茶的歷史 (History of Tea) - 茶文化系列

文字稿/ Script

什麼時候開始喝茶?
“When did tea drinking begin?”

據說在遠古時代的神農氏有一天在樹下燒水休息，有一陣風吹過把樹上的幾片葉子吹落下來，剛好掉落到燒開的水中，神農氏喝了以後發現這茶水變得清香甘甜，喝了以後讓人精神十足。從此揭開了華人喝茶文化的序幕。
Legend says that Farmer God (Shénnóngdi) was boiling water while relaxing under a tree in ancient times. A breeze blew some leaves off the tree and into the boiling water. After drinking it, Farmer God found that the water had become delicious and replenished his energy. This was the starting point of Chinese people’s tea culture.

早期並沒有「茶」這個字，歷史記載中顯示的是「荼」。「荼」是一種苦菜，由於「茶」嚐起來跟苦菜的味道很像，而且都可以強身健體，因此人們把茶當成一種草藥，也用「荼」來指稱「茶」。之後人們也開始種植茶樹，發展茶葉的保存加工方式。
Originally, the word “tea” (chá) did not exist. Instead, written histories use the word “thistle” (tú). “Thistle” is a type of bitter plant, and “tea” was said to have a similar bitter flavor. It was thought both were healthy, so people treated tea as a herbal medicine and used “thistle” to represent “tea.” Later, people also started cultivating tea trees and developed methods for preserving and processing tea leaves.

到了唐朝，茶葉的種植、製作和飲用的方式也有了統一的標準，當時茶葉很稀有，許多貴族會舉辦茶宴，邀請三五好友來品茶。宋代時，茶成了當時流行的飲料，無論是貴族還是平民，每天都會喝茶，甚至出現了專門泡茶的職業。此外，茶也透過佛教、絲路、航運等方式傳到了世界各地。從此，茶進入到不同文化中，也成了人們日常生活的一部分
During the Tang Dynasty, tea cultivation, processing, and drinking methods were all standardized. At that time, tea leaves were rare, and many upper-class members held tea parties, inviting several friends over to drink tea. During the Song Dynasty, tea became a popular beverage to be enjoyed by both the upper class and commoners alike. People drank tea every day. Tea brewing even became its own profession. Besides this, tea also spread through Buddhism, the Silk Road, maritime trade, etc. to every corner of the globe. Because of this, tea has become a part of many different cultures and part of many people’s daily lives.