Ep. 140-3 | Tea Hits the Big Time

After centuries of trial and error, tea starts to transform from a bitter medicinal brew into something worthy of presenting to the emperor as tribute. Tea's development during the 326 years of the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 AD) is introduced this time. Not only do the people of China embrace tea. Those people who surrounded China to the north and to the west also took a quick liking to this drink. The important role tea played in Tibet and other border regions is also discussed, as well as the fabled trade route known as the ancient Tea-Horse Road 茶马古道.

The Tea Saint, Lu Yu will be saved for the next episode. Be sure to come back again.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/Term	Chinese	English/Meaning
Chárén	茶人	A "Tea Person," someone who knows a lot about tea and how to enjoy it
Shén Nóng	神农	The Divine Farmer
Chá	茶	Tea
Táng Dynasty	唐朝	Dynasty that followed the Sui, 618-907
Suí Wéndì	隋文帝	Founder of the Sui Dynasty
Suí Yángdì	隋炀帝	Second Sui Emperor
Suí Dynasty	隋朝	Dynasty that preceded the Tang and ran from 581-617
Lù Yǔ	陆羽	733-804, Chinese literary figure from the Tang who was famous for writing the Classic of Tea
Wú State	吴国	The Wu State during the Zhou Dynasty that ran from 12th century BCE to 473 BCE
King Fūchāi	夫差	Fuchai of Wu who reinged 495-473 BCE, last king of the Wu State
Hán Gōu	汗垢	The Han Canal, built during King Fuchai's time
Huái River	淮河	One of China's great rivers, located in between the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers
Yángzǐ	扬子江	China's longest river that ran west to east, located in the geographic center of China. Northern China was north of the Yangzi
Fújiàn	福建	Coastal province south of Zhejiang
Zhèjiāng	浙江	Coastal Province north of Fujian
Ānhuī	安徽	Province in eastern China
Jiāngxī	江西	Province in eastern China
Jìn Dynasty	晋朝	The Jin Dynasty, 266-420
Jiāngsū	江苏	Coastal Province north of Zhejiang
Hakka	客家	A Han Chinese sub-group originally from the north of China who migrated to the south and ended up mostly in Guangdong and Fujian, but found elsehwere in China and throughout the world
Guǎngdōng	广东	China's southern-most province on the mainland
Sìchuān	四川	Province in southwest China
Guìzhōu	贵州	Province in western China
Yúnnán	云南	Province in the southwest of China
Táng Tàizōng	唐太宗	Tang emperor who reigned 626-649
Qīnghǎi	青海	Province in western China
Xīnjiāng	新疆	China's largest province area-wise, located in the northwest of China
Chámǎ Gǔdào	茶马古道	The Ancient Tea-Horse Road
Tú	荼	The character for tea before it was called cha 茶
Rén	人	A person
Gòngchá	贡茶	Tribute Tea
Qīngmíng Festival	清明节	Also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese holiday that usually falls in the first week of April. People who observe this holiday show reverence for their ancestors by visiting their graves and "sweeping the tombs"
Biānchá	边茶	Border Tea
Qiāng	羌族	An ethnic people who come from southwest China and other Asian countries to the south and west of China
Bǎojiànpǐn	保健品	Health Products
Oolong	乌龙	Wūlóng Tea, a partially oxidized tea that is mighty fine tasting
Pǔ-Ěrh	普洱	A variety of fermented tea that comes from Yunnan province in China
Zhāng Qiān	张骞	Chinese official and diplomat who made a famous adventure to the west and inadvertantly kickstarted the Silk Road. he lived during the Han Dynasty and died in 114 BCE
Hàn Dynasty	汉朝	Dynasty that ran from 202 BCE to 9 CE and again from 25 to 220 CE
Shǔ yǔ niǎo zhī lù	鼠与鸟之路	The road of mice and birds
Sòng	宋朝	The Song Dynasty that ran from 960 to 1279
Wénchéng Gōngzhǔ	文成公主	Princess Wencheng, neice of Tang Taizong who's hand was given in marriage to the Tibeten King Songtsän Gampo
Sōngzàn Gānbù	松赞干布	Songtsän Gampo, emperor of Tibet who lived c. 557 to 649
Sūyóuchá	酥油茶	Tibetan yak buttered tea
Qiónglái	邛崃	Qionglai, a city not far from Chengdu
Yǎ’ān	雅安	Ya'an, a city not too far from Chengdu
Wènchuān	汶川	County ih Sichuan not far from Chengdu that was the epicenter of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake
Lúshān	庐山	County in Sichuan not far from Chengdu
Gānsù	甘肃	Province in western China
Chá Jīng	茶经	The Classic of Tea

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