Bret Hinsch is professor in the Department of History at Fo Guang University, Yilan, Taiwan. He is the author of Masculinities in Chinese History, Women in Early Imperial China, and Passions of the Cut Sleeve: The Male Homosexual Tradition in China.

• Timeline of Major Chinese DynastiesIntroductionChapter One: The Rise of TeaChapter Two: PowerChapter Three: Lu YuChapter Four: ConnoisseurshipChapter Five: MoralityChapter Six: TranscendenceChapter Seven: ManhoodGlossaryBibliography

From a distinct perspective, this relatively slim yet fluently written book opens up a new dimension about the tea culture in China. After a brief discussion of the ancient form of tea, the author switches his attention to the period of the Tang and Song dynasties, when the making and drinking of the beverage once again experienced a marked change. But his real interest lies elsewhere. Hinsch is intent on describing how tea drinking at that time played a role in fostering a new culture from the Tang to the Song. Drawing on existent scholarship, the author maintains that China’s political culture experienced a transformation marked by the rise of individualism (however one chooses to define the term in a Chinese context). He illustrates how this cultural transformation was reflected in tea drinking customs and habits, especially among the literati class. In particular, he points out that from the Tang to the Song, while tea became increasingly accessible to people of all walks of life, it attained a particularly rich sociocultural and religious meaning for the literati class. Very worthwhile reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.