Development of Tea Inspection in China

As the key procedure of tea production and trade, tea inspection plays a guiding and promoting role in maintaining tea quality and ensuring tea quality safety. Originated in the Tang Dynasty, tea inspection in China has a long history. It initially developed in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and accelerated in the 19th and 20th centuries. It experienced a downturn due to the wars and recovered after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. This study divided the development of tea inspection in China into the early stage of slow development, the middle stage of tortuous development, and the late stage of rapid development. From the point of view of important events, laws and regulations in key years, this paper showed the development course of tea inspection in China with key indicators (keywords), hoping to provide guidelines and reference for future tea inspection work.