Ming And Qing Jiangxi Tea Industry

Tea cultivation has a long history in china. As an important part of the Chinese traditional culture, the tea culture has an extensive and profound heritage. It went through a period of flourishing development in Ming and Qing Dynasties, when more than sixty books on tea had been written, thus enriching the tea culture. On the other hand, significant changes in fields such as tea cultivation, style of tea drinking and tea trade had pushed forward the transition and escalation of tea industry in China.Jiangxi Province has long been an important region of tea-producing in China since the ancient times. Tea could be found in every "Fu"(county) of this region. Though the quality of the tea varies, there is no lack of famous ones such as the Mt. Lushan Yunwu Tea, Ninghong Congou, Ningzhou Shuangjing Tea. At that time, Jiujiang and Hekou Town,one of the Four Famous Towns in Jiangxi, were convenient in transportation, which provided advantages to push the tea trade in Jiangxi Province ahead into the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the south-east coastal areas. However, far too little attention has been paid to the spatial distribution and main varieties of tea in Jiangxi area at the period of Ming and Qing Dynasty, and more importantly, the function of tea duty in the tax system; therefore a systematic analysis of the development of tea commercial,and the social life of tea peasant and tea culture in the Ming and Qing dynasties are still necessary.This paper is divided into five parts, the main contents are as follows:The first part is introduction, including the reason of choosing this topic, research review, research methods, research framework and innovative points.Chapter one seeks to demonstrate the physical geographic environment of the growing environment of tea, describe the advantages of Jiangxi in producing tea,based on the local chorography of Ming and Qing dynasties, analyze the regional distribution of tea and main varieties produced by this area. And distinguish the regional tea distribution and tea varieties in detail.The second chapter will discuss the relationship between tea and the society and economy of Jiangxi Province in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The discussion will include the following aspects:the Tea Law and tea policies and their enforcement in Jiangxi Province in Ming and Qing Dynasties; the levying of tribute tea and tea taxation; the establishment of management organizations on tea; tea trade etc.In Chapter three, writer focuses on two aspects,which are the Jiangxi tea play in the change of economic structure in that period, and tea economy play in the change of social and cultural. Besides,writer is also analysis the function of Jiangxi tea industry in the local, the time and historical position.The epilogue summarize the development of the tea industry in Jiangxi Province in Ming and Qing Dynasties and the significant influences the tea industry economy had on Jiangxi Province. On the other side, writer is trying to analyze the restricting factors of the development of Jiangxi tea industry in Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as the "native" do not good at make tea, do not form a scale of tea garden, the traffic is not convenient, and the government strictly controlled tea.etc.In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tea industry in Jiangxi was of great importance with its economic, political, social and cultural functions. As a kind of cash crops, tea has played a unique and significant role in both economy and people’s livelihood. It has not only stimulated the growth of the economy and brought security to the life of the tea planters, but also pushed forward the development of other industries including porcelain manufacturing. With the popularity of tea drinking, tea is no longer limited to a kind of plant, but has become an important media of people’s life, communication and propagation of traditional customs.