Tea, the oldest beverage in the history of mankind, has 5,000 years of history in China. According to a traditional story of China, tea was discovered by legendary Emperor Shen Nung, one of the three emperors of Ancient China. He was also the one who discovered fire and started agriculture in China. Considering that he was poisoned by 72 toxic herbs while tasting various plants in the mountains and fields to sort out the ones that are edible and detoxified himself with a tea leaf, we can assume that tea was used for medicinal purposes in the beginning.

Chinese tea culture was quickly spread by Buddhist monks during the Tang and Sung Dynasties as they transmitted the knowledge of producing and drinking tea along with Buddhist Scriptures. As China began transmitting Buddhism to other countries and international trading, its tea also spread to other countries in the world. At that time, Buddhist monks in China used tea to purify their bodies and meditate their minds. Every Buddhist temple had tea and various tea-making techniques and its outstanding effects were widely spread along with Buddhism.

In case of Korea, it is said that tea has been enjoyed since the time of Queen Seondeok of Shilla (632-647 B.C.E.), but tea was began to be cultivated when King Heungdeok of Shilla ordered Kim Dae Ryeom to bring tea seeds from the Tang Dynasty and plant them on Mt. Jiri in his 3rd year (828 B.C.E.). Then, it spread across the Buddhist temples on Mt. Jiri.

In Japan, it is recorded that Emperor Shomu served tea to 100 Buddhist monks in April 729 B.C.E. In 1191, Zen Priest Aisai brought tea seeds from China and planted them in Fukuoka and Hakada to publish Kikdayangsanggi.

China’s official exportation of tea began after the 17th Century. Today, Chinese tea is produced in about 50 countries worldwide and more people are demanding it as its efficacies are scientifically proven.