Cha Lu (Cai Xiang)
Encyclopedia
The Record of Tea is a Chinese tea classic
by Cai Xiang
written in AD
1049.
Reputed as one of the greatest calligraphers of the Song dynasty
, Cai Xiang was also a great tea
connoisseur. During the Qingli period of the Renzong emperor
(1041-1048), 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, The Record of Tea. In this book, Cai Xiang criticized the traditional practice 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 was the first writer to report the tea spotting game of Jian'an (now Shuiji county in Fujian).
Tea Classics
Tea as a beverage was first consumed in China no later than the fifth century BCE. The earliest extant mention of tea in literature is in the Shih Ching or Book of Songs, written circa 550 BCE, although the ideogram used in these texts can also designate a variety of plants, such as sowthistle...
by Cai Xiang
Cai Xiang
Cai Xiang was a Chinese calligrapher, scholar, official, structural engineer, and poet. Cai Xiang had the reputation as the greatest calligrapher in the Song Dynasty.- Life :...
written in AD
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
1049.
Reputed as one of the greatest calligraphers of the Song dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
, Cai Xiang was also a great tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
connoisseur. During the Qingli period of the Renzong emperor
Emperor Renzong of Song
Emperor Renzong was the fourth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China. His personal name was Zhao Zhen . He reigned from 1022 to 1063. Renzong was the son of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Despite his long reign of over 40 years, Renzong is not widely known...
(1041-1048), Cai Xiang was the Officer of Transportation in Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. 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, The Record of Tea. In this book, Cai Xiang criticized the traditional practice 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 was the first writer to report the tea spotting game of Jian'an (now Shuiji county in Fujian).
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