Chinese Tea Classics

Tea as a beverage was introduced to China no later than the fifth century BCE. The earliest extant mention of tea in literature is in the Shih Ching or Book of Changes, written circa 550 BCE. Although the ideogram used (Tu) also can designate a variety of plants, including sowthistle and thrush. Tea leaves in a gaiwan. ... The Common Era (CE), also known as the Christian Era and sometimes the Current Era, is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 until the present. ... The opposite of extinct. ... ShÄ« JÄ«ng (Chinese: 詩經), translated variously as the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Songs or the Book of Odes, is the first major collection of Chinese poems. ... Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin yì jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ... A Chinese character. ... Sow thistle is the common name of two related genera of thistle-like flowering plants in the plant family Asteraceae: Cicerbita Sonchus This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The word thrush can mean more than one thing: Thrush (bird), common name of the bird family Turdidae Candidiasis, fungal infection commonly known as thrush when it affects the mouth or vagina Thrush Aircraft, US aircraft manufacturer THRUSH, fictional criminal organization in The Man from U.N.C.L.E...

Chinese literature contains a significant number of ancient treatises on tea. Together, there exist approximately one hundred monographs or treatises on tea published from the Tang dynasty through the end of the Ming dynasty. The more famous books on tea include: // Ancient texts The Four Books (四书, Sì shū) are The Great Learning, (大学, Dà Xué). The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸, Zhōng Yóng). ...

陆羽 茶经 Ch'a Ching, Classic of Tea by Lu Yu in 760 AD

• Lu Yu 陆羽 Ch'a Ching, The Classic of Tea, between 760 AD-780 AD.

According to popular legend, Lu Yu was an orphan of Jinling county (now Tianmen county in Hubei province), who was adopted by a Buddhist monk of the Dragon Cloud Monastery. He refused to take up the monkly robes and was assigned menial jobs by his stepfather. Lu Yu ran away and joined the circus as a clown. At age 14, Lu Yu was discovered by the local governor Li Qiwu who offered Lu Yu the use of his library and the opportunity to study with a teacher. During the An Lushan and Shi Siming rebellion period, Lu Yu retired to Shaoqi (now Wuxing county, Zhejiang). During this period, Lu Yu made friends with many literati, including the calligrapher Yian Zhenqing and the poet Huang Pu Zheng and wrote his magnum opus: Ch'a Ching. A statue of Lu Yu located in Xian Lu Yu (陆羽) (733 – 804) is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. ... A statue of Lu Yu located in Xian Lu Yu (陆羽) (733 – 804) is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. ... A statue of Lu Yu located in Xian Lu Yu (陆羽) (733 – 804) is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. ... Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum), from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer. ...

For Lu Yu, tea symbolized the harmony and mysterious unity of the Universe. "He invested the Ch'a Ching with the concept that dominated the religious thought of his age, whether Buddhist, Taoist, or Confucian: to see in the particular an expression of the universal" (Shapira, et al., 150).

Huang Pu Zheng's poem about Lu Yu

Saw Lu Yu off to Pick Tea
Thousand mountains greeted my departing friend
When spring tea blossoming again
With indepth knowledge in picking tea
Through morning mist or crimson evening clouds
His solitary journey is my envy
Rendezvous in a temple of a remote mountain
We enjoyed picnic by a clear pebble fountain
In this silent night
Lit up a candle light
I knocked a marble bell for chime
While deep in thought for old time.

---Translated by martin tai, 21 November 1996 November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Content of Ch'a Ching

Lu Yu: The Classic of Tea

Lu Yu's Ch'a Ching(茶经) was the earliest treatise on tea in the world. The Ch'a Ching is divided into the following 10 chapters: Image File history File links Lu Yu The Book of Tea File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Lu Yu The Book of Tea File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

• Chapter 1. Origin

This chapter expounds the mythological origins of tea in China. It also contains a horticultural description of the tea plant and its proper planting as well as some etymological speculation.

• Chapter 2. Tea Tools

This chapter describes fifteen tools for picking, steaming, pressing, drying and storage of tea leaves and cake.

• Chapter 3. Manufacture

This chapter details the recommended procedures for the production of tea cake.

• Chapter 4. Tea Wares

This chapter describes twenty eight items used in the brewing and drinking of tea.

• Chapter 5. Brewing

This chapter enumerates the guidelines for the proper preparation of tea.

• Chapter 6. Drinking Tea

This chapter describes the various properties of tea, the history of tea drinking and the various types of tea known in 5th century China.

• Chapter 7. Anecdotes

This chapter gives various anecdotes about the history of tea in Chinese records, from Shenong through the Tang dynasty.

• Chapter 8. Places

This chapter ranks the eight tea producing regions in China.

• Chapter 9. Omission

This chapter lists those procedures that may be omitted and under what circumstances.

• Chapter 10. Diagrams

This chapter consists of four silk scrolls that provide an abbreviated version of the previous nine chapters.

The word mythology (from the Greek μυθολογία mythología, from μυθολογειν mythologein to relate myths, from μυθος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λογος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the... The Latin words hortus (garden plant) and cultura (culture) together form horticulture, classically defined as the culture or growing of garden plants. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...

Other Tang Dynasty Tea Classics

张又新 Zhang Yiuxin: 煎茶水记,Report on Water for Brewing Tea, 814 AD

煎茶水记: Report on Water for Steeping Tea, 814 AD. This is the earliest monograph on water for tea.

Content:

• A short list of water ranking from seven locations:1. Nanling of Yangtse river,2. Wuxi Hui Mountain Temple Spring,3. Suzhou Tiger Hill Temple Spring, 4.Danyang Guanyin Temple, 5.Yangzhou Da Ming Temple,6. Wuzhong River, and 7. Huai River.
• An anecdote about Lu Yu's magical ability as water connoisseur.
• Ranking for water from twenty locations.

温庭筠 Wen Tingjun 采茶录 Chai Cha Lu

Report on Picking Tea, 860 AD

Sung Dynasty Classics on Tea

蔡襄 Cai Xiang 茶录 Tea Notes 1049 AD

Reputed as the greatest calligrapher of the Song dynasty, Cai Xiang was also a great tea connoisseur. During the reign of Chingli (1042-1048), Cai Xiang was the Officer of Transportation in Fujian. He pioneered the manufacture of a small Dragon Tribute Tea Cake of superlative quality. He also wrote the first tea treatise of the Song dynasty, Tea Notes. Cai Xiang (simplified Chinese: 蔡襄) (born in Xianyou, Fujian in 1012, died in Xianyou 1067) is a Chinese calligrapher, scholar, official and poet. ...

Tea Notes Table of Contents:

• Part I: About Tea
  • Properties of Tea
  • On Storage
  • On Baking
  • On Pressing
  • On Sieving
  • On Boiling Water
  • On Preheating
  • On Tea Spotting
• Part II: Tea Utensils
  • Tea Warmer
  • Tea Canister
  • Tea Hammer
  • Tea Clamps
  • Tea Grinder
  • Tea Sieve
  • Tea Vessel
  • Tea Spoon
  • Tea Kettle

In these essays, Cai Xiang criticized the traditional pratice of mixing small amounts of Borneo camphor (Dryobalanops aromatica) into tea cakes. He wrote: "Tea has an intrinsic aroma. But tribute tea manufacturers like to mix in a small amount of Borneo camphor, supposedly to enhance the aroma of tea. The local people of Jian'an never mix any incense into tea." Cai Xiang was a native of Fujian; he first described the tea spotting tradition of Jian'an (now Shuiji county in Fujian).

宋子安 Song Zhi An:东溪试茶录 Report on Tasting Tea of East Brook, 1064 AD

东溪试茶录 Dong Qi Shi Cha Lu, Report on Tasting Tea of East Brook.

宋徽宗 Emperor Song Huizong:大观茶论Treatise on Tea 1107 AD

Emperor Song Huizong was a great connoiseur of tea with masterful skill in tea ceremony, often engaged in tea tasting and tea competition with his subordinates in Song Imperial Court. Emperor Huizong's favourite was white tea. Emperor Huizong (November 2, 1082 – June 4, 1135) is one of the most famous emperors of the Song Dynasty of China, with a personal life spent amidst luxury, sophistication, and art, and ending in tragedy. ...

Content of 大观茶论:

• Preface
• Places of Origin
• On Climate
• On Picking Tea
• On Steaming and Pressing
• Manufacture
• Assessment
• White Tea
• Grinding
• Tea vessel
• Tea brush
• Tea Cake
• Tea spoon
• Water
• Tea Spot
• Palate
• Aroma
• Color
• Storage
• Brand Name
• Non official product

Emperor Huizong provided the most detail, vivid and masterful description of the Song dynasty technique of tea spotting competition. The Emperor also laid down seven criteria for tea competition. Emperor Huizong Da Guan Cha Lu ( Treatise on Tea) is a key document for understanding the most sophisticated tea ceremony in Chinese history. A monumental treatise on tea after Lu Yu's Classic of Tea.

熊蕃 Xiong Fan:宣和北苑贡茶录,Record of Xuan He Era Tribute Tea in Bei'yuan District

Xuan He Bei Yuan Gong Cha Lu 宣和北苑贡茶录 Record of Xuan He Era Tribute Tea in Bei'yuan District.Detail description of the names of tribute tea cakes, package, some with dimension data, for example "Longevity Dragon cake, silver mould, bamboo frame, one inch diameter" "Eternal Spring Jade Leave, bamboo frame, dimater 3 1/2 inch" etc

黄儒Huang Ru 品 茶 要 录 Pin Cha Yiao Lu

Essential Record of Tea Tasting 1075 AD

审安老人Shen'an Laoren : 茶 具 图 赞 Tea Ware Pictorial, by The Old Man Shen'an

Song dynasty tea ware

Pictorial of Tea Ware compiled ca 1269 AD is the earliest picture book on tea ware used in preparing Song tea cake for drinking. This book described 12 tea wares: Image File history File links Teautensils. ... Image File history File links Teautensils. ...

• tea stove 韋鴻臚 'Weihonglu'
• tea hammer 木待制 'Modaizhi'
• tea press, 金法曹 'Jinfacao'
• tea grinder,石轉運 "Shizhuanyun'
• tea spoon, 胡員外 'Hu'yuanwai'
• tea sieve, 羅樞密 'Luoshumi'
• tea brush, 宗從事 'Zhongcongshi'
• tea tray, 漆雕秘閣 'Cidiaomige'
• tea cup, 陶寶文 'Taobaowen'
• tea kettle, 湯提點 'Tangtidian'
• tea swiper, 竺副師 'Zhufushi'
• tea napkin, 司職方 'Shizhifang'

Ming Dynasty Tea Classics

朱权 Zhu Quan 茶谱 Tea Manual 1440

Zhu Quan, aka Prince Ning, 17th son of Ming Emperor Hongwu. Following his father Emperor Hongwu's ban on manufacutring of tea cake, Prince Ning advocated a simpler way of steeping lose tea, a radical departure from the sophisticated tea cake ceremony of Tang and Song dynasty, thus pioneered a new era in Chinese Tea Culture. Prince Ning also invented a tea stove called "Koojiejun' Zhu Quan (朱权, 宁王), The Prince of Ning, (1391 - 1448) was the 17th son of Ming Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang; a military commander, historian and playwright, and a great tea conoisseur. ... The Hongwu Emperor (October 21, 1328 - June 24, 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, was the founder of the Ming Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 1368 to 1398. ...

Content:

• On Property of Tea
• Storage,
• Brewing,
• Flower Tea,
• Ten teawares,
• Fire,
• Ranking of water.

A milestone book.

顾元庆 Gu Yuanching茶谱 Cha Pu, Classification of Tea 1541

顾元庆 born in Wu county, Jiangsu.

陆树声Lu Shusheng茶寮记 Cha Liao Ji, A Report on Tea House,1570

Some quotations:

"People of Jian'an called tea spotting as tea battle"

"Brew tea with small fire and thin smoke, small stove and long spring"

屠隆 Tu Long考槃余事 Kao Pan Yu Shi

Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar,ca 1590 Tu Long 屠隆 (1577-1605) Tu Long,Chinese 屠隆. ...

Content

• Type of tea
  • Tiger Hill
  • Heavenly Pool
  • Yangxian
  • Liu'an
  • Dragon Well(Longjing)
  • Sky Eye( TianMu)
• Tea Picking
• Sun dried tea
• Fire baked tea
• Storage of tea
• Various Flower Tea
• Choice of Water
  • Earth spring
  • mountain spring
  • hot spring
  • river water
  • well water
  • Dan Spring
• Water cultivation
• Prepare boiling water
• Pouring of water
• Choice of teaware
• Rinse teaware
• Warm up teaware
• Choice of fuel
• Choice of fruits
• Effects of tea
• Human Character
• Tea Utensils
  • 27 tea utensils

高濂 Gao Lian 遵生八笺

Jun Shen Ba Jian, Eight Discourses on the Art of Living/ Tea, 1591

胡文焕 Hu Wenhuan 茶集 Tea Collection, 1593

陈师 Chen Shi 茶考 Cha Kao Research on Tea,1593

陈继儒 Chen Jiru 茶话 Tea Talks 1595

张谦德 Zhang Qiande 茶经 The Book of Tea,1598

熊明遇 Xiong Ming'yu罗岕茶记 Luo Jie Cha Ji, Report on Lu Jie Tea, ca 1608

冯时可 Feng Shi Ke 茶录 Cha Lu. Tea Record 1609

文震亨 Wen Zhenheng 长物志 Zhang Wu Zhi

Wen Zhenheng

Treatise on Superfluous Things/ Incense and Tea, 1621 Content Wen Zhenheng (Chinese: 文震亨 ) (1585-1645 AD) was a Ming dynasty scholar, painter, landscape garden designer, and great grandson of Wen Zhengming, a famous Ming dynasty painter. ... Image File history File links Wenzhengheng. ... Image File history File links Wenzhengheng. ...

• • On Adantage of Tea
  • Quality of Tea
  • Tiger Hill Tea and Heaven Pool Tea
  • Jie Tea
  • Liu An Tea
  • Song Luo Tea
  • Dragon Well Tea and Heaven Eye Tea
  • Wash Tea
  • Preparation of Water
  • Cleaning Tea Ware
  • Tea Washer
  • Tea stove and water kettle
  • Tea Pot
  • Tea Cup
  • Choice of Charcoal

Laid forth the preference and practice of tea culture in Ming dynasty elite circle. See full translation : Zhang Wu Zhi /On Tea

闻龙Wen Long 茶笺 Cha Jian, Tea Notes, 1630

周高起 Zhou Gaochi阳羡茗壶系

阳羡茗壶系 Yangxian Min Hu Xi, Treatise on Yixing Tea Pot, 1640

Content

• Yixing Tea Pot Series
• Origin of Yixing Tea Pot
• Orthodox school
• Yixing Tea Pot Masters
• Famous Yixing Tea Pot Experts
• Elegant styles
• Magical Items
• Diverse Schools of Yixing Tea Pot makers

周高起 Zhou Gaochi 洞山岕茶系 Tongshan Jie Cha Xi, Treatise on Tongshan Jie Tea,1640

Qing Dynasty

陸延燦 Lu Yianchan 續茶經The Sequel to Classic of Tea

續茶經 Xu Cha Jing, The Sequel to Classic of Tea

Japan Tea Treatise

明菴栄西 Eisai:喫茶養生記, Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health, 1193 AD

Myōan Eisai 明菴栄西喫茶養生記 Kissa Yojoki, Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health. 明菴栄西 Eisai( Yosai): came to Tiantai mountain of Zhejiang to study Chan (Zen) buddhism(1168 AD); when he returned home in 1193 AD , he brought tea from China to Japan, planted it and wrote the first Japanese treatise on Tea:Kissa Yojoki,喫茶養生記, Treatise on Drinking Tea for Health. This was the beginning of tea cultivation and tea culture in Japan Myōan Eisai, founder of the Rinzai School of Zen, 12th century. ...

Tea Classics Book Translations

Modern Chinese

• 陆羽《茶经》 －解读与点校, 程启坤 杨招棣 姚国坤. 上海 上海文艺出版社 2003 ISBN 7-80646-567-7
• 茶经 ISBN 957-763-053-7
• 遵生八笺——白话全译, 重庆大学出版社

Czech

• Lu Jü : Kniha o čaji. Translated by Olga Lomová. Spolek milců čaje, Praha, 2002.

English

• The Classic of Tea (ISBN 0316534501) Lu, Yu; Intro & Translation By Francis Ross Carpenter, Illustrated by Hitz, Demi;Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co. 1974

• The Classic of Tea: Origins & Rituals (ISBN 0880014164) Lu, Yu; Yu, Lu; Carpenter, Francis Ross; New York, U.S.A.: Ecco Press. 1995 reprint of 1974 edition. This is a complete translation.

French

Vianney, Soeur Jean-Marie:Le Classique Du The Par Lu Yu,Morel - 1977

Italian

• Lu Yu: IL CANONE DEL TÈ, Traduzione (dal cinese) di Marco Ceresa, Leonardo. November 1990.
• Marco Ceresa,Ph.D. Dissertation:I trattati sul tè di epoca Tang (Tang Dynasty Monographs on Tea) Far Eastern Studies, Istituto Universitario Orientale of Naples.1992

See also

History of tea in China This article is about the history of tea in China. ...

References

• Preface to Cha Jing 茶经, Wu Zhihe ISBN 957-763-053-7
• Shapira, et al., Book of Coffee and Tea, 1996.

External link

• Classic Books on Tea