Evolution of Chinese Ancient Tea Technology and Its Transfer to British India

Abstract

From recorded history, tea has emerged as a refreshing drink for humans. Tea-producing technology has developed through various dynasties in China. The Silk Road trade and maritime silk route exported tea to destinations in the east, west, south, and southeast Asian counties and African and southern European ports. When the thirst for tea increased in the western countries and their colonies, Europeans began tea trading in the 17th century by establishing the East India Companies. British East India is one of the European traders to exchange silver with China for buying tea. However, Britain found it a costlier trade for them to pursue for a long time. Thus, it found an alternative in the land of the Assam region in northeast India. Tea seeds and farmers were initially brought from China to establish the tea industry. It has also planted teas in other areas of India and tested the possibility of tea production using ancient tea cultivation knowledge from China. Therefore, the British successfully transferred ancient knowledge and tea manufacturing technologies from China to establish the tea industry in India. The paper will analyze the evolution of ancient tea manufacturing knowledge of China and inquire how Britain transferred it along with the tea seeds and farmers for establishing and developing the tea industry in British India.