Study on tea drinking customs of Mongolian people in China

<p>　　The name of Mongolian milk tea is widely known, however, the systematic introduction and analysis of Mongolian milk tea is very few.</p><p>　　This paper analyzes and studies the composition of modern Mongolian tea and the origin of Mongolian tea drinking history through the field investigation of Mongolian tea drinking culture, combined with the historical materials of tea poems in Tang and Song Dynasties. This paper is mainly composed of the following two parts:</p><p>　　I. About the composition of Mongolian tea.</p><p>　　Through field investigation, this paper points out the shortcomings of previous classification according to “the name of ingredients added to tea soup”, puts forward the concept of classification based on “the number of times ingredient is added” for the first time, and divides Mongolian tea into five categories, making it possible to grasp the composition of Mongolian tea system from a macro perspective.</p><p>　　II. About the origin and development of Mongolian tea drinking history.</p><p>　　By comparing the results of field investigation with those recorded in historical literature, this paper negates the claim that “Mongolian tea drinking habit originates from Tibet”, and draws the following three conclusions.</p><p>　　(1) Before and after the founding of the Mongolian Empire in 1206, the Mongolians had already been exposed to the tea-drinking culture, and in the process of gradual southward invasion, they accepted the “milk tea with diversified additives” as a northern tea custom.</p><p>　　(2) The book Principles of Correct Diet written by Hu Sihui (Yuan Dynasty) in the 14^th century records a variety of addictive teas with dairy products as the main ingredients, such as “fried tea”, “Langao tea”, “Yumo tea” (prepared with fried rice and Zisun tea) and “Suqian tea”, indicating that the culture of milk tea had developed and popularized in Mongolia to a certain extent.</p><p>　　(3) In the second half of the 16^th century, with the spread of Tibetan Lamaism in the Mongolian region, tea drinking by monks led to the drinking of tea among the people, which promoted the wide spread and popularization of milk tea among the people.</p><p>　　In the end, this paper also points out that the development process of Mongolian tea culture is exactly the same as the process of “the spread and popularization of tea culture among Han nationality in the Yellow River basin”.</p>