There are different opinions about the origin of tea drinking in China: tracing back to the origin of tea drinking in China, some think it originated in ancient times, others think it originated in Zhou Dynasty, Qin and Han Dynasties, Three Kingdoms, Southern and Northern Dynasties and Tang Dynasty.
The main reason for the disagreement is that there was no word "tea" before the Tang Dynasty, but only the word "tea" was recorded. It was not until Lu Yu, the author of the Book of Tea, wrote the word "tea" as "tea", so there was a saying that tea originated in the Tang Dynasty. Others are said to have originated in Shennong and Qin and Han Dynasties.
2. Myth; legend
In the history of cultural development in China, the origin of all things related to agriculture and plants always belongs to Shennong. However, China's view that tea drinking originated from Shennong has different views due to folklore.
Some people think that tea was discovered by Shennong when he was boiling water in a large pot outside the field. The boiled water is yellowish in color, which can quench your thirst and refresh yourself. According to Shennong's past experience of tasting herbal medicine, it was found that it was a kind of medicine. This is the most common statement about the origin of tea drinking in China.
Extended data:
Morphological characteristics of tea
Shrubs or small trees with hairless shoots. Leaves leathery, oblong or oval, 4- 12 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, with blunt or sharp apex, wedge-shaped base, shiny top, hairless or initially pilose bottom, 5-7 pairs of lateral veins, serrated edge, 3-8 mm long petiole and hairless.
Flowers 1-3 axillary, white, pedicel 4-6 mm long, sometimes slightly longer; Bracts 2, caducous; Sepals 5, broadly ovate to round, 3-4 mm long, glabrous, persistent; Petals 5-6, broadly ovoid, long 1- 1.6 cm, slightly jointed at the base, glabrous on the back, sometimes pubescent; Stamens are 8-13mm long, and the base is connected with1-2mm. Ovary densely covered with white hairs; Style glabrous, apex 3-lobed, lobes 2-4 mm long
Capsule 3 is spherical or 1-2, with a height of1.1-0/.5cm, and each ball has 1-2 seeds. The flowering period is from June 10 to February of the following year.
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