What are the legendary origins of tea in China？

According to legends，over 5，000 years ago in China，there was a divine farmer named Shen Nong，one of the noble figures of Chinese mythology.He taught people agricultural and medicinal practices.One day when he sat beneath a tree and was ready to taste herbs，and at the same time his servant began to boil drinkingwater.By chance，some dry leaves dropped from a tree into the water.As usual，Shen Nong drank the boiled water.It tasted a little bitter，and the water looked slightly yellowish，but it refreshed him.The tree turned out to be a wild tea tree.

Buddhist legends have another story.Once Bodhidharma（putidamo）stayed in a cave-temple outside Nanjing，where he practiced meditation.One day as he meditated，he felt sleepy.He cut off his eyelids in an attempt to keep himself awake；and to his surprise，tea plants sprang up from the ground where he had tossed the severed eyelids.Later，he used these leaves to brew tea to help him stay awake for meditation.

What was the function of tea when it was first used？

In ancient China，tea was regarded as one of seven daily necessities，along with firewood，rice，oil，salt，soy sauce and vinegar.But from the very beginning，tea was used as medicine.At initial stage，the ancient men drank it to relieve poison. The ancient medical book，Shen Nong Bencao Classics（《shennongbencaojing》）says that tealeaves taste bitter and so can make people spirited and think clearly.In Eating Classics（《shijing》），Hua Tuo says that the continuous drinking of bitter tea is good for thinking.

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