| With the development of the market economy during the Tang and Song dynasties,tea became an increasingly important commodity,and tea consumption became an important part of people’s daily consumption.From the royalty down to the peddler,tea became a universal drink.The article examines this traditional topic,unlike previous scholarship that has focused on the changes in tea politics and tea law through the use of formal historical materials,but takes poetry and notebook fiction as the main source of material,and takes tea consumption as the object of study,applying the principles and perspectives of communication studies to examine the subjects,modes,places and influences of tea consumption during the Tang and Song dynasties,and thus explores the trajectory of change in tea consumption from the Tang to the Song dynasties.The article discusses this issue from four perspectives.Chapter one focuses on the division of the main tea consumers in the Tang and Song periods and explores their respective tea consumption.According to the different social classes and tea drinking purposes,the main consumers can be divided into five categories: royalty,literati,common people,ethnic minorities and monks and Taoists.Among them,the imperial nobility through the tribute tea system to master a large number of high-quality tea,giving tea to ministers and generals,monks and common people is more common.The literati and scholars love to drink tea and are very sophisticated,frequent tea activities,the quality of the tea they consume is closely linked to their status and rank,with a clear hierarchy of characteristics.The common people,ethnic minorities and monks were more interested in the practical effects of tea,such as refreshing and relieving sleep,removing grease and helping digestion,etc.Their low level of consumption but high demand drove the development of tea production and promoted the improvement of tea production technology.Chapter two explores the diverse ways in which tea was consumed during the Tang and Song dynasties.Drinking was the main mode of consumption,with sencha prevalent in the Tang Dynasty and tea ordering promoted in the Song Dynasty.Tea was cooked with salt,pepper,ginger,cinnamon and other condiments during the Tang Dynasty,and the use of salt and ginger declined during the Song Dynasty,although a few regions still retained this custom.There are differences between the north and the south,with the south being more elaborate in its tea drinking methods and more praised by the people.In addition,the consumption of tea as an ingredient in tea porridge and as a cure for illness was also more common.Chapter three is a study of the places where tea was consumed during the Tang and Song dynasties.During the Tang and Song dynasties,tea houses were the main places where tea was consumed,supplemented by tea stalls,floating shops and tea bottles as mobile tea shops,the halls and courtyards of homes were the places where tea was consumed on a daily basis,and temples would regularly hold tea soup parties.In addition,there are poetic records of tea being served in the Taoist temple,and the literati and scholars loved to drink tea in the famous mountains and rivers.The diversity of places where tea was consumed during the Tang and Song dynasties reflects the importance people attached to tea drinking and the development of a tea drinking culture during this period.Chapters four and five explore the important factors that influenced tea consumption during the Tang and Song dynasties.Firstly,the large number and variety of tea books in the Tang and Song dynasties.In the process of writing and disseminating tea books,the bureaucrats popularized the knowledge related to tea drinking,expanded the tea drinking culture,and to a large extent drove the consumption of tea in the period.Secondly,the Tang and Song dynasties tea advertising in various forms,colorful,is a product of the development of tea consumption,while meeting the development needs of tea consumption.Once again,Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism due to the many benefits of tea and the growing importance of tea drinking,contributing to the rise of the wind of tea drinking,promoting the circulation and consumption of tea.Finally,tea as an addictive consumer goods,in the Tang and Song dynasties by all classes of love,and even reached the same important status as rice and salt,become one of the necessities of life. |
