A Dream of Splendor, a new viral TV drama, has shown us the prosperous scene of Kaifeng, the Eastern Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Within the first 10 days, it has reached 1.5 billion views with a Douban score of 8.8 — definitely the top of the year to date. Now it can be watched on Netflix in some countries.

The drama perfectly demonstrates the tea culture that reached its historical peak in the Song Dynasty.

The tea of ​​the Song Dynasty is stored in the shape of a cake. The tea leaves are first ground into powder and then brewed with boiling water. This is called "Diancha", or whisked tea.

Today's matcha in Japan is inherited from Diancha in the Chinese Song Dynasty.

Cha Baixi, or tea art, uses clear water to do paintings on top of Diancha’s foams. It is similar to the latte art of coffee.

The prosperity of tea culture has also affected the development of tea sets and porcelain. The complex tea sets of the Song Dynasty are recreated in A Dream of Splendor.

Song Dynasty is considered by Western scholars to be the "great period of Chinese ceramics". The workmanship is extremely sophisticated, yet the porcelain presented is extremely calm and austere.