Did you know that tea played a major role in the silk trade ? First of all, it came from a plant known as the Camellia sinensis. Although this plant was developed in the Himalayan Mountains, the Chinese were the first people to discover its true use. After consuming tea as a beverage, the Buddhist monks decided to bring the cultivation of this Camellia sinensis plant over to Japan. The influence of Chinese culture quickly made popular, tea. During this time, tea was considered valuable, so it was only available to those of upper class. It considered a medical beverage. Tea wasnt always easily traded, it took for a Turkish trader to have the idea to pack the tea into a brick. From then, it was traded westward of the Mongolian border.
To begin with, Tea was highly appreciated in Chinese society. As a gesture of respect, the younger generation of children would offer their elders a cup of tea. This was also done as of means of apologizing. Since tea was meant for upper class people only, the lower class people would pour the tea, to signify the social difference. Tea brought together many people, as there were ceremonies help to honor tea. Although tea is available for any person’s
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There were many different opinions as to who was most successful in the tea trading industry back during the Silk Road. There is no solid answer, although the first major trades came out of China. The Chinese were over charging for trade on tea. They knew how valuable tea was so they took advantage of this. This is how the Opium Wars began with England's declaration that it was "ready to go to war for free trade" – or – "go to war for the right to sell cheap opium to the Chinese in exchange for tea". Unluckily for China, the English had the military strength to force their opium upon the Chinese. From there, England began to dominate in the world market tea trading. This is why people often think tea traces back to and originated from the