“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 陸羽，唐代茶學家。一生嗜茶，精于茶道，以寫作了世界第一部茶葉專著——《茶經》聞名于世，對中國茶業(yè)和世界茶業(yè)發(fā)展作出了卓越貢獻。

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 博士學位

dynasty /?da?n?sti/ n.朝代

gather /?ɡ???（r）/ v.收集

The Classic of Tea 《茶經》

although /?∶l????/ conj. 雖然，盡管

pour /p?∶（r）/ v.傾倒

kung fu功夫

doctorate /?d?kt?r?t/ n.博士（學位）

advanced /?d?va∶nst/ adj.高級的

academic /?k??dem?k/ adj.學術的

degree /d??ɡri∶/ n.學位

earn /?∶n/ v.贏得，獲得

ancient /?e?n??nt/ adj.古代的

expert /?eksp?∶t/ n.專家

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