潮州工夫茶の成立に関する考察

Chaozhou Kungfu tea practice is a tea tasting practice and tradition popular in the Yuedong region (East of Guangdong Province), with Chaozhou as its center. This paper studies the origin and development of Chaozhou Kungfu tea from the perspectives of tea production and tea tasting. Dating back to the 18th century, Oolong tea came into being in the Wuyi Mountain area in Fujian Province and was introduced to Chaozhou by tea merchants. It became prevalent there during the reign of Emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing along with its tasting practice. In the 19th century,the Chaozhou Kungfu tea practice took shape by integrating Fujian Oolong tea practice into a local one. In the early 20th century, Oolong tea production was localized and matured in the Fenghuang Mountain area in Chaozhou. Since the middle and late 20th century, Fenghuang Dancong tea, a local Oolong tea variant, has mostly been used for Chaozhou Kungfu tea instead of the Wuyi tea. In summary, the creation of Chaozhou Kungfu tea practice was heavily influenced by the Fujian tea culture, in which the Chaozhou tea merchants also played an essential role.