"Vietnamese Tea Civilization": Journey of 5,000 years of Vietnamese tea drinking culture

The book "Vietnamese Tea Civilization" is about the journey of tea drinking culture spanning over 5,000 years of Vietnamese people.

In January, the Vietnam Women's Publishing House released nationwide the book Vietnamese Tea Civilization by author Trinh Quang Dung. The 844-page book is about the journey of tea drinking culture spanning over 5,000 years of the Vietnamese people. The work consists of 4 chapters presenting the origin of Vietnamese tea and affirming that Vietnam is the origin of tea in the world with convincing arguments and documents. Chapter 1 depicts the chronicle of Vietnamese tea from valuable data, carefully selected, investigated, and exploited through many sources of information: historical data, archaeological documents, literary works, legends, genealogies and above all from witnesses and living evidence that are still present. Chapter 2 is the unique art of tea drinking with the parallel of two styles: drinking folk tea to quench thirst and the elegant and sophisticated art of enjoying scholarly tea - the royal court.

Cover of the book "Vietnamese Tea Civilization" (Photo: Vietnamese Women Publishing House).

Chapter 3 honors Vietnamese tea art and culture through the unique Vietnamese tea set with diverse forms: indigenous folk tea sets, royal tea sets. Folk tea sets are not only closely associated with the breath of the countryside but also deeply rooted in all classes: from the poor community to the wealthy and noble upper class, even the elite. Meanwhile, royal tea has a completely different direction, showing sophistication, uniqueness, high specialization and always containing the creativity, luxury and elegance of the Vietnamese aristocracy. The final chapter tells about the rich history of tea exploitation and cultivation spanning more than 5,000 years of the Vietnamese people, overcoming many storms of history. All are explored and recreated through legendary tea regions, pure and noble tea specialties that conquer people's hearts, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of global friends. The special feature of this reprint is that after more than 10 years of collecting and accumulating valuable documents and receiving positive feedback from the Vietnamese tea-loving community, the author has added many important sources of documents and evidence to clarify and confirm the history of Bach Viet tea culture. The portrait of Vietnamese tea converging from Bach Viet tea culture is gradually becoming clearer than ever. The priceless treasure of ancient Vietnamese Shan Tuyet tea has appeared throughout a stretch of the Northwest to Northeast Vietnam, reaching the Central Highlands, and even present right in the Red River Delta. This proves that Vietnam is one of the rare "cradles" of tea origin in the world. A series of evidences of Bach Viet tea culture converging on Vietnamese tea through the tea customs of the Mong, Thai, Dao, Muong, Cao Lan, Ha Nhi, San Diu people... have been collected. The evidence affirming the reputation of Man Hao Viet tea is even more convincing about the foundation of a Vietnamese tea culture with a strong identity. A series of new interesting stories about the hundred years of Truong An lotus tea, about the Long Viet tea variety that occupies the dominant position in the Cylon tea kingdom (Sri Lanka) and a true "portrait" of the charming tea regions. About Mr. Dang Van Minh, who experienced many hardships in life, but it was the Shan Tuyet tea tree that saved his life and brought him to a new life. Stories imbued with Vietnamese culture continue to paint a more magnificent, vivid and majestic panorama of the Vietnamese tea civilization . Finally, the book wishes to send to readers the message of the ancients about the effects of tea that can be summarized in the "prophecy" of the divine physician Tue Tinh: Tea can clear the mind , cool the body, drink a bowl and ten thousand worries will disappear .

Author Trinh Quang Dung was born in 1952 in Hanoi, currently a member of the Advisory Board - Vietnam Culinary Association. He graduated from Sofia University, Bulgaria in 1975 and did his postgraduate studies at the Czech-Slovak Academy of Sciences from 1986-1987. He is a scientist at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, a leading expert in solar power for UNDP-VN, a pioneer in the field of solar power since 1990, and the head of many national and international solar power projects. Trinh Quang Dung has been a spring writer on Vietnamese culture for the past 25 years for many newspapers and magazines. He has published many articles on Vietnamese culture at conferences and in the mass media./.

dantri.com.vn

Source