摘要
We can discern the following points from the production, processing and sale of tea and the promulgation of tea laws in Lin'an Prefecture during the Southern Song Dynasty. First, the growth in tea output and in particular the change of tea production from a sideline occupation into a specialized production process reflected the increase by a large margin of grain output and the growth of commodity grains. Second, consumption of large quantities of tea demonstrated the rise in Southem Song living standard, for only after the problem of subsistence was solved was it possible for people to accept a beverage food such as tea. The literati in particular raised tea consumption to a cultural level:
