Chinese tea art from the Tang dynasty until recent times - Essay Example

The development of Chinese tea art from the Tang dynasty until recent times in China or overseas The development of Chinese teaart from the Tang dynasty until recent times in China or overseas TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction …………...………………………………………………………………3 II. History and Development of the tea art……….………………………………………3 III. Uses of tea and Tea drinking during the Tang dynasty (618-907)……………………4 IV. How the tea culture started spreading overseas from China…………………..………5 V. Tea Art in Chinese…………………………………………………………………….6 i. Common forms………………………………………………………………..7 ii. Celebration of tea………………………………………………………….…..7 iii. Paintings and other artworks…………………………………………………..7 VI. Current spread of tea culture…………………………………………………………..8 VII. Conclusion…………………………………………………………..…………….9 The development of Chinese tea art from the Tang dynasty until recent times in China or overseas I. Introduction All the pieces of art that are found all around the globe have their own exceptional historical stories. It is with this that their artists intended to convey a particular message to express what was taking place within the society at the time when they came up with the art piece. This may have either been the promotion of a particular conduct or activity or the aim of shunning a certain negative character that was beginning to develop within the community. However, at times some of the art pieces are developed in an effort to remember certain taking place in the society for a long period. They are, therefore, symbols of commemorations and are thus used to pass messages and ideas that were developed and implemented many centuries ago from one generation to the other until infinity. This is the case with the Hall of tea or the China National Tea Museum that has a long history ranging from the period during the tang dynasty which through this piece can be remembered up to the recent times. II. History and Development of the tea art In China, tea came to be developed in a very funny manner. It started from the initial perception that the forefathers had about tea. Their understanding about tea was very different from the way that it is understood today. This perception originated from the agricultural god who was also known as Shannon. He was the inventor of Chinese medicine. He is also the foundation upon which the five cereals were discovered as well as the variety of herbals that are able to cure a broad range of human diseases. This god was able to do this through the engagement in tasting the varied range of herbal substances in order to master the different characteristics of the herbal medicines. As a result, he was poisoned more than seventy times on every day. However, he was able to be detoxified through the accidental eating of tea leaves. III. Uses of tea and Tea drinking during the Tang dynasty (618-907) The different ways with which tea was taken were closely related to the way through which it was discovered. Tea leaves were later developed into a famous beverage subsequent to the long application process. This was during the period within which it was used as a food, medicine as well as a sacrificial offering. The Tang Dynasty is a very important period in the history of China due to its function in the expansion of the feudal society in China. This provided social conditions that were excellent for making tea and tea drinking both popular and promoted. In particular, the prosperity that was experienced within the economic and cultural aspects of the Tang Dynasty resulted in the indispensable behavior of tea tasting and drinking every day among people from all walks of life. It is from China that this behavior started to spread to many other different parts of the world as a cultural habit. One of the major tea manufacturing factors during the Tang dynasty was the method of cake tea processing. The cooking of tea soup was later changed into the brewing of pure tea with some dressing following the advocacy of Lu Yu after the middle Tang. It was done through the steaming of plucked tea leaves in a steamer, grinding them using a mortar. They are then compressed into a cake, dried and then tied with a string from the rind of bamboo or a reed. This tea cake was then ground into powder, then sifted and cooked in a caldron before it could be drank. During the fifteenth year of the Tang Zhenguan, in 641 AD, tea was introduced into the region of Tioibet as the dowry of princess Wencheng. At this time, it had developed into the staple of the trade commodities at the border. In the new book that was released during this period with the title of “Lu Yu’s Biography”, a record of the way with which the Huihe people traded their horses in return for tea in the morning is provided. It reflects the beginning of the trade between tea and horses. Through the Tang dynasty, the importance of tea is shown through the way that this trade was capable to last for more than a thousand years. It was thus able to be transferred among the other dynasties that include the song, Yuan, the Ming dynasty, in addition to the Qing dynasty (David, 2014). IV. How the tea culture started to spread overseas from China During the Tang Dynasty, many people were sent from Japan to study in China. As such, they were highly influenced by the prevalent tea drinking activities. It is for this reason that most of the Japanese who visited China during that time learnt the practice of tea drinking. They thus took the habit back to Japan when then returned. This is indicated in one of the historical records, which indicate that in 1805, one of the dignitaries who came back from China brought with him tea seeds to Japan. He sowed them besides the shrines of Hie Jinja. They then developed into the most ancient tea garden in Japan. Similarly, other historical records reveal that after the entry of the tea drinking habit in Japan it greatly influenced the diet in Japan. At that particular time, tea was considered a precious and noble item in Japan since it was only drank among the noble family. It was also commonly used among the monks who held high ranks within the society. Most of these people only though of drinking Chinese tea whenever they were involved in various artistic activities that included the creation of poems. With this, it was considered to be an excellent form of recreation (New China Quarterly, 1986). In this case, therefore, the spread of tea and its drinking from China to other overseas countries was not accepted as a form of a new and exotic trend or another product that is made from simple material. On the country, it was taken as a type of culture and an elegant type of custom that has significant connotation attached to its culture. This was thus the beginning of the Chinese tea culture as its spread to other parts of the world. Within a short period the spread of tea that was stable and abundant in the Tang society got into the everyday life of all classes of people in a way that was profound and popular. As a result, tea drinking came to be considered as a hobby or a habit within the entire society. At the same time, this popularity started to spread abroad. It became a kind of special culture and an elegant convention. In addition, during the period of the Tang dynasty, there arose some types of artists in China. This group that was born was referred to as the “Tea Sage” that included Lu Yu who is known for his role in writing the first book that was extremely well researched in relation to tea and the tea culture in the history of the world. This book was known as the tea classics (CNTM, 2014). V. Tea art in Chinese The tea art in China has been found to have a long history that as is indicated above, is based on the tea culture. It is one of the ancient Chinese arts that has most definitely not been forgotten or discarded. This is with regard to how tea is made and served. Specifically, this form of art is practiced among the popular and common people. They include the Buddhists, Confucianists, and the Daoists. This is simply because tea is taken as a means of quenching thirst and helping the body to get rid of excessive oils. In addition, it is also a way through which the spirit can be nurtured as well as to help move the feelings. i. Common forms There are different varieties which seduce majority of the Chinese people. The main ones are the green tea and the Pu’er. This is considered to be the black tea that is derived from the province of Yunnan. It is not to amalgamate with the western or black tea from South Asia which is also called the red tea in China. There is the widespread making and service of tea that is shown through the life that is lived by a number of people (China, Yuan & Ju, 1994). ii. Celebration of Tea During the Tang dynasty, many writers created works that depicted the celebration of tea. In particular, they focused on the art of tea preparation. In addition, there were also song writers who were known to make creations about the tea ceremony especially in the 10th and 13th centuries. As the moments moved into the Qing dynasty, more and more writers made compositions about tea drinking being a form of art. The practice and ritual of tea drinking has been passed down from one dynasty to the other till its reception in the current world (TRT, 2014). iii. Paintings and other artworks The painting of the Lanting picture, which was obtained by Xiao Yi was drawn by Yan Liben. It was a special drawing that presented the elements of tea cooking by the people of Tang Dynasty since it depicts a typical scene of tea cooking by these people. Following this, a series of tea pots and utensils was developed for use by the imperial family. This took place in May 1985 at the underground palace of the Pagoda Famen temple in Shaanxi. It thus acted as a confirmation for the Lu Yu tea ceremony. Club and Tientsi (1935) show how the tea ceremony greatly influenced the creation of ceramic arts in China. Lu Yu advocated for tea theory during his tea classic. This took place from the emphasis that was placed o cooking as well as in tasting. It included the utensils and the procedure since he wanted the tea drinker to do so in a calm environment, in order to concentrate his attention on the tea hence make the activity that involves tea tasting to become a medium through which ones behavior and moral character are cultivated and a person’s temperament is molded. With this, it created a precedent for the tea ceremony in China and acted as a model through which the tea culture would be developed in the later years (Graham, 1998). VI. Current spread of tea culture The importance of tea as an art in China is shown in the way that it has been passed from one generation to the other as well as among several races and nationalities. The most astonishing fact about the spread of this art is that up to the current times, it is being performed in more or less the same way to reserve its original meaning. Currently, the tea ceremony is undergoing a revolution by Chinese who are overseas who have turned it into a famous cultural activity. Today, tea is the most frequently drank beverage after water (TRT, 2014). One of the scenarios that represent this is the case of Miss Liu who is located in Beijing Hutong, which is at the heart of the Chinese capital. She is a young woman who aims at handing on her passion for tea which is similar to that of most people who live in China. The art is portrayed in the way that she pours some amount of warm water in a cup within which there is even a smaller cup. This is done until there is some little overflow. She then fills this water into a third cup into which some tea leaves have been poured before she can set its lid. The final step involves the decantation of this tea into another much smaller cup. It is a current procedure that she performs on a daily basis with the same repetitive nature in order for her to discover the Chinese tradition that is related to the tea in a non initiated way. The customers who are served by Miss Liu include both locals and foreigners. However, they want to make tea their subject and enhance their knowledge of it by getting themselves reengaged in the subtleties associated to its taste (LCSD, 2014). VII. Conclusion There are many messages that can be revealed by different pieces of art. Most of them signify the change that has taken place in different societies. On the other hand, a number of them also show the way with which different cultures have interacted among themselves to bring about the spread of certain practices that only began in specific regions, but later came to gain widespread fame as well as varied application in various areas. The tea museum that resulted from the famous tea taking in China is a proper example of this. However, not only is art only shown through physical things but also through the unique aspect of cultural practices as is shown with the tea art in China, which eventually leads to the development of a number of related physical pieces of art. It is from this habit that many visitors who had travelled to China during that time got accustomed to the practice and later took it back home with them thus the spread of the art to many different parts of the world. Consequently, different artists came up with varied meanings and depictions of a culture with a single origin. References China National Tea Museum (CNTM). (2014). Hall of tea history. Retrieved 27 may 2014 from http://english.teamuseum.cn/ViewContent8_en.aspx?contentId=372 Club, S., & Tientsi. (1986). Chinese tea. Hong Kong: New China News Ltd. China Republic, Yuan, Z. X., & Ju, W. X. (1989). Republic of China yearbook. Taipei, Taiwan, ROC: Kwang Hwa Pub. Co. David, E. (2014). Chinese tea art. Retrieved 27 may 2014 from http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/chinese-tea-art.htm Fairbank, K. J., & Goldman, M. (2005). China: a new history. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Graham, J. P. (1998). Tea of the sages: the art of sencha. Honolulu University of Hawaiʻi Press. LCSD. (2014). How did tea get to the other parts of the world? Retrieved 27 may 2014 from http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Arts/7thingsabouttea/en/print_ch4.htm McElney, S. B., & Museum of East Asian Art (Bath, England) (MEAA). (2006). Chinese ceramics and the maritime trade pre-1700 : being the catalogue of an exhibition of Chinese export wares of pre-1700 date to be held at the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, 22nd August to 10th December 2006 and University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong ... Hong Kong, 17th June to 7th October 2007 = 公元1700 以前中國陶瓷與海運貿易 / Chinese ceramics and the maritime trade pre-1700: being the catalogue of an exhibition of Chinese export wares of pre-1700 date to be held at the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, 22nd August to 10th December 2006 and University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong ... Hong Kong, 17th June to 7th October 2007 = Gong yuan 1700 nian yi qian Zhongguo tao ci yu hai yun mao yi. Bath, U.K.: Museum of East Asian Art. Ten Ren Tea (TRT). (2014). The art of Chinese Tea. Retrieved 27 may 2014 from http://www.tenren.com/teahistory.html Read More