Cha (Tea)

Tea has been an important part of the Chinese diet for thousands of years. Researchers have found that the tea plant originated in Yunnan Province in Southwest China near the border with Burma. Myth has it that the legendary Emperor Shennong (2737 B.C.) was boiling water to drink when a gust of wind dropped some leaves into his cooking pot. Out of curiosity he drank the accidental brew and was pleased. Another myth concerning the origin of tea claims that the Zen monk Bodhidharma cut his eyelids off to keep from falling asleep during meditation. His eyelids took root and became tea plants. This story is probably just a dramatized way of stating that drinking tea can aid in maintaining alertness while meditating. Chinese medicine has long used tea as a stimulant. During the T'ang Dynasty bricks of tea (pictured above) were used as currency, particularly in places far from major cities where money was of little to no use. We enjoyed sampling different teas at this 'Cha dian' (tea shop) and left with a very fine oolong tea called 'Tie Guan Yin,' which is translated as 'the Iron Goddess of Mercy.'