The History of Chinese Tea: A 5,000-Year Timeline

ByDerry Liu

The history of Chinese tea spans about 5,000 years. Tea began as a medicine in the legendary Shennong era, was cultivated by the Zhou Dynasty, became the national drink in the Tang Dynasty, and turned loose-leaf in the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, all six major tea categories had formed and Chinese tea was popular around the world.

Ancient tea trees, living links to the history of Chinese tea
Ancient tea trees in Yunnan.

How did the history of Chinese tea begin?

  • 5,000 years ago (Shennong era): tea was first used as medicine. Read the legend of Shennong.
  • 3,000 years ago (Zhou Dynasty): people began to cultivate tea trees for drinking. See the first person to plant tea trees.
  • 2,300 years ago (Qin Dynasty): tea was cooked into a soup, and the earliest form of tea cake appeared.
  • 2,000 years ago (Western Han Dynasty): tea became a commercial product, and Chengdu became China’s earliest tea trading center.
  • 1,800 years ago (Eastern Han Dynasty): tea was pressed into bricks to make it easier to transport.

These are traditional views, not medical claims. Tea is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease.

When did tea become China’s national drink?

  • 1,200 years ago (Tang Dynasty): tea became the national beverage, and more and more people drank it. Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea (茶经, Chá Jīng), the first book about tea, which marked the birth of tea culture.
  • 1,000 years ago (Song Dynasty): tea-making techniques improved greatly, and the quality of water became more important than ever. Tea competitions, known as “tea fights” (斗茶, dòu chá), were the fashion.
  • 700 years ago (Yuan Dynasty): loose tea appeared alongside tea cakes, which were mainly used by the imperial court. Most ordinary people began to drink tea.
The Chinese character for tea, 茶
The character 茶 (chá) took its modern form in the Tang Dynasty.

How did Chinese tea take its modern form?

  • 600 years ago (Ming Dynasty): Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang replaced tuán chá (团茶, pressed tea) with loose tea. The crafts of dark tea, yellow tea and scented tea took shape one after another. Read about tea-loving emperors.
  • 300 years ago (Qing Dynasty): Chinese tea became popular all over the world, and the six major tea categories gradually took their final form.
Loose-leaf Longjing green tea
Loose-leaf tea, the style that took over in the Ming Dynasty.

Learn more in from eating tea to drinking tea and the six basic types of Chinese tea.

FAQ

How old is Chinese tea?

About 5,000 years, according to the Shennong legend.

Who wrote the first book about tea?

Lu Yu, author of The Classic of Tea, in the Tang Dynasty.

When did loose-leaf tea become common?

In the Ming Dynasty, after Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang replaced pressed tea with loose tea.

Taste tea history with Teawish