Chinese black tea, also known as "red tea" in China, was first developed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) by a man named Wu Lizhen. Wu Lizhen was an official in the imperial court who was tasked with developing new tea varieties. He discovered that by allowing the tea leaves to fully oxidize before firing them, he could create a new type of tea with a distinct red color and robust flavour. This type of tea eventually became known as "red tea" or "black tea" and became popular among the people of China.