Tea as a beverage was first consumed in China and the earliest

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

mention of tea in literature is the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, co ...

'', although the

ideogram An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek "idea" and "to write") is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept, independent of any particular language, and specific words or phrases. Some ideograms are comprehensible only by familiarit ...

used (Tu, 荼) in these texts can also designate a variety of plants, such as

sowthistle Sow thistle most often refers to yellow flowered, thistle-like plants in the genus ''Sonchus'' Sow thistle may also refer to *''Cicerbita ''Cicerbita'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and Europe. They ...

and thrush. Chinese literature contains a significant number of ancient treatises on tea. Together, there exist approximately one hundred monographs or treatises on tea published from the Tang dynasty through the end of the Ming dynasty. The more famous books on tea are listed below.

Chinese

Tang Dynasty

* The Classic of Tea (茶經) by Lu Yu, 780. * Report on Water for Brewing Tea by Zhang Youxin, 814. * Records of Tea Picking (采茶录 Chai Cha Lu) by Wen Tingyun (温庭筠), 860.

Song Dynasty

* The Record of Tea (茶录) by

Cai Xiang Cai Xiang () (1012–1067) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, structural engineer, and poet.Ci hai bian ji wei yuan hui (辞海编辑委员会）. Ci hai （辞海）. Shanghai: Shanghai ci shu chu ban she （上海辞书出版社）, 197 ...

(蔡襄), 1049. *Report on Tasting of East Brook Tea (东溪试茶录 Dong Qi Shi Cha Lu) by Song Zian (宋子安), 1064
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Treatise on Tea (大观茶论) by Emperor Song Huizong (宋徽宗), 1107. * Record of Xuan He Era Tribute Tea in The North Farm (宣和北苑贡茶录 Xuan He Bei Yuan Gong Cha Lu) by Xiong Fan (熊蕃). *Essential Record of Tea Tasting(品茶要录 Pin Cha Yiao Lu) by Huang Ru (黄儒), 1075. * Pictorial of Tea Ware (茶具图赞) by The Old Man Shenan (审安老人).

Ming Dynasty

* Zhu Quan (朱权): Cha Pu (茶谱), 1440
Translation
by Global Tea Hut

by John Thompson. * Gu Yuanqing (顾元庆): Classification of Tea (茶谱 Cha Pu), 1541
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Lu Shusheng (陆树声): A Report on Tea House (茶寮记 Cha Liao Ji), 1570. * Tu Long (屠隆): Kao Pan Yu Shi (考槃余事), or Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar, ca 1590. * Gao Lian (高濂): Eight Discourses on the Art of Living/ Tea (遵生八笺 Jun Sheng Ba Jian), 1591. * Hu Wenhuan (胡文焕): Tea Collection (茶集), 1593. * Chen Shi (陈师): Research on Tea (茶考 Cha Kao), 1593. * Chen Jiru (陈继儒): Tea Talks (茶话), 1595. * Zhang Yuan (张源): Tea Notes (茶录), 1595
Translation
by The Leaf. * Zhang Qiande (张谦德): The Book of Tea (茶经), 1598. * Xiong Mingyu (熊明遇): Report on Lu Jie Tea, (罗岕茶记 Luo Jie Cha Ji), ca 1608. * Feng Shike (冯时可): Tea Record (茶录 Cha Lu), 1609. *

Wen Zhenheng Wen Zhenheng (, 1585–1645) was a Ming dynasty scholar, painter, landscape garden designer, and great grandson of Wen Zhengming, a famous Ming dynasty painter. Wen was born in Suzhou in 1585. In 1621, he graduated from the Imperial Academy, obta ...

(文震亨): Treatise on Superfluous Things/ Incense and Tea (长物志 Zhang Wu Zhi), 1621
Translation
by Martin Tai
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Wen Long (闻龙): Tea Notes (茶笺 Cha Jian), 1630
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Zhou Gaoqi (周高起): Treatise

On Yixing Tea Pot ''On Yixing Tea Pot'' (阳羡茗壶系 Yangxian Min Hu Xi) is a book about Yixing tea pot written by Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling fro ...

(阳羡茗壶系 Yangxian Ming Hu Xi), 1640. * Zhou Gaoqi: Report on Tongshan Jie Tea (洞山岕茶系 Tongshan Jie Cha Xi), 1640.

Qing Dynasty

* Lu Tingcan (陸廷燦): The Sequel to Classic of Tea (續茶經).

Japanese

* Myōan Eisai (明菴栄西): ''Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health'' (喫茶養生記), 1193. Eisai (Yosai) came to Tiantai mountain of Zhejiang to study Chan (Zen) Buddhism (1168 AD); when he returned home in 1193 AD, he brought tea from China to Japan, planted it and wrote the first Japanese treatise on tea, called ''Kissa yojoki'' (喫茶養生記, ''Treatise on Drinking Tea for Health''). This was the beginning of tea cultivation and tea culture in Japan. * Sen no Rikyū (千利休) (1522 – April 21, 1591): ''

Southern Record is a purported book of secrets describing the teachings of the tea saint, Sen no Rikyū. After the death of Rikyu, the book was lost with its author, Nanbo Sokei, a Zen priest and Rikyu's leading disciple. About one hundred years later, in 1686, ...

'' (南方録).

English

* Okakura Kakuzō (岡倉覚三): The Book of Tea (originally written in English by Okakura), 1906. * '' A Nice Cup of Tea'' essay by

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalita ...

, 1946. * ISO 3103 specifying a standardized method for brewing tea, by the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...

(commonly referred to as ISO), 1980 revised 2019. * ''How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea'', debunking Orwell, by Andrew Stapley for the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

, 2003. * ''How To Make a Decent Cup of Tea'', inspired by Orwell, by

Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...

, 2011.

Translations

Modern Chinese

* 陆羽《茶经》－解读与点校, 程启坤杨招棣姚国坤. 上海上海文艺出版社 2003 * 茶经 * 遵生八笺——白话全译, 重庆大学出版社

Czech

* Lu Jü : Kniha o čaji. Translated by Olga Lomová. Spolek milců čaje
DharmaGaia
Praha, 2002, . * Karel Valter : Vše o čaji pro čajomily, Granit s.r.o., Praha, 2000

English

* ''The Classic of Tea'' () Lu, Yu; Intro & Translation By Francis Ross Carpenter, Illustrated by Hitz, Demi;Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co. 1974 * ''The Classic of Tea: Origins & Rituals'' () Lu, Yu; Yu, Lu; Carpenter, Francis Ross; New York, U.S.A.: Ecco Press. 1995 reprint of 1974 edition. This is a complete translation.

French

*Vianney, Soeur Jean-Marie: ''Le Classique Du The Par Lu Yu'', Morel - 1977

Hungarian

* Lu Jü: ''Teáskönyv'' – A teázás szent könyve a nyolcadik századi Kínából. (Translation By

Zsolt Tokaji Zsolt Tokaji (; born 25 March 1971 in Debrecen (Hungary) is a Hungarian writer, sinologist and translator chiefly known for translating many classic and early Chinese texts into Hungarian, most famously the ''Inner Canon of Huangdi''. Biography ...

and Barbara Nyiredy.) Terebess Kiadó, Budapest 2005, * ''Teáskönyv''. (Trans., ed, by

.) Fapadoskonyv.hu, Budapest, 2010.

Italian

* Lu Yu: IL CANONE DEL TÈ, Traduzione (dal cinese) di Marco Ceresa, Leonardo. November 1990. * Marco Ceresa, Ph.D. Dissertation:I trattati sul tè di epoca Tang (Tang Dynasty Monographs on Tea) Far Eastern Studies, Istituto Universitario Orientale of Naples.1992

Russian

*Лу Юй: Канон чая; перевод с древнекитайского, введение и комментарии Александра Габуева и Юлии Дрейзис. Москва: Гуманитарий, 2007. — 123 с.

Chinese

Tang Dynasty

Song Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

Japanese

English

Translations

Modern Chinese

Czech

English

French

Hungarian

Italian

Russian

See also

References

Further reading