In ancient times, the recipe for making tea was known only in China. Rumors about tea spread throughout the world, reaching the wise and the ignorant, and everyone tried to learn as much as possible about it in accordance with how they imagined it.
King Inja (which means “here”) sent an embassy to China, which received some tea from the Chinese emperor for its ruler. But, seeing that even ordinary Chinese peasants were drinking tea, Inj's envoys decided not to bring such a crude drink to their king; Moreover, they were convinced that the Chinese emperor had deceived them and, instead of a heavenly drink, had slipped them some kind of rubbish.
Meanwhile, the greatest philosopher from Anj (which means “there”) collected all the information he could about tea and came to the conclusion that it was a certain substance that actually existed, but was rare and belonged to the order of things little known. For nothing definite could be said about it: is it grass or water, is it green or black, bitter or sweet?
In the countries of Kashish and Bebinev, people have been testing all the herbs they came across for centuries. Many herbs turned out to be poisonous, which greatly disappointed their researchers. And since no one brought tea bush seeds to their lands, all their searches were in vain. They also tried all kinds of liquids, but with the same success.
On the territory of Mazhab (“sectarianism”), during the performance of religious rites, a procession of priests in front of a crowd of believers carried a small stall filled with tea. But it never occurred to anyone to make a drink from it. They didn't even know how to do it. Everyone was convinced that tea itself had magical properties. A wise man once said:
- You ignoramuses! Fill it with boiling water!
But he was immediately captured and crucified, because according to their belief, such actions could destroy the properties of the tea. Only a notorious heretic and enemy of religion could give such advice. Shortly before his death, a wise man revealed the secret of making tea to a small circle of people. These people managed to save some tea, and they secretly prepared and drank it. One person, finding them drinking tea, asked:
- What are you doing?
They answered him:
- This is a medicine that we use to treat one disease.
So, some saw the tea bushes, but did not pay any attention to them. Others were offered to try it, but they refused, believing that it was a drink for ordinary people. Still others owned tea, but instead of drinking it, they worshiped it. Outside of China, only a few people drank tea, and then only in strict secrecy. But then a man of knowledge came and said to the tea merchants, tea lovers and others:
“The one who has experienced it knows.” Those who haven’t experienced it don’t know. Instead of making empty speeches about the heavenly drink, offer it to people at your feasts. Those who like the tea will ask for more. Those who do not like him will demonstrate that they are not worthy to become his admirers. Close the shops of eloquence and mystery and open the teahouses of experience.
So, from city to city, from village to village, caravans with tea flowed along the Silk Road. Merchants, no matter what they traded - jade, precious stones or silk - when stopping to rest, prepared tea, if they knew how, and offered it to the local residents, whether they knew about it or not. This is how teahouses appeared, which were built all the way from Beijing to Bukhara and Samarkand. And those who tried it found out.
At first, as always happens, only great and insightful thinkers who had long been looking for a heavenly drink became interested in tea. Previously, their attitude towards tea was reduced to such stereotypical phrases: “But this is an ordinary dried herb” or “Why are you boiling water, stranger? After all, I ask you for a heavenly drink.” And some of them said: “How can I know what this is? Prove that this is tea. And the color of your liquid is not golden, but brownish-yellow.” But when the truth threw off the veil of secrecy and tea became available to everyone who wanted to try it, the roles of people changed, and those who now spoke like these sages found themselves in the fool. This situation continues to this day.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru