Chapter 261 Tea, Wang Chen and Guo Xiu who want to do big things
While everyone was enjoying tea in the pavilion to escape the summer heat, Guo Xiu, who was as bored as a gourd, also interjected: "Old miraculous doctor Hua once said that taking bitter tea for a long time will be good for you. It's really not bad!"
There are records of Zhao Feiyan giving tea in the Western Han Dynasty, which shows that tea has gradually become popular among the nobles. During the Western Han Dynasty, Hunan had "Tuling County" named after tea, which means "the so-called tea is born in the valley."
This not only shows that tea was already produced in Hunan and other places during the Western Han Dynasty, but also shows that tea began to receive special attention, especially its medicinal value.
With the development of tea production and the popularization of tea drinking, tea science has flourished, and the feedback from the rise of tea science has made tea production move forward faster.
At that time, Sichuan women were selling tea in the market. On the day Wang Shen and others were escorted into the city, they saw many Sichuan women selling tea on both sides of a lively market. This shows that tea has developed among the people. Later, it has formed the trend of "immersed in customs at all times, flourishing in the country... and regarded as a drink like a house".
Tea gradually spread all over the land of China, from the north and south of the Yangtze River, to the east and west of the Qinling Mountains. The practice of drinking tea and eating tea spread throughout all ethnic groups in China, from princes to common people. One cannot live without tea for a day.
Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. For thousands of years, tea has been positioned among the seven indispensable elements of people's lives.
Tea tree, also known as tea tree, tea tree, tea tree, tea tree, is a shrub or small tree of the genus Camellia in the family Theaceae. It has many similarities in plant morphological characteristics with the well-known ornamental plants such as camellia and camellia sasanqua. Although the plant is not tall, it has a dense appearance, green leaves, and smooth and hairless twigs, making it highly recognizable.
It is recorded in ancient books: "One foot, two feet or even dozens of feet; if there are two people hugging each other in the Bashan gorge, they will be cut down and beaten."
Its trees are like melons and reeds, their leaves are like gardenias, their flowers are like white roses, they are like palm trees, their stems are like cloves, and their roots are like walnuts.
The name may be derived from grass, wood, or a combination of grass and wood. The first name is tea, the second is 槚, the third is 芋, the fourth is 茗, and the fifth is 荈...”
Judging from the distribution of natural resources of tea trees, they are widely distributed in the mountainous areas of the provinces south of the Yangtze River in China. They can grow well in rocks, gravel and soil; however, the quality of tea produced in different growing environments is still very different. .
As recorded in the book: "The upper part grows rotten rocks, the middle part grows gravel soil, and the lower part grows loess." This means that tea grown on rock cliffs has the best quality; tea grown in gravel is better than tea grown in gravel. , the quality is second best; the worst is the tea grown in loess.
As the saying goes: "High mountains produce good tea." In fact, many famous teas in my country are indeed related to high mountains.
First of all, the temperature in the mountains is relatively low, the tea trees have a long growth period, more nutrients are accumulated, the tea leaves are rich in ingredients, and the tea leaves are of better quality;
Secondly, due to the large temperature difference between day and night in high mountains, the photosynthetic products accumulated by tea trees during the day are less consumed at night, thus increasing the accumulation of nutrients in the tea trees;
Third, the high mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, with abundant rainfall and high air humidity, which promotes the growth and development of tea trees and improves the quality of tea leaves.
However, it does not mean that "the higher the mountain, the better the quality of tea." The altitude is too high and the temperature on the mountain is too low, which is not conducive to the growth of tea trees.
High mountains can easily produce good tea, but not only high mountains can produce good tea. Just like the good tea of Soochow, it grows in the plains and hills.
Westerners learned about tea very late. It was not until the 17th century that they learned about the magic of Chinese tea from the Arabs.
The Dutch transported Chinese tea to Europe for the first time. This drink quickly aroused people's interest there, and the custom of drinking tea developed rapidly in the West.
Soon, Britain became a tea-drinking country. Later, the British brought tea to the United States, Canada and other British colonies, and it truly became popular all over the world.
It was originally a leaf. When it first met humans, it was used as a detoxifying medicine.
It is this small leaf that has extended a long chain of industries in the long history of "clothing and feeding thousands of households and nourishing the world".
It was made into tea bricks and carefully sealed, then put on the back of a camel. Together with porcelain and silk, it entered Europe and the world, spreading Chinese civilization.
Whether it is used as an important industry and export commodity, or enters the palace and becomes a fashionable drink, or is carried on horseback to the east, west, north and south, becoming the drink of life for nomads.
The wonder of this leaf is that it can be kept away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and it can also be planted on a large scale to benefit mankind;
It can be a happy life and enter the palace of culture, or it can be a low-income person and become part of the market culture;
It can be used to drink alone to cultivate the character of "purity, honesty, beauty, tranquility, frugality, and cleanliness". It can also be used to entertain and respect guests, enhance friendship, and promote harmony.
Tea trees in the world can be divided into three major groups, all of which originate from southwest my country.
The Chinese tea tree population has small plants, about several meters high, and is highly cold-resistant. It can grow in countries with distinct four seasons and can withstand frost.
The leaves of the Chinese tea tree species are dark green, small and narrow, with serrated edges, upright and upward, smooth surface, thick and crisp texture, and are suitable for processing into green tea and oolong tea.
Most of the tea trees spread from my country to planted around the world belong to the Chinese tea tree population. It can be said that China is the true ancestor of tea.
Wang Chen smacked his lips and said: "Although this tea is not the best in Sichuan, it only grows in sandy soil, but because it grows on high mountains, there are many mountains in Sichuan, and it is a spring tea picked this spring, it will be the best."
The quality of the tea has improved a bit and is actually above average.”
Chen Guangqin said with a smile: "Brother Chu Dao deserves to be a member of a wealthy family. You will know the quality of this tea as soon as you drink it. I just don't know why this tea cannot be rated as top grade?"
Wang Chen said calmly: "Brother Guangqin, thank you very much. This is just a little preference of mine, not worth mentioning. If the tea in Sichuan is to be truly top-quality,
It has to be the kind that grows on the cliffs of high mountains and has been tempered by wind, frost, snow and rain before it can be truly top-grade. Just like in life, you have to go through more hardships before you can achieve a great career.
Just like I was captured a few days ago, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the good days I have been waiting for are coming soon, and maybe I can do great things in the Shu Han court in the future."
Chu Lei put down his tea bowl and clasped his fists and said, "Brother Chu Dao used tea as a metaphor for life. It's really wonderful. Although we are surrendered ministers, we can still do something in a new place. General Wei is our role model." ."
Wang Chen and Chen Guangqin both nodded in agreement, but Guo Xiu was thinking about what Wang Chen said just now about doing something big in the court of Shu. But what kind of "big thing" it was, only Guo Xiu could tell. Only those who cultivate themselves will know,
At this time, outside the post house, Jiang Wei also came to the door of the post house with a group of personal guards. When everyone got off their horses, some post people came forward to take their horses to the stables and put them in place...