

While green tea retains the thin and refreshing flavor of the leaves, fermented black tea gives a stronger and thicker flavor. Black tea first appeared in the Qing Dynasty, and so is much younger than green tea. However, it occupied an important position in China’s foreign trade at the end of the Qing Dynasty and was the main type of tea exported to Europe and America.

绿茶保留了茶叶的清淡爽口的味道，而发酵红茶味道更浓更浓。红茶最早出现在清朝，因此比绿茶年轻得多。但在清末中国对外贸易中占据重要地位，是出口欧美的主要茶种。

乌龙茶Oolong tea

Oolong tea is somewhat intermediate between green and black tea. The finishing technique is that of green tea, but the preparation involves fermentation like black tea – it is a semi-fermented tea. It, therefore, has characteristics of both green and black tea: the fresh and clear flavor of green tea and the thick and luscious fragrance of black tea. Namely Anxi Tie Guanyin,Dragon & Phoenix Cake tea, Wuyi Rock Tea ,Red Robe

乌龙茶介于绿茶和红茶之间，加工技术和绿茶一样，但制作过程和红茶一样需要发酵——这是一种半发酵茶。因此，它兼有绿茶和红茶的特点:绿茶的清新和红茶的浓郁和甘美。例如：安溪铁观音，龙凤饼茶，武夷岩茶，红袍。

Chinese Oolong tea comes mainly from Fujian, and Guangdong, and is also grown in Taiwan. Fujian has been the hometown of tea since early times. Most tribute tea in the Song Dynasty came from Fujian, including the famous Dragon & Phoenix Cake tea, which many people believe to be the ancestor of Oolong tea.

中国乌龙茶主要来自福建和广东，台湾也有种植。福建自古以来就是茶的故乡。宋朝的大部分贡茶来自福建，包括著名的龙凤饼茶，许多人认为这是乌龙茶的祖先。

黑茶Dark tea

Dark tea was invented by accident. Long ago, in order to supply tea to the ethnic groups of the northwest, tea produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, and other places had to be transported to the north by sea, and then to the northwest via the Silk Road. In ship cabins and on horseback, the tea traveled far and was affected by the weather, and alternating damp and dry conditions caused major changes to the chemical composition of the leaves, and also turned them blackish-brown. In spite of this, they still give off a rare fragrance, and this type of fermented tea quickly came to be appreciated by the locals. Pu’er tea and Six Castle tea are notable types of dark tea.

黑茶是偶然发明的。很久以前，为了向西北各民族供应茶叶，云南、四川、湖北、湖南等地生产的茶叶必须通过海路运往北方，然后通过丝绸之路运往西北。在船上和马背上，茶叶运输的距离很远，受天气影响，潮湿和干燥交替的条件导致茶叶的化学成分发生重大变化，也使它们变成黑褐色。尽管如此，它们仍然散发出罕见的香味，这种发酵茶很快受到当地人的喜爱。普洱茶和六堡茶是著名的黑茶。

The greatest fascination of Pu’er tea is that the longer it is preserved, the better it tastes. Generally speaking, raw Pu’er tastes best after about ten years of preservation, while ripe Pu’er develops its best fragrance after two or three years. Pu’er teas of different ages differ markedly in price.

普洱茶最大的魅力在于，保存时间越长，味道越好。一般来说，生普洱在保存十年左右后味道最好，而熟普洱在两三年后香味最好。不同年代的普洱茶价格相差很大。

黄茶Yellow tea

Like dark tea, yellow tea was also a chance discovery when making green tea. People found that if leaves were not dried promptly after being finished, kneaded, and twisted, they would turn yellow in color, forming yellow tea.

像黑茶一样，黄茶也是在制作绿茶时偶然发现的。人们发现，如果茶叶在完成、揉捻和揉捻后没有及时干燥，它们的颜色就会变黄，形成黄茶。

At first, people regarded yellow tea simply as bad-quality green tea. However some came to prefer the flavor of yellow tea, which gradually became one of the six major tea types.

起初，人们认为黄茶只是劣质绿茶。然而，一些人开始喜欢黄茶的味道，黄茶逐渐成为六大茶类之一。

Yellow tea is a type of fermented tea, the fermentation process here being known as “annealing yellow”. Junshan Silver Needle of Hunan and Mengdi Yellow Shoot of Sichuan are two representatives of yellow tea. Being one of the ten top teas of China, Silver Needle tea is both beautiful and delicious.

黄茶是一种发酵茶，这里的发酵过程被称为“退火黄”。湖南君山银针和四川蒙蒂黄笋是黄茶的两个代表。作为中国十大名茶之一，银针茶既美丽又美味。

白茶White tea

White tea is slightly fermented. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, people regarded white tea as very valuable, but at that time white tea was just a rare kind of tea tree whose leaves were white, not the same as the white tea we know today. White Hair Silver Needle and White Peony produced in Fujian are representatives of white tea.

白茶是一种轻微发酵的茶叶。在唐宋时期，人们认为白茶非常珍贵，但那时白茶只是一种叶子是白色的稀有茶树，与我们今天所知道的白茶并不相同。现在，福建产的白发银针、白牡丹是白茶的代表。

3.中国茶艺

Chinese tea art

Looking, Smelling, Touching, and Tasting Good

In general, the quality of tea can be identified by the senses, of sight, smell, touch, and taste.

一般来说，茶的质量可以通过视觉、嗅觉、触觉和味觉来鉴别。

1. Tea types are generally distinguished by the color of dried tea leaves, so observe carefully the color. The leaves of green tea should be dark green; the leaves of black tea should be dark red; the leaves of white tea should be covered with white hair, and the leaves of dark tea should be black…

茶的种类一般是通过干茶叶的颜色来区分的，所以要仔细观察颜色。绿茶的叶子应该是深绿色的；红茶的叶子应该是暗红色的；白茶的叶子要披着白毛，黑茶的叶子要黑…

2. Sniff deeply the smell of the tea leaves. Good tea is supposed to emit a natural and pure tea fragrance.

深深地嗅一嗅茶叶的味道。好茶应该散发出自然纯净的茶香。

3. Lightly pinch the dried tea leaves with your fingers. If the leaves are easily shredded, it means they have dried nicely, and constitute good tea.

用手指轻轻捏干茶叶。如果茶叶很容易切碎，这意味着它们已经干得很好，构成了好茶。

4. The thicker the flavor, and the longer-lasting the sweet aftertaste, the better the tea.

味道越浓，余味越甜，茶就越好。

4.中国茶具

Chinese tea set

A Chinese tea set is simply a bowl (cup), saucer, and a lid. The material most used for a Chinese cup is porcelain, bone china, or glass. Today gaiwans are even popular with western tea drinkers. How you work the gaiwan is a simple operation, yet pouring from the gaiwan does take some practice.

一套中国茶具只是一个碗(杯)、一个茶托和一个盖子。中国杯子最常用的材料是瓷器、骨瓷或玻璃。今天，盖碗茶甚至受到西方饮茶者的欢迎。你如何操作盖碗是一个简单的操作，然而从盖碗中倒酒确实需要一些练习。

5.喝茶的一些禁忌

Taboos of Drinking Tea

1. New tea should not be drunk until it has been stored for at least half a month.

2. Do not make tea too strong – use fewer leaves – when drinking at night.

3. Those who are weak and do not sleep well, should drink less tea at night, or none at all.

4. Tea oxidizes quickly after brewing, so drink it hot. Tea that has been brewed for more than 12 hours is not suitable for drinking.

5. Don’t make tea with a thermos mug, to prevent loss of nutrients.

6. Don’t drink tea along with medicines. Tea drinking should be banned within 2 hours before and after taking medicine because tea contains about 10% tannin, which reduces medicines’ efficacy.

7. Don’t drink tea when your stomach is empty. Otherwise, it may quench your appetite and lead to dizziness, headache, and fatigue – so-called “tea-drunkenness”.

1.新茶至少要存放半个月后才能饮用。

2.晚上喝茶时，不要把茶泡得太浓——少用茶叶。

3.身体虚弱、睡眠不好的人，晚上应该少喝茶，或者干脆不喝茶。

4.茶叶冲泡后氧化很快，趁热喝。冲泡超过12小时的茶不适合饮用。

5.不要用保温杯泡茶，防止营养流失。

6.不要和药物一起喝茶。服药前后2小时内禁止喝茶，因为茶叶中含有约10%的单宁，会降低药物的药效。

7.空腹时不要喝茶。否则，它可能会抑制你的食欲，导致头晕、头痛和疲劳——即所谓的“茶醉”。

From the brilliant history to your lips! It’s an incredible journey the Chinese tea has taken. It’s never lost out and always gained more. To our current century held in our hands, practicing over and over again. Sharing tea with a friend and drinking it alone. You can see now why tea has traveled generations. Chinese tea have crossed cultures to be one of the most popular drinks in the world!

从灿烂的历史到你的唇边，中国茶走过了一段不可思议的旅程。它从来没有失去过，而且总是得到更多。一遍又一遍地练习。和朋友一起喝茶，独自喝茶。你现在可以明白为什么茶已经传了好几代了。中国茶跨越文化成为世界上最受欢迎的饮料之一！