Popularization Of Tea Leaves In The World

The diffusion of tea from China to the whole world has always been through two means- by sea and by land. Landway includes the tea road to middle Asia,' West Asia and Europe that overlapped with the old silk road after Tang Dynasty, the business road to south Asian countries with the Tang-Tibet Koad and the Tea-Horse Road as two major trunks, and a tea road to Russia through the Mongolian Plateau exploited during Ming and Qing dynasties Seaway consisted of three. One set from tea areas of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian to Japan and the Korean peninsula through Yangzhou and Quanzhou ports in Tang and Song dynasties. Another started from tea areas of Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian to America through Ningbo, Quanzhou and Guangzhou ports and across the Pacific Ocean. The last one went from Nan Yang to America and through India to Europe.

During Song, Yuan and early Ming dynasties, China strictly banned tea, which prevented its popularization. On the 3rd war of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (1405), Zheng He (1371 or 1375-1433 or 1435) went to the west with a huge store of fame tea from various places as gifts. This opened the export of tea leaves in Ming Dynasty. In early Qing Dynasty, since the output of tea leaves increased, the ban was basically cancelled and government permitted civilians to carry on tea business. Before seaway was started, tea groups made up of Shanxi merchants traveled by land They traveled to Wuyi Mountain to collect tea leaves across Fenshui Pass, outside Jiujiang, past Shanxi and Urga (today’s Ulaanbaatar) and north to Kiakhta (meaning business city in Chinese, once a major business port in China for Sino-Russian business), covering a distance of nearly 6.000 kilometers and then passed Siberia to Europe. This is the international business road that input Chinesetea to Russia or even the entire Europe, called the Tea Road. When tea leaves were exported to Russia by land, they were not so likely to get damped and went bad as by sea, so leaves arriving in Russia were better in quality than those transported by sea. The leaves to Russia were mostly in the form of tea bricks. Very soon the Russians accepted and loved Chinese tea. As a contemporary writer said, tea has become a requisite in Sino- Russian business because they have got used to drinking Chinese tea and it was hard to give it up.

In 1729, China and Russia signed Kiakhta Frontier Agreement, formally settling Kiakhta as the place where merchants of the two countries could do business, making it an important collecting and distributing place of tea and tea business prospered with speed. At the end of 18th century, the Tea Road witnessed its peak, effectively promoting the business of other goods along the road and pushing the economic communication between China and Europe. On this road, vehicle groups, horse groups and mule groups knew no end. When it came to the 1830s, exportation of tea leaves accounted for 93% of the Sino-Russian trade volume.

The popularization of tea in Britain didn't differ much from that of other countries, also from royal families and nobilities to common folks, and tea leaf quickly became a necessary in the daily life of British people. Britain started importing tea leaves from China by sea since 1637, when British merchant ships arrived at Hu men, Guangzhou, and took 112 pounds of tea leaves. At first tea leaves imported to Britain were mostly green tea, but because their quality couldn't be guaranteed, black tea leaves took their place, which directly affected the tea-drinking habit of British people.

British demand for tea grew bigger and bigger and Sino-British trade gradually came to focus on tea. Because of its huge request for tea leaves, Britain suffered an annually larger trade deficit in its trade with China. At the end of 18th century, Britain spent 40,000 Liang silver to import tea leaves from China through East India Company every year. It exported woolen goods, metallic goods and cotton to China too, but the total worth of those three items only amounted to 1/6 of the worth of tea. British merchant ships were often loaded with silver to purchase tea leaves in Guangzhou. In order to change this situation Britain levied heavy import tax on tea leaves, keeping the tax rate over 100% from 1806 to 1833. Meanwhile, East India Company was actively seeking other sources for tea. However, at that time very few places other than China produced tea, and China banned exportation of tea seeds and tea-making techniques for the sake of interest protection. In 1834, Bentinck—British governor in India organized a tea committee to study the possibility of planting Chinese tea in India. Due to the fact that Qing government forbade foreigners from entering China, Gordan—the committee secretary came to China in disguise and managed to buy large amounts of tea seeds in Wuyi Mountain, which were secretly shipped to Calcutta in 1833 and were cultivated to 42.000 tea tree saplings, scattered in Assam. Kumaon etc, later the committee invited Chinese tea master to produce the first batch of finished tea (8 boxes) with the technique of Wuyi Rock tea in 1838. Those were shipped to London and made quite a sensation in the government as well as the public, laying the foundation for tea industry in India who is the Number 1 tea-producing country in the world now. In 1867, offspring of those tea trees were introduced to Sri-Lanka and made it the 3rd tea-producing country in the future. Since the 1860s, Chinese tea was confronted with the competition from tea of India and Ceylon in world market. Its market share shrank little by little and lost its dominance completely in the 1880s, whereas India became the biggest supplier of tea leaves.

Chinese export of tea leaves to Britain gained China a large trade surplus, so British government ordered its East India Company to carry opium to China in secret so that Sino—British trade was basically reversed. To prevent silver from outflowing, Qing government implemented a policy of banning opium- smoking and opium trade, severely attacking opium importation This Is the immediate reason for the breaking out of the Opium War between China and Britain in 1840. After the war, as the winner, Britain asked for 'business at five ports.- two of which were in Fujian. Britain's aim was still to control the tea areas in Fujian. Wuyi tea went on being import in large amount through Xiamen, Fuzhou and Guangzhou ports. Under the blow of the “business at five ports," road of tea leaves that sold to the north was replaced by the "sea road of tea leaves." Shanxi business groups dealing in Wuyi tea dispersed. After the Opium War, China lost its sovereignty and territory day by day, starting its 100-year- long history of humiliation.

Similarly, another world—changing war was also related to tea and Britain. Tea leaves imported from China to Britain were further sold to other places, and North America was the largest market for the entrepot trade of tea leaves. Britain levied special tax on tea leaves in its northern America colonies and sold its unsalable tea leaves there, which caused fierce resistance. In 1773, "Boston Tea Party" members took hold of three tea ships of East India Company and sank 342 boxes of tea leaves worth 18,000 pounds to the bottom of sea for ever. "Boston Tea Incident" was a fuse for the American Independent War, and the tea that was sunk was the long-reputed Chinese Wuyi tea. After America obtained its independence, Srno- American tea trade thrived for a while. Americans exchanged ginseng, sealskin and sandalwood for tea leaves in Guangzhou, and took the leaves back to America for sale. A number of people became millionaires in this way. In coastal areas of America, many people dreamed of getting rich through tea trade in China. As long as they got a sailboat that could contain five people, they planned to sail to Guangzhou to import tea.

The Opium War and Independent War of North America were all related with tea. The tiny leaves calmly and quietly changed the power structure of the world. Nevertheless, while the Opium War led to the accumulated poverty and weakness of a 1.000-year-old country, the latter signified the rising up of a modem power. What is implied in this is well worth the consideration of everyone.