Tea as a religious and cultural commodity in traditional China -- The early history of tea: myth and reality -- Buddhism and tea during the Tang Dynasty -- Tea poetry in Tang China -- The patron saint of tea: religious aspects of the life and work of Lu Yu -- Tea: invigorating the body, mind, and society in the Song Dynasty -- Tea comes to Japan: Eisai's Kissa yojoki -- Religion and culture in the tea economy of late imperial China -- Conclusions.