Tea came out of China and spread over the world. At present, more than fifty countries in the five continents cultivate tea. The experiences of tea planting and drinking with chinese yixing teapots were introduced from China, either direct or through intermediate, to the world. Talking about communications between the East and West, one may count on over-land “Silk Route” or a route over high seas. Yet there also exited a route via which tea migrated and branched off to other parts of the world.
The first step of migration was toward Japan. It was natural that when China in the Han Dynasty was already a tea-consuming country. Japan, only beyond a strip of water, could have received tea brought on by occasional travelers. During the Tang Dynasty, large number of Buddhist monks came from Japan on envoy boats. Two high priests, Master Sai Sumi and Master Aki Umi came to study Buddhism tenets at Guoqingsi Monastery in Mount Tiantai and brought to Japan seeds of tea when they returned to Japan. The seeds were planted in Shiga Ken with a good crop. Priest Eisai visited China in 1169and1191and wrote a book Preserving Health in Drinking Tea which was the first book about tea appearing in Japan. The Chinese culture of tea, combining with Japanese own culture, made up the popular Japanese custom in tea drinking which in the early 15th century crystallized to form the ceremonial Japanese Chado. It lasts down to the present day.
Another neighbor of China-Gaoli (Korea)got tea from China during Tang Dynasty. Tang Dynasty also saw tea going abroad to many other countries. Arab merchants visited China to buy silk and porcelain wares. They also bought tea to return home and sold on the Persian and other markets. Turkey merchants were glad to barter tea with their goods. Engaging in foreign trade, tea became a very active and welcome commodity. Ming navigator Zheng He, the eunuch to the imperial count, made between 1405and 1433seven trips by sea to the “West ”-Southern Asia and Eastern African coast, had brought tea to the areas of the south Pacific and the Persian Gulf On a private record we see that Portuguese seamen bought amount of tea to carry to their own country in the beginning of the 16th century. During the 17th century, tea appeared on markets in the Netherlands, America France and England. Germany Sweden, Denmark and Spain imported China tea. In the 18th century, tea was accepted as a necessary beverage in the entire Europe. In the same period, tea was sold from Europe to the British colonies in America where is found its daily drinkers too. With the barter trade of “tea versus horse” conducted between Chinese Han people with the normad tribes in the north, large quantities of tea in addition to cotton cloth and silk were conveyed to the Mongolian district in the north. From there, a part was transported to Russia through Siberia. But the Russians were not satisfied with only buying tea leaves. They asked for seeds. In 1833, a consignment of tea seeds was sent from Yangloudong in Hubei Province to the Russian Georgia, resulting in very successful crop.
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