Learning About Tea? My Recommended Books and Videos

1. Videos

1. "Tea: The Story of a Leaf"

It is a documentary exploring world tea culture directed by Wang Chongxiao. The documentary "Tea" is divided into six parts, each 50 minutes long, presenting the story of tea from perspectives such as types, history, dissemination, and production. The themes of the six episodes are "The Warmth of Land and Hands," "The End of the Road," "The Matter of Boiling Water and Brewing Tea," "Time Stops for Tea," "Hometown, Other Places," and "A Bowl of Tea Soup Reveals Human Feelings." It follows the tea leaves nurtured by the land, to people's relentless search for tea, to savoring the fragrance of brewed tea leaves.

1. "Tea World China"

Tea originates from the ancient East and is China's national drink, serving as the most iconic cultural symbol. The production team of "Tea World China" spent three years traveling 300,000 kilometers to trace the pulse of Chinese tea and seek the way of craftsmanship. For the first time, the team deeply visited the most representative origin regions of Chinese tea, traveled both domestically and internationally, filmed nearly a hundred tea practitioners, interpreted tea from a new perspective, sought the most authentic taste of tea, clarified the origins of tea, and showcased China's cultural confidence.

1. "The Tea Road"

This documentary was broadcast on CCTV Documentary Channel. The Tea Road was a trade route primarily dealing in tea, witnessing the commercial exchanges between Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty and Peter the Great of Russia. It tells the story of how the rulers of China and Russia, with different cultural backgrounds, each harbored their own intentions, and how this important trade route developed after its opening, as well as the historical fates of China and Russia hidden within the tea trade. Three experiencers were selected from China, Russia, and Mongolia to participate and, from their perspectives, visit the ruins and relics of the Tea Road, explore the forms of tea trade, and learn about stories and folk customs related to tea, leading viewers to retrace this tea journey.

1. "Simon Reeve's Tea Journey"

This documentary was broadcast on CCTV and tells the story of Simon, an adventurer and journalist.

1. "Fate with Tea"

Under the guidance of the China Tea Marketing Association and the China Tea Science Society, this large-scale documentary was produced by Hong Kong Health TV. The documentary was inscribed by Zhang Tianfu, a 103-year-old tea master, aiming to sort out the entire tea industry and seek to discover and showcase the best tea in the world. Starting from the "fate with tea," it blends emotion with tea, explores ancient tea affairs, and allows ordinary viewers to learn about various tea categories, tea brands, tea ceremonies, and diverse tea-drinking customs.

1. "Victoria's Tea with the Queen"

Although China is the world's largest tea producer, when it comes to tea addiction, the British are unmatched. This documentary humorously explains the love-hate relationship between the British and tea, often making you laugh out loud while appreciating the long and profound tea culture.

1. "The Ancient Tea Horse Road"

The Ancient Tea Horse Road was an international commercial trade channel in southwestern China, primarily using horse caravans as transportation. It served as a corridor for economic and cultural exchanges among ethnic groups in southwestern China. It is a very special regional term and a tourist route with the most spectacular natural scenery and the most mysterious culture in the world, containing inexhaustible cultural heritage.

1. "AnHui Tea V"

A tea culture documentary filmed by BTV, specifically about famous teas from Anhui. It consists of two episodes, respectively introducing Huangshan Maofeng, Lu'an Guapian, Taiping Houkui, and Keemun black tea, detailing their shapes, colors, liquor colors, effects, and production processes.

1. "Wuyi Mountain Tea Culture"

This documentary tells about the culture of Dahongpao and Wuyi rock tea in Wuyi Mountain, from "Asking Tea in Wuyi" to "The Road of Ten Thousand Miles of Tea," leading us into the tea culture of Wuyi Mountain in all aspects and showcasing the elegance of Dahongpao, the noble symbol of Wuyi rock tea.

1. Cultural Books

1. "The Tea War"

It is a book published by Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press in 2012, authored by Zhou Chonglin and Tai Junlin.