Tea: A Very Short History

The tea plant is generally assumed to be indigenous to southwest China, although the debate on the original birthplace22 birthplace出生地；發(fā)源地。of tea is still open. What is commonly accepted as the earliest reliable reference to tea-drinking in China is to be found in the biography of Wei Yao in theSanguozhi(History of the Three Kingdoms). The episode, which can be dated3be dated to追溯到。between 264 and 273 AD, is well known: Wei Yao, when invited to Sun Hao’s banquets, was secretly given tea instead of the enormous amounts of wine4譯文查考并引用了史料，因此與原文并不完全對應。each guest was expected to put up with55 put up with忍受。on such occasions. There are actually some other earlier references to tea-drinking,which scholars usually dismiss66 dismiss不考慮；解散；開除。as unreliable (from a textual point of view) or not relevant to7be relevant to與……有關。the point (they refer to tea as food or medicine,not as a recreational88 recreational休閑的；消遣的。drink). It is not until the Tang dynasty that teadrinking becomes a nationwide custom from south to north.

一般認為，茶樹原產(chǎn)于中國西南，盡管關于茶的發(fā)源地仍然眾說紛紜。中國飲茶公認的最早信史見于《三國志·韋曜傳》。這段歷史頗為著名，可追溯到公元264年至273年：孫皓邀韋曜赴宴，賓客每宴飲酒必以七升為限，孫皓密賜韋曜荼荈以代酒。其實，還有其他一些更早的飲茶記載，學者通常斥為偽書（從文本角度）或與茶無關（這些材料稱茶為食材或藥材，而非飲品）。及至唐代，飲茶才成為風靡全國、南北皆盛的習俗。

[2] Two factors contributed to the diffusion9diffusion擴散；傳播。of the custom: the rise of Chan Buddhism and the appearance of theChajing(The Classic of Tea),by Lu Yu10陸羽，湖北天門人，唐代著名茶學家，以《茶經(jīng)》聞名于世。(733–804), compiled11compile編纂；匯編。between 758 and 760. This monograph12monograph專著；專論。on all aspects of tea culture was the fi rst book ever devoted to the subject. TheChajingis part of a corpus13corpus全集；語料庫。of monographs on tea, theChashu, which from the Tang to the Qing numbers over 100 titles and is one of the most important sources for the history of tea in China.

[2]兩大因素促進了茶風的流播：禪宗的興起與陸羽（公元733—804）《茶經(jīng)》的問世（編于公元758年至公元760年）。這是現(xiàn)存第一部全面論述茶文化的專著。論茶總集《茶書》收錄自唐至清的百余部茶書，是研究中國茶史的最重要資料，《茶經(jīng)》也在其中。

[3] Chan adepts14adept專家；能手。would use tea for its stimulant15stimulant刺激的；使人興奮的。properties16property財產(chǎn)；特性。to keep mentally alert during meditation17meditation冥想；打坐。, and would always carry their tea utensils with them. In 770, an of fi ce of tribute18tribute致敬；貢品。tea was set up to deal with tea for court consumption. At the same time, the nomadic tribes19nomadic tribe游牧部落。from the area north of China had taken up the habit of drinking tea, for which they bartered their celebrated horses20“ 茶 馬 互市”起源于唐、宋時期，是中國西部歷史上漢藏民族間一種傳統(tǒng)的以茶易馬或以馬換茶為中心內(nèi)容的貿(mào)易往來，實際上是朝廷在西部游牧民族中尚不具備征稅條件的地區(qū)實行的一種財政措施。bart. The Song dynasty saw the rise to prominence21rise to prominance崛起；嶄露頭角。of Fujian province as a tea-growing region, the establishment of several tea gardens for imperial222 imperial帝國的；皇家的。consumption (the most famous among which was in Beiyuan in Jianzhou, present day Fujian Province), and the creation in 1074 of the tea and horse agency23tea and horse agency茶馬司。, responsible for the bartering of tea for horses, which became a permanent fixture24fixture固定裝置；定期存款。of regional government, playing a vital part in the economy.The Ming-Qing period saw a progressive25progressive逐漸的；不斷前進的。reduction of the ancient teatax (established in 973), which led to its abolition26abolition廢除。in recognition of27in recognition of鑒于；考慮到。the fact that tea had become necessary to the people and therefore a traditionally tax-free item.

[3]因茶有提神之效，禪士參禪打坐，常飲茶醒腦，出則自攜茶具。公元770年，唐朝設御用貢茶院。同時，中國北方游牧部落嗜茶成風，常常以名馬市茶。福建產(chǎn)茶，名噪宋時，修御茶園數(shù)座（其中建州北苑的茶園最為著名，建州即今福建省）。公元1074年，設茶馬司，管茶馬貿(mào)易事，成地方定制，多裨國帑。明清之際，舊茶稅（始于公元973年）有趨減之勢，況因茶為百姓日用所需，按例屬無稅之物，始得蠲除。

[4] Tea has been manufactured throughout Chinese history in the following forms: cake tea, powder tea, and loose leaf tea. The history of tea-brewing techniques can be divided into three, partly overlapping28overlapping重合。,phases: (1) boiled tea (zhucha, at Tang times), (2) whipped29whip攪拌；抽打。tea (mocha,at Song times), (3) steeped tea (paocha, from Ming onwards).

[4]中國制茶歷史悠久，有餅茶、末茶、散茶諸種。茶道之史，可分三期，間或諸法兼用：唐代為煮茶，宋代為抹茶，明朝以降為泡茶。

[5] The fi rst phase is described in a detailed fashion in theChajing.According to Lu Yu30譯文引用了《茶經(jīng)》原文，語序略有調(diào)整。, tea cakes were dried by fi re and stored in paper bags while still warm to retain their fragrance. Once cooled, they were ground into3131 grind sth into將……磨成。a fi ne32fine纖細的；精細的。powder. When the water would begin to boil and‘ fi sh-eye-like’ bubbles appeared, a pinch of salt was added for fl avour.As soon as the bubbles ‘linked together as pearls in a necklace’, a ladle of water was removed from the cauldron333 cauldron大鍋；海釜。for later use. The boiling water was stirred with a pair of bamboo sticks in a circular motion, and tea powder added to the centre of the ripple. When the water reached a full boil, making the sound of ‘drumming waves’, the water ladled out earlier was returned to the cauldron to lower the temperature and stop the boiling. When a froth appeared on the surface, the tea was ladled into bowls and served.

[5]《茶經(jīng)》對唐代煮茶道有詳細描述。根據(jù)陸羽的說法，“茶餅以火炙之，既而，承熱用紙囊貯之，精華之氣無所散越，候寒末之。其沸，如魚目，微有聲，為一沸，則水合量，調(diào)之以鹽味。緣邊如涌泉連珠，為二沸，出水一瓢，以竹環(huán)激湯心，則量末當中心而下。騰波鼓浪，為三沸，有頃，勢若奔濤濺沫，以所出水止之，而育其華也。凡酌至諸碗，令沫餑均。”

[6] The Song dynasty marked a new chapter in the history of tea with the diffusion of the whipped tea method34即“點茶法”，是兩宋飲茶的主流形式，程序為炙茶、碾羅、烘盞、候湯、擊拂、烹試，其關鍵在候湯和擊拂。湯瓶置風爐上取火候湯，點茶水溫為初沸或二沸，過老過嫩皆不好。熁盞令熱，用茶匙量取茶粉入茶盞，先注湯少許，調(diào)成膏狀，然后邊注湯邊用茶筅環(huán)攪，待盞面乳沫浮起是謂茶成。點茶法曾傳播到日本、韓國、朝鮮，對日本抹茶道和高麗茶禮有較大的影響。. Whipped tea is prepared from tea cakes made from compressed35compress壓縮。tea powder, and are much fi ner than the Tang tea cakes made from leaves crushed in a mortar36mortar臼；研缽。. Song tea was prepared by re-grinding the tea cake into fi ne powder, placing the powder in a bowl, pouring boiling water into the bowl from an ewer37ewer大口水壺；水罐。, and whipping the mixture with a whisk.

[6]宋朝興抹茶之法，實開茶史新章。茶末壓縮成餅，茶餅制成抹茶，較唐時臼搗之茶餅更為精細。宋人飲茶，復碾茶餅成細末，盛入茶碗，提湯瓶以沸水注之，兼以茶筅攪擊。

[7] With the beginning of the Ming dynasty, tea cakes went out of production (with the exception of those needed for barter trade with nomadic tribes), and loose tea leaves came into use. Ming tea is brewed by pouring boiling water over leaves placed in a vessel38vessel（舊時提水用的）大口水壺。. The emergence of the steeping method brought signi fi cant changes to tea ware, such as the introduction of the tea-pot. The Qing dynasty brought no substantial changes in the process of tea-brewing, whereas the manufacture of tea ware fl ourished in this period as never before (purple clay-ware in Yixing,polychrome39polychrome彩飾的。wares400 ware制品；器皿。in Jingdezhen).

[7]明初罷造茶餅（除供茶馬互市之用外），遂開散茶之風。明人泡茶，取茶葉置一甌內(nèi)，以沸水沖之。此浸泡法行世，致茶具巨變，如茶壺之使用。清代泡茶法，變化甚微，唯茶具制造之盛，非前代能比（宜興紫砂壺、景德鎮(zhèn)彩陶）。

[8] From the point of view of manufacture, a new procedure was de-vised early in the Qing dynasty by tea manufacturers in the Wuyi district of Fujian. Instead of steaming or frying the leaves right after picking,they would allow the leaves to wilt41wilt枯萎。and partially ferment42ferment發(fā)酵。, before heating them to stop the fermentation. Tea processed in this way is known asWulong(Oolong). The manufacture ofWulongtea led to a new method of tea brewing known asgongfutea. According to this method, tea leaves are steeped in dainty43dainty精致的。teapots, and served in tiny cups, often the size of a nutshell44nutshell堅果；核桃。. ■

[8]就制茶而論，清初福建武夷山區(qū)茶販創(chuàng)一制茶新法。茶販采茶后不予蒸炒，任葉萎凋至半發(fā)酵，后焙火止酵。此法所制之茶名曰烏龍茶。烏龍茶制成后，生一泡茶新法，名曰工夫茶。根據(jù)此法，茶葉浸于雅壺內(nèi)，以小盞斟飲，盞大小常若核桃殼。 □