Tianmen, Hubei, China

Tianmen, Hubei, China, is located along the Yangtze River between Jingmen, Jinzhou, and Wuhan. It has an area of approximately 1,022 square miles and a population of around 1.73 million. Tianmen has a rich history. It was formally known as Jingling (竟陵) and was renamed Tianmen (天门) in 1726 during the Qing Dynasty. Tianmen is famous for being the hometown of tea and Lu Yu, the Founder of the Tea Culture.

The Sage of Tea, Lu Yu

(AD 733 - AD 804)

Lu Yu was born in AD 733 in Tianmen, Hubei, China, during the Tang Dynasty. After being abandoned by his parents at the age of three near the Longgai monastery, he was adopted by the monastery’s abbot. The abbot taught Lu Yu all the secrets of the art of tea. Lu Yu went on to become a tea master, earning a reputation as the sage of tea for his significant contributions to Chinese tea culture. In about 761, Lu Yu completed the first encyclopedic monograph on tea called “The Classic of Tea.” This book is comprehensive on cultivating, making, and drinking tea. Today, the book has been translated into other languages from its original Chinese, including English, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic.