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https://www.wun.ac.uk/sites/default/files/21-10-10_sigley_-_cultural_heritage_tourism_and_the_ancient_tea_horse.ppt.

I found this PPT and it was made by Dr Gary Sigley from the University of Western Australia. Above is the link of the powerpoint

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WildChina Journey: The Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road

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WildChina Journey: The Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road

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WildChina Journey: The Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road with Jeff Fuchs (version 2)

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Retrace part of the Ancient Tea & Horse Caravan Road, a legendary trade route, with WildChina expert and famed explorer Jeff Fuchs, the first westerner to have ever traveled the entire 3,100-mile trail. Traveling from Yunnan's subtropical south to the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in the north, we sample teas at their origin and study the Road's impact on ethnic minority villagers.

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Video on history of tea

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·The “Tea and Horse Caravan Road” of Southwest China is also known as the famous Silk Road which was highly dangerous.

·The Tibetan people had been in close communication with the Tang and the various ethnic groups of southwest China for a long time; so it is very likely that the tea of Sichuan and Yunnan had already reached Tibet.

·Yunnan tea was introduced into Tibet during that time (7th-9th centuries CE)

·Of the total annual output of tea in Sichuan, 30,000,000 Jin or 15,000,000 kilograms, at least half was sold to

·Tea was most popular during the Ming dynasty.

·The quality of the horses offered to the court by the Tibetans as “tribute” determined the quality of the tea.

·Huge amounts of tea were sent to Tibet during the Qing dynasty

·In 1661, the fifth Dalai Lama asked the Qing court to set up a large market for the tea and horse trade in Beisheng (presentYunnan), and his request was approved by the central court.

·With the defeat of Japan, the bottom instantly dropped out of the Tibet trade, and the merchants who had yet undelivered stocks were devastated. The overland route never recovered.

·While modernization undermined this historic route’s commercial significance, the Tea and Horse Caravan Road is now attracting attention due to the growth of tourism in southwest China.

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1. It was invented by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 BC when a dried leaf from a camellia plant dropped into his cup of boiling water

2. Tea showed some importance when scholar Lu Yu published his studies on tea in the Tang dynasty

3. A Song Dynasty emperor helped to spread tea consumption by drinking tea often

4. This drew tea-growers to China

5. Tea drinking became more simplified and flavourful between the Yuan and Qing Dynasties

6. Tea was exposed to Europe in the 1600s, then England in 1669

7. Tea was very expensive in Britain. However the tea market grew and Britain started to import more tea

8. Tea became Britain’s most important trade item from China

9. Today, many types of teas are produced from many countries. China is a main producer of tea, and tea is China's national drink

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Types of Tea in China

1. Green Tea

-Freshly picked leaves only go through heating and drying processes, but do not undergo fermentation

-Enables the leaves to keep their original green color and retain most natural substances

-Produced all over China and is the most popular category of tea

2. Red Tea/Black Tea

-Tea leaves are fully fermented giving them to have a strong flavor and dark color

- Flavor is longer lasting and it has the highest concentration of caffeine

-Most popular form of tea in south Asia and Europe.

3. Oolong Tea

-Tea leaves are partially fermented, imparting to them the characteristics of both Green and Black tea

- Taste is more similar to green tea than black tea, but has less a "grassy" taste than green tea

- Three major Oolong-tea producing areas are on the southeast coast of China e.g. Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.

4. Puer Tea

-Tea leaves have undergone years of fermentation, giving them an unique earthy flavor.

-Variety of tea is usually compressed into different shapes like bricks, discs and bowls

5.Scented Tea

-Various mixtures of flowers with green tea, black tea or oolong tea. Flowers used include jasmine(most popular in scented tea), gardenia, magnolia, grapefruit flower, sweet-scented osmanthus and rose.

-Strict rules about the proportion of flowers to tea