2025 Lunar New Year Talk: "History of Tea"
- Public Event
Tea, discovered in China at ~2700 B.C. as herbal medicine, is now a popular drink worldwide. The Tang Dynasty (7th - 10th century) was the turning point for tea to become a daily drink instead of medicine; hence it started tea ceremonies among the royal courts, temples, and intellectuals. Numerous poets and art pieces from ancient China are associated with tea. The tea culture evolved from dynasty to dynasty, leading to more and more varieties that we see today.
Caltech alumna Wen Chen (Ph.D. 00) has been a scientific curator for Caltech's WormBase project since 2000. Besides her scientific career, she likes to explore ancient Chinese art and history. She cherishes her heritage by bridging Eastern and Western communities through public speaking. Accessing literature in a country without censorship and internet blockage is a blessing to her annotation and sharing of this knowledge as her unique service to the community.
Tea and Asian pastries will be served at 3:45 pm at Chen 130. This event is free and open to the public.