Chinese Tea Ceremony: The Way of Tea is the Way of Humanity, The Way of Commerce

Author: Lin Zhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Chinese tea culture is not only profound but also enduring, artistic, and aesthetic. If the Japanese tea ceremony, originating from China, is a strict, highly meticulous, and ultimate religious practice, then Chinese tea culture should be a comprehensive and natural philosophy of beauty. Since Chinese tea culture has evolved alongside the history of China, philosophically and aesthetically, it differs from any other tea culture in the world. From the alliance of Yan and Huang to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, from the Hundred Schools of Thought to the Qin and Han dynasties, from the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties to the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the unbroken national history and the deeply integrated teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and other schools have profoundly permeated tea culture, forming its fundamental ideological and aesthetic essence. The long-term influence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism has made Chinese tea aesthetics more than just a lifestyle; it is the tranquil elegance of ink and wash landscapes, the passionate and magnificent Tang and Song poetry, the Taoist practice of harmony between heaven and humanity, and the Zen enlightenment of Buddhist teachings. It has become a vast and profound art and philosophy of aesthetics. Even in the realm of metaphysics, Chinese tea culture can be seen as a spiritual perception and aesthetic summary of our living world and nature.