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Contents |
1.1 陆羽 茶经 Cha Jing, Classic of Tea by Lu Yu in 760 AD
1.2 Other Tang Dynasty Tea Classics
1.3 Sung Dyasty Classics on Tea
1.4 Ming Dynasty Tea Classics
1.4.1 朱权 Zhu Quan 茶谱 Tea Manual 1440
1.4.2 顾元庆 Gu Yuanching茶谱 Cha Pu, Classification of Tea 1541
1.4.3 陆树声Lu Shusheng茶寮记 Cha Liao Ji, A Report on Tea House,1570
1.4.4 屠隆 Tu Long考槃余事 Kao Pan Yu Shi
1.4.5 高濂 Gao Lian 遵生八笺
1.4.6 胡文焕 Hu Wenhuan 茶集 Tea Collection, 1593
1.4.7 陈师 Chen Shi 茶考 Cha Kao Research on Tea,1593
1.4.8 陈继儒 Chen Jiru 茶话 Tea Talks 1595
1.4.9 张谦德 Zhang Qiande 茶经 The Book of Tea,1598
1.4.10 熊明遇 Xiong Ming'yu罗岕茶记 Luo Jie Cha Ji, Report on Lu Jie Tea, ca 1608
1.4.11 冯时可 Feng Shi Ke 茶录 Cha Lu. Tea Record 1609
1.4.12 文震亨 Wen Zhenheng 长物志 Zhang Wu Zhi
1.4.13 闻龙Wen Long 茶笺 Cha Jian, Tea Notes, 1630
1.4.14 周高起 Zhou Gaochi阳羡茗壶系
1.4.15 周高起 Zhou Gaochi 洞山岕茶系 Tongshan Jie Cha Xi, Treatise on Tongshan Jie Tea,1640
1.5 Qing Dynasty
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Chinese Tea Classics
Tea was discovered in China as a beverage. The earlist book on tea in the world was written by Lu Yu in Tang dynasty.
China has the largest number of ancient classic treatise on tea,
there was even one tea treatise written by an emperor: Song Huizong.
There were all together one hundred monographs/treatises on tea published from Tang dynasty to Qing dynasty[1].
The more famous books on tea are listed below
陆羽 茶经 Cha Jing, Classic of Tea by Lu Yu in 760 AD
- Lu Yu 陆羽 Cha Jing, The Classic of Tea, between 760 AD-780 AD.
Lu Yu was an orphan of Jinling county( now Tianmen county in Hubei province), brought up
by a buddhist monk. When he grew up, he used I Ching to find a name for himself as Lu Yu.
At age 14, Lu Yu was discovered by the local governor Li Qiwu, he introduced Lu Yu 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 friend with many
literati, including caligrapher Yian Zhenqing, poet Huang Pu Zheng.
Lu Yu was a prolific writer, he wrote many books. Only his best known book: Cha Jing
survived
Huang Pu Zheng's poem about Lu Yu
Saw Luk 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, 1996/11/21
.
Content of Cha Jing
Lu Yu's Cha Jing 茶经 was the earlist treatise on tea in the world.
Cha Jing 茶经 has 10 chapters
Wild tea trees in southern China.The botanic description of tea plant, orginal of the words for tea, method of the planting, quality of tea, and usage of tea.
Fifteen tools for manufacturing of tea cake, from picking, steaming, pressing,drying and
storage.
Manufacture processof of tea cake
Twenty eight tea wares for brewing and drinking tea
Preparation of proper fire and water, source of water, guideline in brewing
Property of tea, history of tea drinking,type of tea
Anecdotes and history of tea in ancient Chinese records, from Shenong to Tang dynasty
Eight tea producing regions in China, and their ranking.
Listed some procedures which can be omitted under certain circumstances.
Draw all the previous content on four or six silk scrolls for hanging on the wall of study.
(Unfortunately, no such drawing survived today )
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 Jian Cha Shui Ji: Report on Water for Brewing Tea, 814 AD
煎茶水记: Report on Water for Steeping Tea, 814 AD. This is the earlist 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 Dyasty Classics on Tea
蔡襄 Cai Xiang 茶录 Tea Notes 1049AD.
Reputed to be the greatest caligrapher in Song dynasty, Cai Xiang was also a great tea connoisseur, during the Chingli reign (1042-1048 AD), Cai Xiang was the Officer of Transportation in Fujian. He pioneered the manufacturing of small Dragon Tribute Tea Cake of superlative quality. He also wrote the first tea treatise "Tea Notes" in Song dynasty
Tea Notes Content:
- Part I About Tea
- Properties of tea
- On Storage
- On Bake
- On Press
- On Seeve
- On Boiling Water
- On preheat,
- 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 this essay, Cai Xiang critized the traditional pratice of mixing small amount of Borneo Camphor (Dryobalanops aromatica ) into tea cake, he wrote:
"Tea has intrinsic aroma. But tribute tea manufacturers like to mix in small amount of Borneo camphor, supposely 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 local
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
- 大观茶论,Da Guan Cha Lun ,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.
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
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:
- 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'
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
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
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
Treatise on Superfluous Things/ Incense and Tea, 1621
Content
- 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 Sequal to Classic of Tea
續茶經 Xu Cha Jing, The Sequal 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
Tea Classics Book Translations
Modern Chinese
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, novembre 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
Reference
External Links
