Since being stuck at home, I’ve been drinking an excessive amount of tea. Somewhere around my hundredth cup of the day, I started thinking about how strange it was that such a warm, friendly drink could be the center of so many global conflicts. Tea-related violence persists throughout history, with the most modern manifestation being on plantations. From Japanese feudalism to millennial slang, tea carries a history of drama and aggression.
When you think of tea, you’re bound to think of the British. Tea is a hallmark of British respectability. Yet anything so heavily tied to class and patriotism inadvertently comes with its negativities. Just think of ‘Great Expectations’, where Pip’s poor tea manners condemn him to his lower-class origin. Or Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’, where associations between genteel society and the bowels of Hell shows repressive domestic convention as only another form of hellish torture.
Great Expectations: ‘Do you take tea or coffee Mr Gargery?’
Aside from being a domestic staple, tea relates to the dominance of British imperialism. Tea was both an import to colonies (as a way to assert British-ness) and a motivator for the development of trade routes. At its worst, British demand for tea resulted in the Opium Wars, devastating battles with huge social and economic fallout for China. Tea became a symbol for British control (famously rebelled against in the Boston Tea Party, which was as much about rebuking a symbol of British patriotism as it was about taxes/representation).
Yet the revolutions associated with tea aren’t all bad. Tea had its role in prompting the industrial revolution, both through its stimulatory properties and the disease-killing process of boiling water. If you believe Fulford and Chrystal, it even gave Victorian women a safe place to develop political agency. The use of tea by women and the working-class transformed the beverage from elitist signifier to symbol of common betterment.
Japanese tea house
Tea also reflects the movement and relationships of people. Early on, this manifested in the Silk Road. Though initially built for trade, it facilitated the exchange of cultural and religious ideas. More recently, even something as simple as tea’s popularity reflects much larger political situations. Pre-WWII, American tea preferences were split evenly between green and black. This statistic drastically changed once the war cut trade between the US and China, leaving Americans with only Indian-produced black tea. Culturally, tea defines much of who we are. In Japan, tea ceremonies remain relevant. In the US, fast-food culture and the rejection of British identity resulted in a preference for sweet iced tea.
As tea is a cornerstone of many cultures, it’s no wonder that it’s led to conflicts. Yet looking at what tea means to us, it’s ultimately a legacy of harmony and connection. Tea origin stories almost always embody Taoist ideas of peace (or more accurately, non-action) over violence. Ancient Chinese scholars used teahouses as forums for discussion, a place where both politics and class were left at the door. Even in Britain, as imperialist as tea became, it’s still a beverage rooted in family and little moments of mindfulness.
If our love of tea stems from a desire for interpersonal connection, why do we so often let it lead into drama? It’s not a question I have an answer to, but one I find worth thinking about, hopefully over a nice cup of tea.
(If anyone is interested in the history of tea or wants links to extra articles just let me know! I’ve already linked to a few within the text, which should appear as a slightly darker font)
I loved this post! I too am drinking a cup of tea whilst I write this comment. Though I had never even thought about the tea related violence/ problems throughout history. The fact that Ancient Chinese scholars used teahouses as a place of discussion rather than politics in class, I think is still very relevant to today. I know nowadays when most people have tea its because they want to relax and unwind from a busy day or just to have a few moments to themselves. I think that it is because of this that tea often leads to drama. It’s amazing how a cup of tea can solve so many problems yet has caused so many at the same time. Tea was also originally used for medicinal purposes which might be why people tend to feel better after a cup of tea. Maybe that’s why it often lead to drama? Because of the importance of how it makes us feel? The point you made about how tea gave Victorian women a safe place to develop political agency was especially important, one that I would be interested in reading more about.
This post is so insightful! Past the American Declaration of Independence (introduced to me by Judy Moody), I hadn’t thought about the prevalence of tea in conflict. In my household, we drink a lot of tea, and while reading your post, I was also sipping my cuppa. What I found particularly interesting was the argument that tea was perhaps involved in Victorian women developingf political agency. I’m reminded of times when I have been involved in functions or conferences, and the morning or afternoon tea break has provided a time for greater connection and creating friendships with others there also. Tea becomes a part of the process of familiarising oneself with an environment and community, hence why it astounds me that it’s also so steeped in conflict (see what I did there?).
For myself, I once heard that peppermint tea was useful for brain stimulation while studying, and so it has become my go-to, especially in lockdown. In the way that tea is globally appreciated, I wonder if different types of tea affect emotions that could possibly lead to crisis or greater harmony? Whether or not, I reckon we definitely do need more positive, community-fostering tea times, letting this drink bring us closer as societies, not drive us apart.
Beautiful read. So glad that someone has discussed the importance of tea in history. I’ve always found it so crazy how Britain was literally so petty that they got China addicted to opium because they wanted to smuggle tea for themselves.
If we really think hard about it, so much of Asia would be vastly different without the opium wars. The opium wars solidified India’s position as a part of the British Empire as it was a route to smuggle, and China struggled for years and years with opium addiction right up until the 1950s which could be attributed to the opium wars. Leading from this, you could even argue that Mao Zedong was able to take charge over China because of their history with tea wars.
Tea is still incredibly important today – I’ve been drinking tea all the time during this lockdown and there are so many cultures that incorporate tea into rituals, meals, and so forth.
As you touched on as well! It’s also super wild how ‘the tea’ is a phrase that came from the LGBTQ+ community and is now widely used. In short, tea is such an important part of history and I honestly and truly think the world would be ENTIRELY different if tea just did not exist.