TEA CULTURE IN ENGLAND: PAST AND PRESENT

Currently, tea consumption in the UK is the highest in the world per capita. The English sip 165 million cups of tea daily according to the UK Tea Council. Their fondness for this aromatic brew began about three hundred years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. This dissertation aims to explain the growth of popularity of tea in England and its roles in the society of London over the years. The objectives of the research is to find out how tea, from a luxury goods that only the rich could afford, became the national favorite drink as well as to clarify the differences in the way people in England, between upper and lower classes, practiced tea customs years ago and whether these differences still exist until today. The research employs qualitative data analysis such as content analysis and visual analysis. Content analysis is mainly applied in the paper, for most of sources are written documents. On the other hand, visual analysis is used when studying tea paintings, which reflect the attitude of English painters towards tea culture at that time. Originating as an index of fashion and modernity, tea passed with remarkable speed from the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy and powerful to use by all classes. There may be several reasons explaining the surprising growth of tea in England, such as duty reduction, diversion of importation and recognition of tea’s medicinal values. Even though the English today may have the same attitude towards tea, in the past, tea to each class in the society had different meanings. Tea customs as well as English tea drinking habits have significant changes in their symbolic meanings, especially between different classes.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI University of Languages and international Studies FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION nguyÔn hång NGäC TEA CULTURE IN ENGLAND: PAST AND PRESENT submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts (TEFL) Ha Noi, May 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI University of Languages and international Studies FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION nguyÔn hång NGäC TEA CULTURE IN ENGLAND: PAST AND PRESENT submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts (TEFL) supervisor: NGUYÔN DIÖU HåNG, ma. Ha Noi, May 2014 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyễn Hồng Ngọc, QH2010.F1.E13, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper. Signature Nguyễn Hồng Ngọc Date: April 30 th, 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of people without whom this paper might not have been completed, and to whom I am greatly indebted. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those whose encouragement and guidelines have made tremendous contribution to the success of my study. First and foremost, I have to thank my research supervisor, Ms. Nguyễn Diệu Hồng. Without her valuable advice and constant encouragement in every step throughout the process, this thesis would have never been accomplished. Words could not convey enough my appreciation for her support and understanding over the past seven months. Furthermore, I am truly grateful to Mr. Đỗ Quốc Minh, Ms. Giang Thùy Dương and Ms. Nguyễn Thúy Hạnh for their help in data collection and proofreading process. I am also fortunate enough to receive mental support from Ms. Đặng Minh Trang, Ms. Vũ Liên Hương and many others from class QH2010.F1.E13 throughout the difficult time conducting this research. Most importantly, none of this could have happened without my family. They have been kind and supportive to me during my undergraduate years. This dissertation stands as a testament to their unconditional love and encouragement, to which I am wholeheartedly appreciative. Finally, I would honestly thank my readers for their interests and criticism on the study. 4 ABSTRACT Currently, tea consumption in the UK is the highest in the world per capita. The English sip 165 million cups of tea daily according to the UK Tea Council. Their fondness for this aromatic brew began about three hundred years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. This dissertation aims to explain the growth of popularity of tea in England and its roles in the society of London over the years. The objectives of the research is to find out how tea, from a luxury goods that only the rich could afford, became the national favorite drink as well as to clarify the differences in the way people in England, between upper and lower classes, practiced tea customs years ago and whether these differences still exist until today. The research employs qualitative data analysis such as content analysis and visual analysis. Content analysis is mainly applied in the paper, for most of sources are written documents. On the other hand, visual analysis is used when studying tea paintings, which reflect the attitude of English painters towards tea culture at that time. Originating as an index of fashion and modernity, tea passed with remarkable speed from the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy and powerful to use by all classes. There may be several reasons explaining the surprising growth of tea in England, such as duty reduction, diversion of importation and recognition of tea’s medicinal values. Even though the English today may have the same attitude towards tea, in the past, tea to each class in the society had different meanings. Tea customs as well as English tea drinking habits have significant changes in their symbolic meanings, especially between different classes. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENT iii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 1 1.2. Aims and objectives of the study 3 1.3. Significance of the study 3 1.4. Scope of the study 3 1.5. Organization 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1. A brief history and classification of tea 6 2.2. Brief overview of tea cultures around the world 10 2.3. The social classes existing in England now and then 11 2.4. East India Company – The rise and fall of the most powerful commercial organization 13 6 2.5. Review on previous studies related to the research subject 14 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 17 3.1. Data collection method 17 3.2. Data analysis method 18 CHAPTER 4: TEA – FROM A LUXURY TO A NECESSITY 22 4.1. The spreading popularity of tea in England 22 4.2. Main factors contributing to the popularity of tea in England 32 4.2.1. Decrease in tax, increase in consumption 33 4.2.2. A change in the sources of tea importation 34 4.2.3. Growing recognition of tea’s medicinal values 36 CHAPTER 5: TEA CUSTOMS AND TEA’S ROLES TO DIFFERENT CLASSES 39 5.1. Tea customs in England 39 5.1.1. Afternoon Tea and High Tea 39 5.1.2. Tea Dances 46 5.2. Roles of tea to different classes 47 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 54 6.1. Summary of findings 54 6.2. Limitations of the research 55 7 6.3. Suggestions for further study 56 REFERENCES 57 8 LIST OF TABLES Names of tables Page Table 1. Tea importation by the Company into England in 1700s (Martin,p.18) 26 Table 2. An account, showing the gross quantity of tea, including private- trade, prize, neutral property, etc. annually imported into England, put up to sale, sold and refused from 1784 to 1823 (Martin, 1832) 27 Table 3. Tea Consumption in the UK, 1919 – 38 (lb/head/year) (Mitchell & Deane, 1962) 28 Table 4. Sources of UK tea supplies, 1866 – 1903 (Burnett, 1999, p.61) 35 Table 5. Differences between Afternoon Tea and High Tea 42 9 LIST OF FIGURES Names of figures Page Figure 1. Step model of deductive category application (Mayring 2000) 19 Figure 2. An English family at tea (Joseph Van Aken, 1720) 25 Figure 3. A group of women workers at the British Oil Cake Company, Manchester, World War I 29 Figure 4. All night workers of the Rescue Squads welcome tea in the morning. Life in London during the Blitz of World War II in 1939-40 (Rodger, 1940) 30 Figure 5. The Distressed Poet (William Hogarth, 1741) 31 Figure 6. Sending a boiler to a tea factory, Ceylon 35 Figure 7. Afternoon Tea (George Goodwin Kilburne, 1839 – 1924) 43 Figure 8. Living off the Fat of the Land (Thomas Unwins, 1782 – 1857) 44 Figure 9. Bettys cafe tea room, York, England 45 Figure 10. Kettledrum in Knightsbridge (1871) 48 Figure 11. The Graphic (1892) 49 Figure 12. Interior of a London Coffee House in 1668 (c. 1700) 50 Figure 13. Eventide: A Scene at the Westminster Union (1878) 51 Figure 14. Willow Workers in Somerset (c.1900) 52 10 [...]... 2013, p.17) Tea then became well integrated into both Chinese and Japanese culture It was no longer an exclusive drink, reserved only for royalty and the wealthy “Ordinary citizens gathered in teahouses to enjoy tea, tea snacks, and the company of friends Special cups and pots for tea were created, marking the beginning of teaware” (Beverly Dubrin, p.13) Much later, tea was introduced into Europe when... cultures, so that later on in the study, it is possible to compare and contrast between English tea culture and others Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia online, has defined tea culture as “the way tea is made and consumed, by the way the people interact with tea, and by the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking, it includes aspects of: tea production, tea brewing, tea arts and ceremony, society, history,... METHODOLOGY This section presents an overview of methods and sources used in the study The researcher gathers relevant data from specific documents and database, in order to analyze the materials and gain a proper understanding of tea culture in England The study is hoped to shed light on explaining how tea became nationally popular in England and what the tea- drinking customs are from past to present 3.1 Data... Luxury: Tea in Victorian England (Julie, E Fromer, 2008), Tea: The Drink that Changed the World (Laura C Martin, 27 2007) and many other ones that contain information about tea in England Different magazines, such as Tea a Magazine (Issue Number 63, 2010) and Appetite the British Issue (June 2012), provide fundamental information and comparison of tea in England as well as in other countries The UK Tea. .. history of tea, there is a lack of comparison between the past and present as well as tea nowadays There are some other books that mention tea in England in passing, such as Tea: The Drink that Changed the World (Martin, 2007) and The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide (Mary Lou Heiss & Robert J Heiss, 2011), but these books only bring up the origin of English tea or how tea journeyed... the past and present The findings from this study are hoped to contribute to the existing database of English tea culture in particular Unlike the previous studies which focus on listing historical events related to tea in England, this paper focuses on the cultural context The readers might also be able to see a comparison of tea drinking customs among social classes in England and the meanings behind... discovered tea during a mission to China in 1560 However, thanks to the Dutch rather than the Portuguese, tea trade became a big business there “As early as 1610, Chinese tea was being shipped to Holland By the mid-1600s, it was being shipped to the American Dutch colony, New Amsterdam” (Beverly Dubrin, p.14) 17 The meeting of England and tea, which led to The United Kingdom being the 2nd biggest tea- drinker... black tea is favored by a great number of Englishmen, although recently there has been some growth in the consumption of herbal and green teas Some say they like green tea but it is a little bit too bitter The trend in tea drinking habits of 19 people in England is discussed later in Chapter 4, both in the past and at the present time 2.2 Brief overview of tea cultures around the world The term tea culture ... tea journeyed to England Some food and drink magazines also have their special issues on tea in England One of them is Appetite the British Issue (June 2012) featured a story narrated Stephen Twining, 10th generation of the famous English tea family Another magazine about tea in England is Tea a Magazine (Autumn 25 2010) in which the authors experience themselves in tea rooms in London to give readers... Company into England in 1700s (Martin,p.18) Starting from the beginning of the century, while the use of tea in Europe and America decreased, its consumption in England went up by ten million pounds In the period of one hundred years from 1710 to 1810, the East India Company’s sales of tea were 750,219,216 lbs, brought back £129,804,595 sterling of value (Martin, p.19) During the ending years of 1700s and