Tea did not really come to the fore until the Song Dynasty. The status of tea before this is largely mythical (Did the fiery emperor 神農 really discover the benefits of tea? Does the word tú è�¼ in the 3rd century BC dictionary, the Erya 爾牙, really refer to tea?). The rise of Buddhism was one of the reasons tea edged out wine as the preferred drink of the Chinese. Tea promotes alertness, whereas alcohol impairs judgement.One of the most famous poems written about tea is that by the Song Dynasty poet, Du Lei æ�œè€’:
寒夜客來茶當酒
竹�湯沸��紅
尋常一樣窗�月
�有梅花便��
A cold night, I serve tea to my guest instead of wine.
Water boils on a bamboo stove and the fire brightens to red.
The moon shines as usual through my window,
And it is only the plum blossoms that make the scene different.
I have seen the first line of that poem prominently displayed in two tea shops in Singapore. Neither of them reproduce the original poem, but instead present variations. The version in the photograph is displayed in the Wang Sanyang 王三陽 shop in VivoCity, Singapore. This version is titled "Happiness 陶然" and there is a play on the word táo 陶, which also means "pottery":
客來茶當酒
å¸åœ°è©±é–‘情
æ¡è¨€å¾—所憩
陶然共忘機
A guest comes and I serve him tea instead of wine.
We sit on the floor and talk idly.
Our merry chat is restful.
Happily, we both forget the occasion.
Wang Sanyang have two branches: one in Chinatown and another at VivoCity. Their main factory is in Johor, in Batu Pahat, where the packaging occurs. The tea is nicely packaged and of average quality. I have never been disappointed by tea I have bought from them, but have never been overly pleased either.
Website: http://www.wsytm.com
Wang San Yang Tea Merchant
Block 531, Upper Cross Street
#01-61, Hong Lim Complex
Singapore 050531
Tel: +65 6532 2707
Wang San Yang Tea Pavilion
1 HarbourFront Walk
#02-139, VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6376 9208