The history of tea - Shunan Teng

Translator: Lilis Suryani Mohamad Sarbian Reviewer: Shamsiah Ismail

During a long day spent roaming the forest in search of edible grains and herbs,

Sepanjang hari menjelajah hutan mencari bijirin dan herba yang boleh dimakan,

the weary divine farmer Shennong accidentally poisoned himself 72 times.

Shennong, petani agung yang kepenatan, tanpa sengaja meracun dirinya 72 kali.

But before the poisons could end his life,

Tetapi sebelum racun meragut nyawanya,

a leaf drifted into his mouth.

sehelai daun melayang ke dalam mulutnya.

He chewed on it and it revived him,

Dia mengunyah daun itu dan kembali segar,

and that is how we discovered tea.

dan begitulah kita menemui teh.

Or so an ancient legend goes at least.

Atau sekurang-kurangnya begitulah lagenda purbakala.

Tea doesn't actually cure poisonings,

Teh tidak menyembuhkan keracunan,

but the story of Shennong,

tetapi kisah Shennong,

the mythical Chinese inventor of agriculture,

pencipta pertanian dalam mitos China,

highlights tea's importance to ancient China.

menekankan kepentingan teh dalam tamadun China purba.

Archaeological evidence suggests tea was first cultivated there

Bukti arkeologi menunjukkan teh mula ditanam di sana

as early as 6,000 years ago,

seawal 6,000 tahun yang lalu,

or 1,500 years before the pharaohs built the Great Pyramids of Giza.

atau 1,500 tahun sebelum Firaun membina Piramid Besar Giza.

That original Chinese tea plant

Pokok teh China yang asal itu

is the same type that's grown around the world today,

ialah jenis yang sama yang tumbuh di seluruh dunia hari ini,

yet it was originally consumed very differently.

namun pada asalnya dinikmati dengan cara yang berbeza.

It was eaten as a vegetable or cooked with grain porridge.

Ia dimakan sebagai sayuran atau dimasak dengan bubur bijirin.

Tea only shifted from food to drink 1,500 years ago

Teh hanya beralih daripada makanan kepada minuman 1,500 tahun yang lalu

when people realized that a combination of heat and moisture

apabila manusia menyedari bahawa gabungan haba dan kelembapan

could create a complex and varied taste out of the leafy green.

dapat mencipta rasa yang kompleks dan pelbagai daripada daun hijau itu.

After hundreds of years of variations to the preparation method,

Selepas ratusan tahun perubahan dalam kaedah penyediaan,

the standard became to heat tea,

memanaskan teh menjadi kebiasaan,

pack it into portable cakes,

dipadatkan menjadi bentuk kek,

grind it into powder,

dikisar menjadi serbuk,

mix with hot water,

dicampur dengan air panas,

and create a beverage called muo cha, or matcha.

dan lahirlah minuman dipanggil muo cha atau matcha.

Matcha became so popular that a distinct Chinese tea culture emerged.

Matcha menjadi sangat popular sehinggakan budaya teh China muncul.

Tea was the subject of books and poetry,

Teh menjadi subjek buku dan puisi,

the favorite drink of emperors,

minuman kegemaran para maharaja,

and a medium for artists.

dan medium seni untuk artis.

They would draw extravagant pictures in the foam of the tea,

Mereka akan melakar lukisan indah menggunakan buih teh,

very much like the espresso art you might see in coffee shops today.

mirip seni espresso yang mungkin anda lihat di kafe hari ini.

In the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty,

Pada abad ke-9 semasa Dinasti Tang,

a Japanese monk brought the first tea plant to Japan.

seorang sami Jepun membawa pokok teh yang pertama ke Jepun.

The Japanese eventually developed their own unique rituals around tea,

Orang Jepun akhirnya mengembangkan ritual unik tersendiri berkisarkan teh,

leading to the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony.

membawa kepada penciptaan upacara minum teh Jepun.

And in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty,

Dan pada abad ke-14 semasa Dinasti Ming,

the Chinese emperor shifted the standard

Maharaja China menukar kebiasaan

from tea pressed into cakes to loose leaf tea.

daripada teh dipadatkan menjadi bentuk kek kepada helaian daun teh.

At that point, China still held a virtual monopoly on the world's tea trees,

Pada ketika itu, China masih memegang monopoli mutlak bagi pokok teh dunia,

making tea one of three essential Chinese export goods,

menjadikan teh salah satu daripada tiga barangan eksport China yang penting,

along with porcelain and silk.

di samping porselin dan sutera.

This gave China a great deal of power and economic influence

Ini memberi China kuasa besar dan pengaruh kuat dalam ekonomi

as tea drinking spread around the world.

apabila budaya minum teh tersebar ke seluruh dunia.

That spread began in earnest around the early 1600s

Penyebaran itu bermula dengan meluas sekitar awal 1600-an

when Dutch traders brought tea to Europe in large quantities.

apabila pedagang Belanda membawa teh ke Eropah dalam kuantiti yang banyak.

Many credit Queen Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese noble woman,

Ramai mengatakan Ratu Catherine dari Braganza, seorang bangsawan Portugis,

for making tea popular with the English aristocracy

telah memasyhurkan teh dalam kalangan aristokrat Inggeris

when she married King Charles II in 1661.

selepas perkahwinannya dengan Raja Charles II pada tahun 1661.

At the time, Great Britain was in the midst of expanding its colonial influence

Pada masa itu, Britain sedang giat meluaskan pengaruh kolonialnya

and becoming the new dominant world power.

dan mula menjadi kuasa dunia dominan yang baharu.

And as Great Britain grew, interest in tea spread around the world.

Seiring perkembangan Britain, minat terhadap teh tersebar ke seluruh dunia.

By 1700, tea in Europe sold for ten times the price of coffee

Menjelang tahun 1700, teh di Eropah dijual sepuluh kali ganda berbanding harga kopi

and the plant was still only grown in China.

dan pokok teh pada masa itu masih hanya ditanam di China.

The tea trade was so lucrative

Perdagangan teh sangat untung

that the world's fastest sailboat, the clipper ship,

sehingga kapal layar terpantas di dunia, kapal kliper,

was born out of intense competition between Western trading companies.

tercipta hasil daripada persaingan sengit antara syarikat perdagangan Barat.

All were racing to bring their tea back to Europe first

Semua berlumba membawa pulang teh ke Eropah dahulu

to maximize their profits.

untuk memaksimumkan keuntungan mereka.

At first, Britain paid for all this Chinese tea with silver.

Pada mulanya, Britain membayar kesemua teh China ini dengan perak.

When that proved too expensive,

Apabila ia jadi terlalu mahal,

they suggested trading tea for another substance, opium.

mereka mencadangkan menukar teh dengan bahan lain, iaitu candu.

This triggered a public health problem within China

Ini mencetuskan masalah kesihatan awam di China

as people became addicted to the drug.

apabila rakyatnya menjadi ketagih dadah.

Then in 1839, a Chinese official ordered his men

Pada tahun 1839, seorang pegawai China mengarahkan tenteranya

to destroy massive British shipments of opium

untuk memusnahkan penghantaran besar candu British

as a statement against Britain's influence over China.

sebagai tanda bantahan terhadap pengaruh Britain ke atas China.

This act triggered the First Opium War between the two nations.

Tindakan ini mencetuskan Perang Candu Pertama antara dua negara.

Fighting raged up and down the Chinese coast until 1842

Pertempuran berlaku di sepanjang pesisiran China hingga tahun 1842

when the defeated Qing Dynasty ceded the port of Hong Kong to the British

apabila Dinasti Qing yang kalah serah pelabuhan Hong Kong kepada British

and resumed trading on unfavorable terms.

dan menyambung perdagangan dengan syarat berat sebelah.

The war weakened China's global standing for over a century.

Perang itu melemahkan kedudukan global China selama lebih satu abad.

The British East India company also wanted to be able to grow tea themselves

Syarikat Hindia Timur British juga mahu menanam teh sendiri

and further control the market.

dan mengukuhkan penguasaan pasaran.

So they commissioned botanist Robert Fortune

Jadi mereka melantik ahli botani Robert Fortune

to steal tea from China in a covert operation.

untuk mencuri teh daripada China dalam satu operasi rahsia.

He disguised himself and took a perilous journey

Dia menyamar dan menempuh perjalanan berbahaya

through China's mountainous tea regions,

merentas kawasan pergunungan teh di China,

eventually smuggling tea trees and experienced tea workers

akhirnya menyeludup pokok teh dan pekerja teh berpengalaman

into Darjeeling, India.

ke Darjeeling, India.

From there, the plant spread further still,

Dari situ, tanaman teh tersebar dengan meluas,

helping drive tea's rapid growth as an everyday commodity.

membantu memacu pertumbuhan pesat teh sebagai komoditi harian.

Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water,

Hari ini, teh ialah minuman kedua terbanyak diminum di dunia selepas air,

and from sugary Turkish Rize tea,

daripada teh Rize Turki yang manis,

to salty Tibetan butter tea,

hingga teh mentega Tibet yang masin,

there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage

terdapat banyak cara menyediakan minuman ini

as there are cultures on the globe.

sama seperti banyaknya budaya di dunia.