高中英语中国茶叶阅读专题 Chinese Tea Culture 专题 +练习+作文

2 Chinese Tea Culture Chinese Tea Chinese people are believed to have enjoyed tea drinking for more than 4,000 years. Legend has it that Yan Di, one of three rulers in ancient times, tasted all kinds of herbs to find medical cures. One day, as he was being poisoned by some herb he had ingested; a drop of water from a tea tree dripped into his mouth and he was saved. For a long time, tea was used as an herbal medicine. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was a religious offering. During the Spring and Autumn Period, people ate fresh tea leaves as vegetables. With the popularization of Buddhism from the Three Kingdoms to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, its refreshing effect made it a favorite among monks in Za-Zen meditation. Tea Culture In ancient China, drinking tea was prevalent among the people. Chinese tea culture distinguishes itself from that observed by the Western or the Japanese. Chinese tea culture enjoys a time-honored history and profound richness, carrying both material and spiritual contents. Since the Tang Dynasty, the spiritual influence of tea has its presence in every sector of the society, and helps shape the styles of Chinese poems, paintings, calligraphy, religion and medical science. For thousands of years, the Chinese people have not only accumulated a wealth of experience of tea production, which belongs to the physical aspect of the tea culture, but also have enriched the spiritual content of tea, which falls within the realm of literature and arts. Chinese tea culture refers to the methods of preparation of tea, the equipment used to make tea and the occasions in which tea is consumed in China. The Chinese people have a saying that firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities of life. Varieties Chinese tea leaves can be subcategorized into six varieties, namely green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea and dark tea (brick tea). Why do the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people like drinking tea? In ancient China, tea enjoyed popularity among the people as it was a healthy drink. In modern times, why do the Chinese people and even people from around the world still like drinking tea? 1. When tea was first made in ancient China, it was regarded as something precious. It was then popular among the nobility. Later with the prevalence of tea cultivation, it started to find its way into the daily life of the ordinary people, and drinking tea consequently became a habit for the Chinese people. In ancient times, tea leaves were also used for communicative purposes, serving to bridge the distance between people. So in the daily conversation of the Chinese people, they would normally say “come over and have a cup of tea” as a way of building connection with others. 2. Drinking tea can have many pharmaceutical effects. As a kind of herb, tea is known to have dieresis effect, helping reduce fat and decrease blood pressure. With the pursuit for a healthy lifestyle, tea has becom ... ...