“Hi， Tea Doctor！ Can I have a cup of tea？” Sometimes on Chinese TV shows， we can hear people say that in a teahouse. Then a man comes to serve tea for the guests. Why do people call him the “Doctor”？ Does he have a doctoral degree？

The man who loves tea

*Lu Yu was the first person to be called “Tea Doctor”. He lived in the Tang Dynasty. When he was a little boy， he was interested in tea. Lu Yu traveled around China to study different kinds of tea and gather tea leaves.

*Lu Yu 陆羽，唐代茶学家。一生嗜茶，精于茶道，以写作了世界第一部茶叶专著——《茶经》闻名于世，对中国茶业和世界茶业发展作出了卓越贡献。

He wrote a great book： The Classic of Tea. It teaches people how to choose， make and drink tea.

Later on， people begin to call waiters in teahouse “Tea Doctor”. This is because they are good at making and serving tea， although they do not have a doctoral degree.

Some Tea Doctors have amazing skills. Look， this man is pouring tea like he is doing Chinese kung fu！

Do you know？

A doctorate is the most advanced academic degree a person can earn from a university. In ancient China， there were also “Doctors”. They were experts in fields such as history and law.

Fun Facts About Chinese Tea

Tea is a national drink in China. There are six types：

Words

serve tea 上茶

guest /ɡest/ n.客人

doctoral degree 博士学位

dynasty /?da?n?sti/ n.朝代

gather /?ɡ???（r）/ v.收集

The Classic of Tea 《茶经》

although /?∶l????/ conj. 虽然，尽管

pour /p?∶（r）/ v.倾倒

kung fu功夫

doctorate /?d?kt?r?t/ n.博士（学位）

advanced /?d?va∶nst/ adj.高级的

academic /?k??dem?k/ adj.学术的

degree /d??ɡri∶/ n.学位

earn /?∶n/ v.赢得，获得

ancient /?e?n??nt/ adj.古代的

expert /?eksp?∶t/ n.专家

field /fi∶ld/ n.領域

law /l?∶/ n.法律

Let's Try

The first person to be called “Tea Doctor” is_________. He wrote a great book：_________.

Answers： Lu Yu， The Classic of Tea