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~ 200 BC : Earliest Physical Evidence
Tea was discovered in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han in Xi'an in 2016, indicating that tea from the genus Camellia was drunk by Han dynasty emperors
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618 ~ 907 AD : Wider Popularity During Tang Dynasty
Prior to the mid-8th century, tea drinking was primarily a southern Chinese practice. It didn’t become widely popular until the Tang dynasty, when it also spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
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~ 1500s : Introduction to Europe
Tea was first introduced to Western priests and merchants in China during the16th century. The earliest European reference to tea came from the writing of a Venetian in 1545.
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~ 1800s : Introduction to India
Chinese small-leaf-type tea was brought to India in 1836 by the British. In 1841, seeds of Chinese tea from the Kumaun region were brought to Darjeeling, and Darjeeling tea began to be produced in 1856.
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Modern-Day
Tea is now enjoyed by those all over the world, with China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and many other countries having their own tea culture and variations on the preparation of the drink.