The History of Tea in China 2016: Creating a Tea Aesthetic in Tang Dynasty Poetry

Presented at the 2016 International Colloquium ""The History of Tea in China"" at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, scholar James Benn explores how Tang dynasty poets helped shape the cultural and spiritual values we now associate with tea—natural, healthful, meditative, and refined.

As tea drinking spread across China during the 7th and 8th centuries, a wave of poetic expression emerged. This talk examines how poets, literati, and Buddhist monks used tea as a medium to express connoisseurship, aesthetics, and deeper philosophical themes, building a tea culture that still resonates today.