The Culture of Tea - Part 3
Chinese Tea Legends - Shennong
Tea in China
The history of tea in China goes back over four thousand years. Through the millenia, legends have been told, traditions and practices have developed, conflict has ensued, and a simple plant has flourished as an integral part of Chinese culture; today, cultures all around the world have been enriched as well. We will explore some of the most important stories and discoveries in Chinese tea history to gain a glimpse into the rich culture that has evolved around that plant.
Depiction of Shen Nung from the Outlines of Chinese History by Li Ung Bing, 1914
The Discovery of Tea
Our journey begins four thousand years ago with the Legendary Chinese Emperor Shennong. The Emperor most often appears as a human in ancient depictions, usually chewing on herbs to discover their medicinal properties. Other depictions include; a bovine headed man with an iron skull (1), and a human man with a transparent stomach (2) through which he could see the effect of herbs on his body. It is said that in 2737 BCE, Shennong first discovered tea by chance, rather than by picking a stalk and chewing it as he usually did with other herbs. As the Emperor sat beneath a tree, a servant boiled drinking water. A leaf fell from the tree into the pot. Instead of boiling a fresh pot he decided to taste the new brew (3), and when he did the toxins in his body could be seen clearing away from his translucent gut.
Shennong is a mythical figure whose story has been passed down through oral history. He is known to be one of the three ancient rulers, but is also considered a deity (1). His name can be translated to Divine Farmer, Divine Peasant, Divine Agriculturist, or Divine Husbandman. As one of the greatest heroes in Chinese legend, Shennong is believed to have taught the Chinese people agricultural practices, and how to create and use a wide range of medicines (2).
The legend tells that before Shennong people would hunt for their food and use the skins for their clothes. Shennong grew rapidly, after three days he could talk, after five he could walk, and after three years he was a master of agriculture. Just as quickly as he grew, so did his desire for a life beyond hunting for meat. That desire is what lead Shennong to set out and taste the fruits, and grasses of the world, and discover their culinary and medicinal potential (6).
The ancient Emperor is also credited as being the original author of, Shen-Nung Bencaojing (Divine Husbandman's Materia Medica). However, as the legend of Shennong extends further back than written history, the true authorship of the book is considered by academics to be unknown. Researchers believe that much of the text is composed of oral histories and traditions, eventually being compiled by various people during the Han period between 206 BCE and 220 CE (4). The original text of the compilation no longer exists, but is believed to have been made up of three volumes, one for each class of medicine; superior, middle, and inferior. The text includes 365 medicines derived from jades and stones, herbs, woods, animals, fruits and vegetables, and cereal grains (5). Modern renditions of the book are widely accessible and available in multiple translations.
Along with a breadth of knowledge offered in Bencao Jing, Shennong is credited with introducing many tools and farming techniques. He is said to have discovered practices such as how to sow and grow grain, how to assess soil conditions, dig wells, irrigation, grain storage, and daily markets. He is said to have invented many agricultural and culinary tools such as the mortar and pestle, bowls, pots, pans, rice steamers, and kitchen ranges. These tools and practices are said to have helped the Chinese people transition into the age of agriculture (6). He is also considered to be the creator of the acupuncture (7), and the Jieqi Chinese Calender (6).
The death of Shennong is said to have come as a consequence of his medicinal research. When Shennong came across a yellow flower growing from a weed he ate it, causing a rapid reaction. Pain overtook the Emperor. As he rushed for an antidotal tea his intestines ruptured, ending the life of the legendary herbalist.
A funeral stone carving at the Wu Liang Family Shrine in Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province. The carving shows Shennong preparing the land to plant grain.
“The inscription reads, “Shennongshi taught people to cultivate according to the land’s quality and to sow grains in order to relieve the hungry people.” (Feng Yunpeng and Feng Yunyuan, Research on Stone Carving, 1821)”
- Handbook of Chinese Mythology by Lihui Yang and Deming An, with Jessica Anderson Turner.
Shennong, One of the Mythical Emperors of China
18th Century Indian ink on silk depicting Shennong in his famous position, seated while chewing on a leaf, herb, or twig.
Shennong is said to have tasted thousands of fruits, grasses, and herbs in pursuit of introducing plant based food into a predominately carnivorous ancient diet.
Artist: Xu Jetian
Collection: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
Modern Chinese Tea
Over thousands of years of cultural development, several methods of creating tea have developed. This has brought us what we now know as green tea, black tea, and puerh tea. The most commonly imbibed teas in China are green and puerh. In China puerh is called black, or “dark” tea, while the western black tea is called red tea.
Green tea is the most popular variety in China. One of the local favorites is Longjing, or Dragonwell. It is said that the grandson of the Kangxi Emperor, of the Qing Dynasty, was gifted a cup of Longjing during a visit to the Hu Gong temple at Xi Lake. Impressed with the quality, he bestowed imperial status to the eighteen tea plants outside the temple. These bushes are still living, and the premium quality leaves harvested from them auction at a higher price by weight than gold. The style originated in the Longjing Village, and now contemporary gardens can be found throughout the Zhejiang province. We offer three different styles of Dragon Well; organic, early harvest (pre Qing Ming festival), and Da Fo (Big Buddha).
Another widely consumed variety in china is puerh. There are two types of puerh: Sheng and shou. Sheng, or raw, puerhs are aged naturally and allowed to delicately ferment overtime, develop helpful probiotics, and take on a distinguished, sweet, woody taste. This technique has been used for thousands of years as tea has been pressed into cakes and coins, and used for trade and as currency. Shou, or cooked, puerhs were developed in the 1980s as a way to speed up fermentation and imitate the probiotic and flavor qualities of teas aged for many years. They are often piled compactly and allowed to generate a lot of heat to cook the leaves and encourage fermentation. This process has taken on it’s own culture with tea makers innovating on how to improve the end result. You will typically be able to identify a Sheng vs a Shou by the presence of a vintage date. Sheng puerhs will often include a vintage to indicate when the leaves were harvested, and how long they have been aged. We offer a variety of puerhs both Sheng and Shou, inlcuding a notable new addition of our Sheng, loose leaf, White Puerh Bud.
Production of western black tea began as a result of maintaining the product over long shipping periods and has now developed into a rich culture of high-end products coming from several prominent regions in China. One of these is Qimen County, Anhui Province where incredible, rich, malty black tea is produced and often found in western markets under the name Keemun. Our Keemun Hong Mao Feng is a perfect representation of the flavors that have come from Qimen County since the late 19th century.
End Notes:
“Shennong: Chinese mythological emperor,” Encylopadia Britannica, last modified (n.d.), accessed May 11, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shennong.
Gillian Daniel, “The Legend of the Divine Farmer,” The Public Domain Review, last modified (n.d.), published Nov 3, 2015, https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-legend-of-the-divine-farmer/.
L. K. Yee, “Tea’s Wonderful History,” The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, last modified (n.d.), accessed May 11, 2024, https://chcp.org/Teas-Wonderful-History.
Ulrich Theobold, “Shen Nong bencoajing,” ChinaKnowledge.de, published Jan 8, 2013, accessed May 11, 2024, http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Science/shennongbencaojing.html.
The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica, trans. Yang Shou-zhong (Boulder, CO: Blue Poppy Press, 1998), xvii.
Lihui Yang and Deming An, with Jessica Anderson Turner, Handbook of Chinese Mythology, (Santa Barbara, CA: Lihui Yang and Deming An, 2005), 190-199.
“Shen Nung: the Divine Husbandman,” National Library of Medicine, last modified (n.d.), accessed May 11, 2024, https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/topics/chinese-traditional/foundation-emperor_9203733-shennung-sm.html?imgid=3.
Bibliography
Encylopadia Britannica. “Shennong: Chinese mythological emperor.” Last modified (n.d.). Accessed May 11, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shennong.
Daniel, Gillian. The Public Domain Review. “The Legend of the Divine Farmer.” Published Nov 3, 2015. Accessed May 11, 2024. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-legend-of-the-divine-farmer/.
Yee, L. K. The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. “Tea’s Wonderful History.” Last modified (n.d.). Accessed May 11, 2024. https://chcp.org/Teas-Wonderful-History.
Theobold, Ulrich. ChinaKnowledge.de. “Shen Nong bencoajing.” Published Jan 8, 2013. Accessed May 11, 2024. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Science/shennongbencaojing.html.
The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica. Translated by Yang Shou-zhong. Boulder, CO: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
Yang, Lihui, and An Deming, with Anderson Turner, Jessica. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. Santa Barbara, CA: Lihui Yang and Deming An, 2005.
National Library of Medicine. “Shen Nung: the Divine Husbandman.” Last modified (n.d.). Accessed May 11, 2024. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/topics/chinese-traditional/foundation-emperor_9203733-shennung-sm.html?imgid=3.