Not available to order
Publication date:
12 November 2015Length of book:
172 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442251793
This distinctive and enlightening book explores the invention and development of tea drinking in China, using tea culture to explore the profound question of how Chinese have traditionally expressed individuality. Western stereotypes portray a culture that values conformity and denigrates the individual, but Bret Hinsch convincingly explodes this facile myth. He argues that although Chinese embrace a communitarian ethos and assume that the individual can only thrive within a healthy community, they have also long respected people with unique traits and superior achievements. Hinsch traces how emperors, scholars, poets, and merchants all used tea connoisseurship to publicly demonstrate superior discernment, gaining admiration by displaying individuality. Acknowledging central differences with Western norms, Hinsch shows how personal distinction nevertheless constitutes an important aspect of Chinese society. By linking tea to individualism, his deeply researched book makes an original and influential contribution to the history of Chinese culture.
Bret Hinsch’s delightfully written book is a very welcome addition to the literature on tea. Using largely Chinese sources, Dr. Hinsch finds that tea was associated with individuality and connoisseurship in imperial China. He focuses on the Tang and Song dynasties, when tea became popular and became a topic for conversation, meditation, and luxury. This is a highly original book with new and exciting ideas about the history of tea in China.