TED-ED: The history of Tea - Shunan Teng

The video explores the history of tea, starting with the legend of Shennong in ancient China. It details tea's evolution from a food to a drink, the development of Chinese tea culture, and its spread to Japan and Europe. The economic impact of tea, including the Opium Wars and tea smuggling to India, is discussed. Finally, it highlights the diverse ways tea is consumed globally today.

According to legend, how did Shennong discover tea?

• By observing animals eating it

• By mixing it with grain porridge

• By accidentally chewing a leaf

• By boiling leaves in water

What change did the Chinese emperor make to tea during the Ming Dynasty?

• Introduced tea bags

• Shifted from loose leaf to tea cakes

• Shifted from tea cakes to loose leaf

• Banned tea consumption

Who is credited with popularizing tea in England?

• Queen Anne

• Queen Catherine of Braganza

• Queen Elizabeth I

• Queen Victoria

What was the British solution when paying for Chinese tea with silver became too costly?

• Trading tea for spices

• Growing their own tea

• Trading tea for opium

• Trading tea for gold

What was the outcome of Robert Fortune's mission for the British East India Company?

• He failed to acquire any tea plants

• He successfully smuggled tea plants to India

• He was captured by Chinese authorities

• He introduced tea to Africa