Caltech alumna Wen Chen (Ph.D. 00, Biology) has been interested in ancient Chinese art and history since childhood. She cherishes her heritage by bridging eastern and western communities through public speaking. Accessing literature in a country without censorship and internet blockage is a blessing to her annotation and sharing of this knowledge as her unique service to the community. Since 2012, she has given hundreds of presentations to local organizations about Chinese culture, history, and society. Wen has been working as a scientific staff for Caltech since 2000. She has a blog: https://wenchenview.blogspot.com/

Topic: Tea, discovered in China at ~2700 B.C as herbal medicine, is now a popular drink worldwide. Tang Dynasty (7th – 10th century) is the turning point for tea to become a daily drink instead of medicine; hence it started tea ceremonies among the royal courts, temples, and intellectuals. Numerous poets and art pieces from ancient China are associated with tea. The tea culture evolved from dynasty to dynasty, leading to more and more varieties that we see today.