The taste of tea: Material, embodied knowledge and environmental history in northern Fujian, China

Mount Wuyi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Fujian, China, is renowned for its superior tea production, particularly rock tea, which has been cultivated for over 1500 years. The study reveals that the quality of tea in this region is not solely determined by environmental factors such as terrain but also by the embodied cultural knowledge and skills of specialist tea workers. This includes a unique vocabulary used to evaluate taste and fragrance. Recent efforts to establish national tea quality standards have had to reconcile commercial interests with traditional ecological and cultural practices, highlighting the significance of both human expertise and natural environment in tea appreciation.

Xiao, K. (2016). The taste of tea: Material, embodied knowledge and environmental history in northern Fujian, China. Journal of Material Culture, 22(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359183516633901