一片叶子的故事

传说chuán shuō四sì千qiān多年duō nián以前yǐ qián，神shén农nóng氏shì在zài尝cháng百bǎi草cǎo的de时候shí hou中zhōng了le毒dú，几jǐ片piàn叶子yè zi飘piāo进jìn他tā烧shāo水shuǐ的de锅guō里lǐ。他tā喝hē了le那nà锅guō水shuǐ，毒dú解jiě了le。那nà几jǐ片piàn叶子yè zi，就是jiù shì茶chá。

Legend says that over four thousand years ago the Divine Farmer was poisoned while tasting herbs, and a few leaves drifted into his pot of boiling water. He drank it and the poison cleared. Those leaves were tea.

传说chuán shuō只是zhǐ shì传说chuán shuō，但dàn中国人Zhōng guó rén喝hē茶chá的de历史lì shǐ，确实què shí有yǒu两liǎng千qiān多年duō nián了le。最zuì早zǎo的de茶chá不bú是shì饮料yǐn liào，是shì药yào。到dào了le唐táng朝cháo，陆lù羽yǔ写xiě了le世界shì jiè上shàng第dì一yī本běn关于guān yú茶chá的de书shū《茶chá经jīng》，从cóng那nà以后yǐ hòu，喝hē茶chá成chéng了le中国人Zhōng guó rén的de日常rì cháng。

Legend is only legend, but the Chinese have truly drunk tea for over two thousand years. At first it was medicine, not a drink. In the Tang dynasty Lu Yu wrote the world's first book on tea, the Classic of Tea, and from then on tea became daily life.

中国zhōng guó茶chá分fēn六liù大dà类lèi：绿茶lǜ chá、红茶hóng chá、乌龙茶wū lóng chá、白bái茶chá、黄huáng茶chá、黑hēi茶chá。有意思yǒu yì si的de是shì，它们tā men常常cháng cháng是shì同一tóng yī棵kē树shù上shàng长cháng出来chū lái的de叶子yè zi，只是zhǐ shì因为yīn wèi做法zuò fǎ不bù一样yí yàng，味道wèi dao就jiù完全wán quán不bù一样yí yàng了le。

Chinese tea comes in six families: green, red, oolong, white, yellow, and dark. Interestingly, they can grow from the very same tree; only the processing differs, and the taste changes completely.

绿茶lǜ chá不bù发酵fā jiào，要yào的de是shì新鲜xīn xiān。明míng前qián的de龙lóng井jǐng，是shì清明qīng míng以前yǐ qián摘zhāi下来xià lai的de嫩nèn芽yá，一yì斤jīn要yào几jǐ万wàn个gè芽yá头tóu。

Green tea is unfermented, prized for freshness. Pre-Qingming Dragon Well is picked before the festival from new buds, tens of thousands of tips to a pound.

红茶hóng chá是shì全quán发酵fā jiào的de，颜色yán sè红hóng亮liàng，味道wèi dao甜tián润rùn，很hěn早就zǎo jiù卖mài到dào国外guó wài。英语yīng yǔ里lǐ的deteatea，就是jiù shì从cóng福fú建jiàn话huà里lǐ的de茶chá来lái的de。

Red tea, what the West calls black tea, is fully fermented, bright and sweet, and was sold abroad early. The English word tea comes from the word for tea in the Fujian dialect.

乌龙茶wū lóng chá最zuì复杂fù zá，铁tiě观guàn音yīn要yào摇yáo青qīng、炒chǎo青qīng、揉róu捻niǎn、烘hōng焙bèi，一道yí dào工序gōng xù也yě不bù能néng少shǎo。功夫gōng fu茶chá的de名字míng zi，就是说jiù shì shuō喝hē茶chá要yào下功夫xià gōng fu。

Oolong is the most complex: Iron Goddess needs shaking, firing, rolling, roasting, every step essential. The name gongfu tea means tea takes effort.

在zài中国zhōng guó南方nán fāng，喝hē茶chá常常cháng cháng不bú是shì为了wèi le解渴jiě kě。广guǎng东dōng人rén喝hē早zǎo茶chá，其实qí shí是shì吃chī点心diǎn xin聊liáo天tiān；福fú建jiàn人rén、潮cháo汕shàn人rén喝hē功夫gōng fu茶chá，小xiǎo小xiǎo的de茶chá杯bēi，一yí泡pào一yí泡pào地de品pǐn，品pǐn的de是shì味道wèi dao，也yě是shì时间shí jiān。

In the south tea is rarely just for thirst. Cantonese morning tea is really dim sum and talk; Fujian and Chaozhou gongfu tea is sipped brew by brew from tiny cups, tasting the flavor and the time.

茶chá馆guǎn也yě一样yí yàng。北京běi jīng的de茶chá馆guǎn听tīng戏xì，成chéng都dōu的de茶chá馆guǎn摆bǎi龙lóng门mén阵zhèn，杭háng州zhōu的de茶chá馆guǎn对duì着zhe西xī湖hú。一yì张zhāng桌子zhuō zi，几jǐ杯bēi茶chá，一yí坐zuò一下yí xià午wǔ。

Teahouses differ too. Beijing's come with opera; Chengdu's with dragon-gate talk; Hangzhou's face West Lake. A table, a few cups, an entire afternoon.

宋sòng朝cháo的de时候shí hou，人们rén men还hái把bǎ茶chá做zuò成chéng粉fěn，打dǎ成chéng泡沫pào mò，在zài上面shàng miàn写xiě字zì画huà画huà，这zhè叫jiào点diǎn茶chá。一yì千qiān年前nián qián中国人Zhōng guó rén玩wán的de东西dōng xi，今天jīn tiān在zài日本rì běn成chéng了le茶道chá dào，在zài欧洲ōu zhōu的de咖啡kā fēi馆guǎn里lǐ变成biàn chéng了le抹mǒ茶chá拿ná铁tiě。

In the Song dynasty people ground tea to powder, whisked it to foam, and drew and wrote on the foam, called dian cha. What the Chinese played with a thousand years ago is Japan's tea ceremony today, and a matcha latte in a European cafe.

一yí片piàn从中cóng zhōng国guó山shān里lǐ来lái的de叶子yè zi，走过zǒu guò丝绸sī chóu之zhī路lù，坐zuò上shàng大dà船chuán，去qù了le全世界quán shì jiè。今天jīn tiān，它tā是shì除了chú le水shuǐ以外yǐ wài，全世界quán shì jiè喝hē得de最多zuì duō的de饮料yǐn liào。

A leaf from a Chinese mountain traveled the Silk Road and sailed the seas to the whole world. Today it is the most drunk beverage on earth after water.

唐táng朝cháo的de饮yǐn茶chá方式fāng shì和hé今天jīn tiān完全wán quán不同bù tóng：把bǎ茶叶chá yè蒸zhēng过guò、压yā成chéng饼bǐng，喝hē的de时候shí hou烤kǎo一yì烤kǎo，碾niǎn成chéng粉fěn，投tóu进jìn滚gǔn水shuǐ里lǐ煮zhǔ，还要hái yào加jiā一yì点diǎn盐yán。

Tang drinking was wholly unlike today's: leaves steamed and pressed into cakes, roasted before drinking, ground to powder, boiled in rolling water, sometimes with a pinch of salt.

宋sòng朝cháo人rén喝hē茶chá更gèng讲究jiǎng jiu：把bǎ茶chá粉fěn放fàng进jìn碗wǎn里lǐ，冲chōng进jìn滚gǔn水shuǐ，再zài用yòng竹zhú刷子shuā zi打dǎ出chū白色bái sè的de泡沫pào mò。谁shéi的de泡沫pào mò又yòu白bái又yòu久jiǔ，谁shéi就jiù赢yíng了le。这zhè叫jiào点diǎn茶chá，后来hòu lái传chuán到dào日本rì běn，成chéng了le今天jīn tiān的de抹mǒ茶道chá dào。

Song people took tea further: powder in a bowl, boiling water, then a bamboo whisk beating it to white foam; the whitest, longest-lasting foam won. Called whisked tea, it later reached Japan as the tea ceremony.

茶chá马mǎ古gǔ道dào也yě是shì因yīn茶chá而ér起qǐ。西xī藏cáng人rén天天tiān tiān吃chī肉ròu喝hē奶nǎi，需要xū yào茶chá来lái解jiě腻nì，就jiù用yòng马mǎ匹pǐ换huàn四sì川chuān、云yún南nán的de茶chá。一yí队duì队duì马mǎ帮bāng在zài雪山xuě shān之间zhī jiān，走zǒu出chū了le第dì二èr条tiáo丝绸sī chóu之zhī路lù。

The Tea Horse Road also began with tea. Tibetans, eating meat and butter daily, needed tea to cut the grease and traded horses for Sichuan and Yunnan tea; caravans made a second Silk Road through the snow mountains.

明míng朝cháo以后yǐ hòu，散sàn茶chá流行liú xíng起来qǐ lai，泡pào茶chá的de方法fāng fǎ才cái和hé今天jīn tiān差不多chà bu duō。福fú建jiàn的de铁tiě观guàn音yīn、浙zhè江jiāng的de龙lóng井jǐng、云yún南nán的de普pǔ洱ěr，每měi一yì种zhǒng名míng茶chá背后bèi hòu，都dōu有yǒu一yì方fāng水shuǐ土tǔ。

After the Ming, loose-leaf tea took over and steeping came to look like today's. Fujian's Tieguanyin, Zhejiang's Longjing, Yunnan's Pu'er, behind each famous tea stands its own soil and water.

今天jīn tiān，奶茶nǎi chá店diàn里lǐ的de年轻nián qīng人手rén shǒu里lǐ捧pěng的de也yě是shì茶chá。茶chá的de样子yàng zi一直yì zhí在zài变biàn，喝hē茶chá这zhè件jiàn事shì，在zài中国zhōng guó从来cóng lái没有méi yǒu变biàn过guò。

Today the young in milk-tea shops also hold tea. The look of tea keeps changing; the act of drinking it in China never has.

茶叶chá yè还huán改变gǎi biàn过世guò shì界jiè。十shí九jiǔ世纪shì jì，英yīng国guó人rén用yòng白bái银yín买mǎi中国zhōng guó的de茶chá，买mǎi得de太tài多duō，白bái银yín快kuài用yòng光guāng了le，就jiù用yòng鸦片yā piàn来lái换huàn。后来hòu lái的de鸦片yā piàn战争zhàn zhēng，说到底shuō dào dǐ，也yě跟gēn这zhè片piàn叶子yè zi有关yǒu guān。

Tea even changed the world. In the nineteenth century Britain bought China's tea with silver; when the silver ran low they paid in opium, and the Opium Wars that followed are bound up, at bottom, with this leaf.

有人yǒu rén说shuō，中国人Zhōng guó rén的de性格xìng gé里lǐ也yě有yǒu茶chá：看上去kàn shang qu淡dàn淡dàn的de，可是kě shì越yuè品pǐn越yuè有yǒu味道wèi dao。

Some say there is tea in the Chinese character itself: mild on the surface, but the longer you taste it, the more flavor it has.