The origin of tea begins in China - the home of tea. It has been said that tea is China's 5th great contribution to the world, following papermaking, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. With tea and tea culture, China has used bright and heavy ink to add a new page to the book of civilization. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (420-589 A.D.), during the reign of Emperor Wu of Southern Qi (440-493 A.D.) it's likely that tea and chinaware had already reached western countries via the Silk Road, or at the very least were exposed to tea in some way. However, the first specific recorded instance we have of a tea plant moving outside Chinese borders is in 805, in the first year of the reign of Emperor Shunzong. The seeds, as well as a small tea tree, were transported from China to Japan by the great monk Saicho, who was on a religious voyage to China to collect original Buddhist texts. This was the first major step in the spread of tea around the world. The first record Euopean records of tea come in 1559 and 1560. This was a time period of colonization for European nations with impressive navy fleets. In 1559, tea is mentioned in passing in Giambattista Ramusio's Navigazioni et viaggi, an account of the Venetian's explorations. Another European of note is Portuguese Jesuit Gaspar da Cruz, who traveled to Canton (modern day Guangzhou) in 1556. He wrote, "Whatsoever person or persons come to any man's house of quality, hee hath a custome to offer him... a kind of drinke called ch'a, which is somewhat bitter, red, and medicinall, which they are wont to make with a certayne concoction of herbes." Fearing religious influence, both the Chinese and the Japanese were very cautious with the Europeans, who faced severe limitations on their allowable interactions with locals. However, the Dutch, trading off a tiny stretch of beach in Japan called Deshima, were able to make the first confirmed tea importation to Europe. It's likely the Portuguese had also imported tea at a similar time. However, tea was initially not well received in Europe, partly because people had no idea what to do with it. Apparently the Chinese had a snicker at European expense when it's said a Portuguese woman, when receiving tea as a gift from her son, boiled the leaves, served them to guests, and threw away the water! When tea arrived in Sweden, there were grave concerns about its potentially poisonous or addictive effects. King Gustav III ordered a test be done, commuting a death scentence to a life-in-prison sentence for one inmate. In return, he made the inmate drink tea several times a day. According to the story (which has varying versions) he lived to be 87. With tea spreading around Europe, built on sea trade, it was not long before most of the world became acquainted with the leaves. Tea arrived in Russia, most of the Western Europe, and North America in the 17th century.