The history of tea - Shunan Teng

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Regina Chu

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

一整天在樹林裡 找尋可食的穀物和藥草

the weary divine farmer Shennong accidentally poisoned himself 72 times.

疲勞的神農意外讓自己中毒 72 次

But before the poisons could end his life,

在毒物可能結束他的生命之前

a leaf drifted into his mouth.

一片葉子飄進他的嘴裡

He chewed on it and it revived him,

他咀嚼後感覺好多了

and that is how we discovered tea.

這就是人類發現茶的起源

Or so an ancient legend goes at least.

至少古老傳說是這樣來的

Tea doesn't actually cure poisonings,

其實茶不能解毒

but the story of Shennong,

但是神農的故事

the mythical Chinese inventor of agriculture,

這位中國神話中的農業創史人

highlights tea's importance to ancient China.

點明了茶在古老中國的重要性

Archaeological evidence suggests tea was first cultivated there

考古學證據顯示茶最早在中國種植

as early as 6,000 years ago,

已經是 6,000 年前的事了

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

比法老建古夫金字塔 還要早 1,500 年

That original Chinese tea plant

原本的中國茶樹

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

和現在世界上各地種植的是同一種

yet it was originally consumed very differently.

然而起初是用非常不同的方式取用

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

以前茶被當成蔬菜食用 或是和穀物一起煮成粥

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

茶從食物變飲品是在 1,500 年前

when people realized that a combination of heat and moisture

當時大家發現熱氣和水氣結合

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

可以從翠綠茶葉中 提煉出豐富多變的味道

After hundreds of years of variations to the preparation method,

經過數百年製茶方式的變化

the standard became to heat tea,

標準程序變成加熱茶葉

pack it into portable cakes,

包裝成可攜帶的餅狀

grind it into powder,

磨成粉狀

mix with hot water,

和熱水混合

and create a beverage called muo cha, or matcha.

製成的飲料稱為末茶

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

由於末茶變得很受歡迎 中國茶文化因而興起

Tea was the subject of books and poetry,

茶是書籍和詩歌的主題

the favorite drink of emperors,

是皇帝最愛的飲料

and a medium for artists.

也是藝術家的媒材

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

他們會用茶畫出不可思議的圖案

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

很像現在咖啡廳裡 會看到的咖啡拉花藝術

In the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty,

在九世紀唐朝時期

a Japanese monk brought the first tea plant to Japan.

一位日本僧人首次將茶樹帶到日本

The Japanese eventually developed their own unique rituals around tea,

後來日本人發展出 自己獨特的飲茶儀式

leading to the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony.

創造出日本茶道

And in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty,

十四世紀在明朝時期

the Chinese emperor shifted the standard

中國皇帝改變了標準

from tea pressed into cakes to loose leaf tea.

將茶餅變換成鬆散茶葉

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

當時中國在實質上 還是獨佔世界上的茶樹

making tea one of three essential Chinese export goods,

讓茶成為中國三大基本出口貨物

along with porcelain and silk.

連同瓷器和絲綢

This gave China a great deal of power and economic influence

茶帶給中國 很強大的權力和經濟影響力

as tea drinking spread around the world.

同時飲茶也傳遍世界各地

That spread began in earnest around the early 1600s

飲茶普及 大約是在 17 世紀早期

when Dutch traders brought tea to Europe in large quantities.

荷蘭商人大量帶茶到歐洲

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

很多人歸功於布拉甘薩的凱薩琳皇后 這位葡萄牙的顯赫女性

for making tea popular with the English aristocracy

讓茶在英國貴族間風行

when she married King Charles II in 1661.

就在 1661 年 她嫁給國王查爾基二世時期

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

當時大英帝國正在擴張殖民地

and becoming the new dominant world power.

成為握有世界主導權的新角色

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

在大英帝國成長之際 飲茶興趣傳遍世界

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

到了 1700 年 歐洲賣的茶比咖啡貴上十倍

and the plant was still only grown in China.

而茶樹還是只種在中國

The tea trade was so lucrative

因為賣茶十分有利可圖

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

世界最快的帆船「飛剪船」

was born out of intense competition between Western trading companies.

就是在西方商船強烈競爭之下誕生

All were racing to bring their tea back to Europe first

所有船隻都想搶先帶茶回歐洲

to maximize their profits.

為了得到最大的利潤

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

一開始，英國都用銀 來支付中國茶錢

When that proved too expensive,

直到真的太貴了

they suggested trading tea for another substance, opium.

他們提議用另一種財貨鴉片來換茶

This triggered a public health problem within China

此舉造成中國廣泛的健康問題

as people became addicted to the drug.

因為大家都染上了毒癮

Then in 1839, a Chinese official ordered his men

到了 1839 年 一位中國官員命令人民

to destroy massive British shipments of opium

催毀大量的英國鴉片

as a statement against Britain's influence over China.

做為宣示抵抗 英國對中國的影響

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

這個舉動造成兩國之間 第一次鴉片戰爭

Fighting raged up and down the Chinese coast until 1842

戰火南北延燒中國海岸 直到 1842 年

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

戰敗的清朝將香港割讓給英國

and resumed trading on unfavorable terms.

並以不平等條約繼續交易

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

戰爭削弱了中國在世界的聲望 超過一世紀之久

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

英國東印度公司也希望能自己種茶

and further control the market.

進而控制市場

So they commissioned botanist Robert Fortune

所以他們任命植物學家福鈞

to steal tea from China in a covert operation.

在一次秘密行動中從中國偷茶

He disguised himself and took a perilous journey

他喬裝打扮、趟上險途

through China's mountainous tea regions,

在中國綿延的山區

eventually smuggling tea trees and experienced tea workers

走私茶樹和資深茶農

into Darjeeling, India.

到印度大吉嶺

From there, the plant spread further still,

從那裡開始，這種植物愈傳愈遠

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

茶葉快速成為日常生活所需之一

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

時至今日，世界飲品量中 茶位居第二，僅次於水

and from sugary Turkish Rize tea,

從甜的土耳其紅茶

to salty Tibetan butter tea,

到鹹的西藏酥油茶

there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage

備茶的方式幾乎就和

as there are cultures on the globe.

世界的文化種類一樣多元