The Political Impact of Tea:From the Palace to the Street

A Comparison of Tea Before and After the Song Dynasty

Introduction

Tea, one of the most important beverages in China, was merely a scarify that was only accessible for the imperial court and the upper class before 9th century (Sartor, 2007). However, by the Song Dynasty (960-1276), the gross tea production reached 11,500,000 kilograms, and tea consumption was about 11,455,000 kilograms (Huang, 2017), which suggests that tea had spread to all social classes at that time.

Prosperous Marketplaces during the Song Dynasty --- Along the River During the Qingming Festival by Zeduan Zhang / Provided by Wu Lonny https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/545146729876279604/

What was so unique about the Song Dynasty? The Emperor Huizong of the Song was famous for the indulgence of tea, and he often passed orders to collect tea and advocate the activity of tea tasting, and that was the time tea drinking became popular among government officials. Later on, after a series of political chaos, the successor of Huizong Emperor Gaozong shifted the capital from the north to a southern city, Linan, where was an ideal place for economic and tea growth. With the growing supply of tea, it became a much more affordable item for the middle and lower classmen. The tea culture became unprecedentedly prosperous.



In conclusion, when tea first merged in the southwest, it was mainly considered as a kind of medicine that had beneficial effects on human bodies. After tea spread to the north during the Han Dynasty, the wealthy family began consuming it as a beverage. When it came to the Tang Dynasty, it tied with Buddhism and was promoted by the Buddhists as the drinking habits of alcohol diminished. Although the significance of tea changed, tea was only served for the upperclassmen, and the tea culture was only limited to religious practices. Next, tea will have another significant shift in the Song Dynasty when people from all classes could afford tea as daily consumption.


Linan: A Perfect Place for Tea

As the capital of an empire, Linan was certainly the center of economics, culture, politics, and finance. Linan was located in the southeastern region, where the weather was humid and the altitude was suitable for tea growth. Also, this city was near the Yangtze River and sea, merchants could trade items such as tea to other parts by the Grand Chanel (大运河) which was constructed by previous emperors. Moreover, the population of this city was greatly expanded because thousands of northern including poets, merchants, craftsmen, and farmers migrated to the south to escape the chaos caused by war. With sufficient labor forces and wise policies imposed by Gaozong, Linan became prosperous during the Southern Song Dynasty. Scholars estimated that there were 800,000 to 900,000 population inside Linan and 400,000 population outside the city (Xu, 2009). As a result, the supply of tea increased and the price decreased. Tea became a much more affordable commodity for the lower class. 

The empire was near the coast and there were several rivers / From: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/yuan-dynasty/a/zheng-sixiao-ink-orchid

Teahouse Culture:

The economic prosperity and enthusiasm toward tea of the upper class spurred the tea consumption and production for the middle and lower social hierarchy. A new place for entertainment centering on drinking tea, the teahouse, attracted people from all social classes to relax, chat, trade information, and talk about business. There were five kinds of teahouses that had different functions (Xu, 2005). 

Why Teahouse Thrive: Policies from the Imperial Court

The society of Song was relatively peaceful and secure as Gaozong made an agreement with Jin. On the other hand, the previous emperor advocates the philosophy of enjoying pleasure and relaxation. In addition, he canceled curfew and increased security forces to patrol at night, so night markets and shops were still open even late midnight (Huang, 2017). With such a peaceful and secured environment, the imperial court added holidays for government officials and laborers. For example, salt well workers could take a holiday break at a festival called Tian Qing (天庆). As a result, increased leisure time facilitated entertainment activities such as teahouse activities.



Tea Inheritance

Chinese in modern times inherit and adapt to tea culture from their ancestors. In 1991, the only museum that was themed in tea in this country called China National Tea Museum was opened in Hangzhou, the city of tea. This museum demonstrated hundreds of teas, porcelains, and tea plants in front of modern Chinese. Nowadays, Chinese still remain the habit of drinking tea and boiling water, and they develop new beverages such milk tea and bubble tea that incorporate milk and other ingredients in traditional Chinese tea.

China National Tea Museum by 完颜不破 / From: https://bbs.hangzhou.com.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=195476&do=blog&id=651343&page=1

Left: Oolong tea with milk / Right: Pure Oolong tea / Those two drinks are products in a Chinese boba tea shop


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Quotation translations

Keyao Sun

Oolong tea with milk image

 timg  provided by Baidu Picture

Pure Oolong tea image

Other Images

Attributions are either at the top or bottom of the image

Prosperous Marketplaces during the Song Dynasty --- Along the River During the Qingming Festival by Zeduan Zhang / Provided by Wu Lonny https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/545146729876279604/

The empire was near the coast and there were several rivers / From: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/yuan-dynasty/a/zheng-sixiao-ink-orchid

China National Tea Museum by 完颜不破 / From: https://bbs.hangzhou.com.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=195476&do=blog&id=651343&page=1

Left: Oolong tea with milk / Right: Pure Oolong tea / Those two drinks are products in a Chinese boba tea shop