Abstract:
Over the course of recent history, tea, its processing methods, its brewing techniques, and its culture have ebbed and flowed between the nations of Southeast Asia, weaving in and out of major historical events and leaving the world with a muddled picture of what authenticity means, what the art of tea truly is, and what tea culture’s true origins are. This thesis attempts to attribute phenomena in the modern-day Mainland Chinese tea industry with different cultural influences and events that occurred in the past. The two biggest influences in the contemporary resurgence in Chinese tea culture are the following: 1) the Taiwanese economic reforms, their subsequent tea industry advancements, and their direct investment in Mainland China 2) and the history of the Maoist Era and the Reform and Opening Up that proceeded under Deng Xiaoping. Through these historical influences, the modern-day tea industry in Mainland China has been able to become a national industry, rather than remaining largely a regional one. Certain tea industry trends like the famous Puer tea, the elaborate Gongfu tea brewing method, tea education, and teahouses were able to develop and flourish all across Mainland China, changing and molding the tea industry in significant ways. This thesis explores these trends, tying each of them back to the historical influences mentioned above.
