A Study of Tea Culture in Tang Dynasty

• Main Authors: Chi-Kuang Fu, 傅及光
• Other Authors: Li-xin Li
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/40013380287636345550

碩士 === 逢甲大學 === 中國文學所 === 94 === The tea culture in Tang dynasty, it popularizes with the popularity of tea products and the accumulated experiences of drinking tea. The book,The Classic of Tea , which was written by Lu.Yu plays an important role in promoting this trend. It influences people including the Emperor to common people to drink tea. This thesis aims at investigating tea culture in Tang dynasty. It comprises several issues: (1) research about the revealing of making tea as it was stated in The Classic of Tea, (2) the way people drink tea, (3) important tea policies in Tang dynasty, (4) teas products and the tea utensils that were produced in Tang dynasty but been found nowadays in Fa Men Monastery, (5) an exploration of poetry, articles, writings, paintings about tea culture in Tang dynasty. These issues reflect the diversity of tea culture in Tang dynasty. The whole thesis is organized in the following chapters: Chapter1 starts by presenting an introduction of the research, followed by justifying research motivations, contents of literature review, referring to experiences and thoughts of an on-the-spot investigation to Fa Men Monastery, and the research methodology is stated. Chapter 2 focuses on discussing the methods and habits of making and drinking tea, with a review of the names of famous tea which were stated in Tang literature. Chapter 3 discusses the tea policies in Tang dynasty regarding the official establishment of Chinese tea policies. The tea policies reflect the influences due to the economical prosperity about tea products on politics in Tang dynasty. Chapter 4 discusses the tea culture and art in Tang dynasty and focuses on tea utensils, tea paintings, tea inscriptions and tea epigraph that all revealing the tea culture. Chapters 5 analyzes tea poetry, tea writings and important tea books. Issues such as the methods and processes of growing tea trees, making, and preparing cups of tea, and the experiences of tasting water; all of these provide enormous topics for wiring up tea poetry and tea articles. Moreover, it records the empirical experiences of drinking tea in literature. Regardless of the value in literature, all these works about tea provide substantial evidences of fine tea-drinking culture in Tang Dynasty. Chapter 6 is the conclusion of the thesis. As the tea culture gained its popularity in the middle of Tang dynasty. While the elegant tasty as drinking tea is affirmed, drinking tea becomes a necessary part of living life in Chinese society. Its contents and forms of art influence the Chinese tea art in a profound way.