On the one hand, some scholars think that there is no clear word "tea" in the Book of Songs, because "tea" as a drink has not been introduced to China during the period described in the Book of Songs, so tea can't appear in the book. On the other hand, some scholars believe that the word "tea" does appear in the Book of Songs, but it does not refer to tea itself, but refers to a kind of licorice, also called "tea grass", so the word "tea" in the Book of Songs should refer to licorice, not tea.
No matter whether the word "tea" really appeared in The Book of Songs, we can't deny the important position of tea in the ancient history of China. In the Han Dynasty, tea has become one of the important commodities in China, which is widely used in food, medicine and beverage. Therefore, tea is of great significance in both cultural and life fields.
With the passage of time, tea culture has gradually developed into a unique cultural phenomenon in China and penetrated into people's daily life. At present, China's tea culture has become a world-recognized precious cultural heritage. Tea culture has a long history in China, which originated from myths and legends and ancient religious ceremonies thousands of years ago. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, China tea culture developed rapidly, and the formation of diversified tea ceremony schools enriched the connotation of China tea culture to a great extent.
In China, tea culture is not only a food culture, but also a meeting point of philosophy, literature, art and etiquette. In the tea ceremony, people will pay attention to the production of tea sets, varieties of tea, production methods and cooking skills, and show the spiritual realm of Confucianism, such as humility, respect and elegance, through the display of tea ceremony.
In the modern society of China, the inheritance and development of tea culture has been concerned and supported by the whole society. The rise of tea culture tourism and tea culture theme activities has further narrowed the distance between people and tea culture and increased people's enthusiasm and cognition of tea culture.
The importance of tea culture
As a unique and important cultural heritage in China, tea culture not only has unique historical and cultural charm, but also is one of the important ways for us to show the national spirit and inherit the cultural heritage in contemporary society. It is one of the important components of China culture, with a long history and rich connotations, representing the cultural wisdom and spiritual outlook of the Chinese nation.