- 2700 BC – The earliest record of human use of tea is found in the “Shennong Bencaojing” (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica).
- 52 BC – The earliest record of artificial tea planting.
- 220 AD – The earliest record of “substituting tea for wine” at the dinner table.
- 618 AD – Tea drinking was introduced to Silla (now Korea).
- 805 AD – The Japanese monk Saicho brought tea seeds back to Japan and planted them on Mount Hiei, the earliest record of tea seeds being brought to Japan.
- 828 AD – The earliest record of tea seeds being brought to Korea.
- 976 AD – Emperor Taizong of Song established an official tea kiln in Jian’an, specializing in the production of Beiyuan tribute tea, which led to significant development of dragon and phoenix pellet tea.
- 1391 AD – In the 24th year of the Hongwu era, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang decreed the abolition of pellet tea and the promotion of leaf tea. Since then, tribute tea changed from pellet tea to bud tea (loose tea).
- 1610 AD – The Dutch transported tea from Macau to Java and began exporting tea (green tea) to Europe.
- 1689 AD – Fujian Xiamen exported 150 piculs of tea to the United Kingdom, marking the beginning of direct tea trade between mainland China and the UK.
- 1773 AD – The British authorities’ imposition of tea tax on the American colonies triggered the “Boston Tea Party,” which became the spark for the American War of Independence.
- 1835 AD – The Indian Scientific Society voted 2:1 in favor of transplanting Chinese tea trees, selecting the Himalayan region of Assam as the main tea-producing area.
- 1861 AD – A Russian merchant established the first brick tea processing factory in Hankou, Hubei.
- 1905 AD – China sent its first delegation to India and Sri Lanka to study the tea industry.
- 1915 AD – At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Chinese teas won multiple awards, enhancing their international reputation.
- 1949 AD – The Central Trade Department established the China National Tea Corporation, bringing tea under national procurement and sales management.
- 1955 AD – China held its first selection of the 10 great teas.
- 1960 AD – China began producing black tea crush tear curl (BCT), promoting the development of the tea industry.
- 1963 AD – “Jingu Gongcha,” the oldest recorded Pu-erh tea, was discovered in the Forbidden City.
- 1964 AD – A team of experts successfully bred the finest Da Hong Pao clones identical to the original mother plant.
- 1987 AD – The National Tea Quality Supervision and Testing Center was established in Hangzhou.
Chronological history of tea
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