Chinese tea art

Author: Ruan Haogeng, Wang Jianrong, Wu Shengtian (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: As Lin Yutang said, "As long as there is a pot of tea, Chinese people are happy wherever they go." "Rising early, the seven daily necessities are firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, vinegar, and tea," tea is an indispensable staple in the daily life of Chinese people. "People either drink tea at home or go to tea houses; some drink alone, while others drink with others; tea is drunk during meetings, and also during resolving disputes; before breakfast, and also at midnight. As long as there is a pot of tea, Chinese people are happy wherever they go" (Lin Yutang's The Art of Living). Therefore, drinking tea adds much color to the daily life of Chinese people. The ancient Chinese called the methods and norms of brewing and preparing tea "tea ceremony." Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty wrote The Classic of Tea, compiling the achievements of boiling and tasting tea in the Tang Dynasty and before. "He refined the theory of 'gradual ringing' and enriched it, so the tea ceremony flourished greatly, and no prince or scholar did not drink tea" (Feng Yan's Feng Yan's Anecdotes). For over a thousand years after Lu Yu, drinking and appreciating tea became increasingly popular, the art of tea evolved and innovated, and its connotations became richer and deeper. The tea ceremony originated in China and has a long history. Today, the methods and skills of brewing tea are collectively referred to as "tea art." The brewing of green tea, black tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, white tea, and compressed tea each have their own; the methods of Jiangnan, the northern frontier, Southern Fujian, Chaoshan, and Taiwan each have their own pursuits. Chinese tea art is like a vast garden, where the flowers are as rich and diverse as ever.