The China History Podcast

The tea trade transforms into an entire industry and becomes the most important traded commodity of the British East India Company. Twining's emerges onto the scene along with coffeehouse culture where tea was also to be had. Over in the American colonies, the Yanks embrace tea as much as the Brits. Milk and sugar with tea become all the rage. And when the Her Majesty's government starts hitting u...

As tea did everywhere it was introduced to, Europeans were no less enthusiastic than anyone else. It started off with the royals and aristocrats. But once prices came down and the haves and have-nots both got to enjoy it, the demand will become insatiable. The Russian tea caravans are also explored in this episode. Though their tea culture was different from the ways of the Europeans, Russian peop...

During the late 16th century, the Jesuit Fathers become the first Europeans to drink tea. Soon afterward the Portuguese and Dutch traders start poking their noses around China and Japan. They too learn of this amazing beverage and see excellent prospects in their home markets. By the early 17th century The Dutch and British East India Companies are engaging in tea commerce. Though the Chinese at f...

More Ming Dynasty tea history this time. Innovations from China's tea artisans further improved the taste and experience of tea. The famous "zisha" 紫砂 clay teapots and tea ware from Yixing 宜兴 are introduced as well as their role in the Gongfu Tea Ceremony. As the second half of the Ming Dynasty starts to wind down in the late 16th-early 17th century, the Europeans will soon be knocking on Chin...

Tea's epic story continues on the heels of the advances made in tea production and tea culture during the Song. After surviving the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Camellia sinensis experiences a sea change of improvements beginning with Ming Dynasty founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. Now tea starts to become more familiar to us after this Hongwu Emperor demands that all future tribute teas must be sent in loo...

The loving embrace of tea given by those of the Buddhist faith continues on into the Song Dynasty. Some Chan Buddhist master came up with the term "Tea and Chan Buddhism are one taste" 茶禪一味. There's also more about sad Emperor Huizong, the birth of white tea, and Japan's great Buddhist monk Myōan Eisai. We'll end this eighth installment of the history of tea with an intro to Wulong (Oolong) Te...

The once bitter brew sharing a Chinese character with the one used for a bitter vegetable is now long a thing of the past. Starting around a thousand or more years ago, royals, officials, scholars, and common people are now enjoying tea. The literati of the day (and there were quite a few) write poems and paint paintings, inspired by this beverage that has taken China by storm. We also look at one...

In the post-Lu Yu world, tea starts to take off like a rocket. It will take a little longer for tea to get the needed traction in Japan but during the Tang, Japanese get to see it and appreciate it up close. We'll also look at one of the early "Tea Persons", the poet and recluse Lu Tong, as well as one of his most famous tea poems, "Seven Bowls of Tea". Now that tea had caught on in society, peopl...

We looked at Lu Yu last time and all that he did to popularize the merits of tea in the Tang Dynasty. This time, we give a once-over to his masterpiece, The Cha Jing 茶经 or Classic of Tea . The national popularity of tea in China really catches fire after Lu Yu shows everyone how to enjoy it and enjoy life at the same time. As far as the popularity and necessity of tea in the life of people acqua...

Thank you for your patience. In this fourth installment of the history of tea, we finally make it to the immortal Tea Saint. Lu Yu 陆羽. What Elvis was to rock n' roll, Lu Yu was to the popularity of tea in Chinese society. Here we'll look at his interesting life and his work, "The Classic of Tea" 茶经. From here on out, tea 茶 is no longer tú 荼 , and neither is it bitter. Learn more about your a...

After centuries of trial and error, tea starts to transform from a bitter medicinal brew into something worthy of presenting to the emperor as tribute. Tea's development during the 326 years of the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907 AD) is introduced this time. Not only do the people of China embrace tea. Those people who surrounded China to the north and to the west also took a quick liking to this...

Tea might not have tasted so great in Shen Nong's time and for a thousand years thereafter. But progress was being made and tea's evolution starts to make some headway in China's Bronze Age that began around 2000 BC. But tea remained one bitter brew during these earliest centuries. It remained a work in progress but showed tremendous promise (as we'll see in future episodes) Learn more about your...

In this first episode, we'll explore tea's humble beginnings in the Ba 巴国 and Shu 蜀国 States in today's Sichuan province. We'll also look at the mythical story of the discovery of tea by the Divine Farmer, Shen Nong. We have a long way to go as far as tea's history is concerned. The teas we love and enjoy today, a few millennia ago in Shen Nong's time, also, still had a long way to go. Over the...

In this episode, we will conclude our CHP overview of the life of Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet. In this 3rd part of the series, we'll look at the last couple of decades of Backhouse's life. Backhouse remains in Beijing amidst all the turmoil going on during the Japanese invasion and the lead-up to WWII. In his final years, Backhouse will write a memoir that will engrave his name forever in th...

Fast on the heels of Part 1 of this CHP overview of the life of the Sinologist Sir Edmund Backhouse, we present Part 2 in this episode. We'll look at the years 1911 to 1924, the years that Backhouse committed a litany of frauds and established himself in London and Beijing as someone not to be trusted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we will begin a 3-part series covering the life of Sir Edmund Trelawny Backhouse, 2nd Baronet. He lived from 1873 to 1944, spending more than half his life in Beijing. Backhouse is best known for the various frauds he committed over the period of his life. In his last year of life, he was urged by Dr. Reinhard Hoeppli to commit the fantastical stories of his life to paper. Learn m...

I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea in 2021 to resurrect this old episode from mid-2014 that tells the story of Wong Chin Foo (王清福). His spirit is alive and well in many of today's Chinese-Americans who are standing up to anti-Asian sentiment across the country. Like Wing Chin Foo did in the 1870s and 80's, Chinese-American community leaders and citizens are not standing idly by and are fightin...

In this final installment of the history of the life and times of the emperor Huizong, we look at the series of events that followed the Jürchens' Seige of Kaifeng in 1126-1127. What followed was the Jingkang Incident, which for centuries made the Chinese bow their heads in shame. The entire Song imperial family was captured and sent north to live out the rest of their lives in the harsh lands far...

We continue in this episode examining the second decade of Huizong's reign. The good times lasted about twenty years but all good things can't go on forever. By 1120 Huizong is going to begin to see the handwriting on the wall. The years we look at today will the years Huizong later on most regrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time in Part 2 of our series we look at Huizong as he attempts to assemble his team and deal with bitter factional strife that was rampant since the Wang Anshi New Reforms. We also look at Huizong the great patron of the arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're going to begin a new series that will look at political, social, and cultural life in the late Northern Song. The second the last emperor Huizong will serve as our vehicle to examine this period in the late 11th and early 12th century China. University of Washington professor Dr. Patricia Buckley Ebrey has recently published a book entitled Emperor Huizong. I'm going to use this as one of th...

We're going to finish off the last 45 years of Morris Two-Gun Cohen's life in this extra-long episode. With Sun Yat-sen now gone, Morris Cohen worked hard to reinvent himself and remain relevant in the world of Chinese business and politics. Morris will hit some highs and lows in this episode as he tried to leverage his past association with Sun and his obvious loyalty to the KMT into an ongoing a...

Today I wanted to introduce a sort of lovable rogue who haunted the hotel lobbies of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, London, and Edmonton. Today's subject was by no means a historic figure. In fact, I don't think you can even call him a bit player. Nonetheless, Morris Abraham Cohen had a China story that deserves a telling. Today's episode will look at his early life, how he ended up in Canada, an...

In this episode, we revisit the founding of the Tang Dynasty and focus on the events leading up to, during, and right after the Incident at Xuanwu Gate. This slice of historic theater took place on July 2, 626. It resulted in the victory of Li Shimin over his two brothers. Not long afterward Li Shimin was promoted by his father to the emperorship and reigned as Tang Taizong. Learn more about your...

After a record-breaking pause in the action, Laszlo is back with one last episode to finish 2013. This time we look at the interesting and amusing history of Chinese cuisine in America, an oft-requested topic here at the China History Podcast. This is a history that goes hand-in-hand with the earliest Chinese immigration to the US. If you're interested to learn more on the subject, I strongly reco...