On the Silk Road, tea was also introduced into West Asia and even Europe as a commodity through winding land and blue sea. Since then, tea culture, together with China's traditional lifestyle and unique oriental philosophy, has spread to various places. It can be said that China is called the hometown of tea, not only because the land here breeds the earliest tea trees in the world, but also because people here regard tea as a life connecting heaven and earth.
From the map, the geographical features of Fujian can be summarized as "being close to the mountains and the sea", and 90% of the land area is mountainous and hilly, which is known as "eight mountains, one water and one farmland". The land of Bamin, where mountains and rivers blend, is covered with vegetation. Cha Sheng Luyu is called "Southern Jiamu" tea tree. It is no exaggeration to say that Fujian tea culture embodies the unique regional spirituality, and the creation of tea is the most in Fujian, and the skill of tea tasting is also the most peculiar in Fujian.
Fuzhou jasmine tea, Anxi Tieguanyin tea, Fuding Dahao tea, Wuyishan rock tea ... Fujian is the kingdom of tea, and Fujian people naturally have a soft spot for tea. Teapots, teacups, teaspoons and other tea drinking utensils are indispensable for families and offices. When you go out, don't forget to bring a few bags of tea in your handbag or clothes pocket for a rainy day. Some tea pets placed on the coffee table add elegance and interest to the atmosphere of tea tasting, and also place people's good wishes and expectations.
In many places in Fujian, people have the habit of drinking tea in the morning and evening, and their attachment to tea is almost intoxicating. Generally speaking, Minnan people like to drink oolong tea, Fuzhou people like to drink scented tea, northern Fujian people drink oolong tea and green tea, and eastern Fujian people drink green tea. There is a proverb in southern Fujian that "a hundred days without meat is better than a day without tea"; There is also a saying in the mountainous area of northern Fujian that "three days without food is better than one day without tea". It is worth mentioning that Minnan people like to taste "Kung Fu Tea" with their forearms. Tea is full of fragrance and charm. People in northern Fujian love to drink tea in a big bowl, which is full of fun and unique.
The local people drink tea, from tea set, water quality, tea types to pouring water, all procedures are very elegant, with special emphasis on the three elements of "water, fire and tea". The more tea sets are used, the more precious they are. The "tea scale" condensed in the tea set used for making tea for a long time will make the tea set emit tea fragrance even if the tea leaves are not put. Speaking of water, the most suitable water for making tea is spring water, and the fire used is mainly charcoal fire. Boiling water takes a lot of effort, and it needs to be boiled three times before it can be used for brewing. From eastern Fujian to western Fujian, from southern Fujian to northern Fujian, Bamin has formed a tea culture with local characteristics.
According to historical records, Fujian tea culture sprouted in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty, leaving many tea-chanting works. The Tang Dynasty is like a poem written by the poet Xu Yin, "Wuyi is warm in spring, and the moon is full at the beginning, and new buds are picked to offer immortals". In the Song Dynasty, Wuyishan tea poems were particularly brilliant, such as Su Shi's "You don't see it, millet buds are planted in Wuyi Creek, and Cai Houjia", Zhu's "Penglai is higher than Wuyi, and the spirit buds are planted in the hands" and Fan Zhongyan's "The creek is famous in the world, and Wuyi immortals have been planted since ancient times", all of which are eternal swan songs of Wuyi tea. Since then, a large number of celebrities in Ming and Qing dynasties and modern times have praised and chanted. Fortunately, there are these excellent poems, which can let the younger generation taste the fragrance of Wuyi tea together, and the richness of Fujian tea culture represented by Wuyi tea can also be seen.
"Spring is very warm, and every household is busy with spring ploughing. The tea girl picked tea with a basket and came to Chashan early. Singing while picking, as if the actor is on the stage and no audience appreciates it. Tea girls are happy ... "Nowadays, society is changing with each passing day, but the tradition of singing Fujian folk song" Tea Picking Song "has not changed.
At present, the annual Tomb-Sweeping Day is approaching, which is a good time to pick tea before tomorrow. The so-called "tea before tomorrow" refers to the tea picked before Tomb-Sweeping Day. After a long winter, the nutrients in tea trees have been fully accumulated, and the temperature in early spring is low, so the growth rate of tea trees is slow, and the yield that can meet the picking standard is very small. In addition, at this time, the tea leaves are less damaged by pests, tender in bud, green and fragrant in color, mellow and beautiful in taste. It belongs to the best in tea, so there is also a saying that "tea is as expensive as gold before tomorrow".
Tomb-Sweeping Day is the peak season for tea picking. Tea farmers' minds are all on the tea mountain, especially the hostess, who puts all other farm work aside. The housewives who watched the sky in the hall the night before knew that the next day was a good day to pick tea. They got up at dawn to do housework, then called the tea farmers next door with a small bamboo basket and hurried into the mountains like a fair. Chashan, which is full of spring, is like wearing an ancient costume. Trees are full of spring and green. Tea-picking girls in the mountains are covered with tea forests. Tea pickers scattered all over the mountains kept picking, like a natural oil painting and a hymn of labor.
Guests come from afar and treat each other with tea. According to legend, in the second year of Yuanfeng in the Northern Song Dynasty, Dongpo stayed in Hangzhou to worship a temple in brown, but did not report his surname. The abbot said, "Sit down and have tea"; The abbot looked at the student carefully and said, "Please sit down and serve tea." . Dongpo bowed his head and said a few words. The abbot said, "What's your name?" Dongpo said, "My dear Su Dongpo." The abbot was surprised: the great writer also said, "Please sit down and serve tea." When he left, Dongpo wrote a couplet and presented it to the abbot: please sit down, please sit down, please sit down; Tea, tea, tea!
Recalling this story, I want to explain that tea is a symbol of politeness and friendship. From ancient times to the present, if a guest comes to visit, even if it is only a neighbor's visit, the host's family should serve a bowl of hot tea as a welcome. The chatterboxes between the host and the guest are also slowly opened in the fragrant tea. It's okay for guests to come in and invite them to dinner, but it's considered impolite to disrespect tea. This folk tea ceremony in China shows the fine tradition of attaching importance to friendship. From the tea painting of "Compatriots Breathe in One Breath" in the Yuan Dynasty to the making of teapots with the theme of "Gathering firewood and three friends" in the Qing Dynasty, from "supporting tea" in Bianjing neighborhood in the Song Dynasty to "sending seven teas" in Nanjing Songhangcheng, from sending tea to show friendship in the Tang Dynasty to treating guests with tea and holding tea parties today, all of them show that the people of China have attached importance to hospitality since ancient times.
Tea is a kind of thing with good color, fragrance, taste and shape, which conforms to the spirit of people's pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty and transcendence. The spirit of "harmony, quietness, purity and frugality" in tea ceremony accords with the requirements of sustainable development of society and all-round development of human beings. As the saying goes, "tea is like seclusion, wine is like luxury;" Wine makes friends, tea is still. " Drinking can be bustling and you can call friends, but drinking tea is really a very quiet thing. Mr. Lu Xun once said: "If you have good tea, you should drink good tea, which is a kind of' qingfu'." Everyone wants to enjoy a "clean life", but not everyone knows what this means. In fact, the easiest way is to temporarily put aside trivial matters when drinking tea.