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The Classic of Tea

 
The Classic of Tea

 
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The Classic of Tea
 
 
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The Classic of Tea is the very first monograph
Monograph

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually also by a single author. It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book, journal article, editorial or written rant....
 on tea
Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
 in the world, written by Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 writer Lu Yu
Lu Yu

Lu Yu is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book The Classic of Tea , the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea....
 between 760
760

Events...
 CE and 780
780

Events...
 CE (age of Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
). According to popular legend, Lu Yu
Lu Yu

Lu Yu is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book The Classic of Tea , the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea....
 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 monastic robes and was assigned menial jobs by his stepfather.






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The Classic of Tea is the very first monograph
Monograph

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually also by a single author. It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book, journal article, editorial or written rant....
 on tea
Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
 in the world, written by Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 writer Lu Yu
Lu Yu

Lu Yu is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book The Classic of Tea , the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea....
 between 760
760

Events...
 CE and 780
780

Events...
 CE (age of Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
). According to popular legend, Lu Yu
Lu Yu

Lu Yu is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book The Classic of Tea , the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea....
 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 monastic 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 Yan Zhenqing and the poet Huang Pu Zheng and wrote his magnum opus
Magnum opus

Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer....
: Chá jing.

For Lu Yu, tea symbolized the harmony and mysterious unity of the Universe. "He invested the Chá jing with the concept that dominated the religious thought of his age, whether Buddhist
Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
, Taoist
Taoism

Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
, or Confucian
Confucianism

Confucianism is a China Ethics and Philosophy developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It focuses on human morality and right action....
: 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.

Content of Chá jing
Lu Yu's Chá jing was the earliest treatise on tea in the world. The Ch'a Ching is divided into the following 10 chapters:

  • Chapter 1. Origin
This chapter expounds the mythological
Mythology

The word mythology refers to a body of folklore/myths/legends that a particular culture believes to be true and that often use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity....
 origins of tea in China. It also contains a horticultural
Horticulture

'Horticulture' is the industry and science of plant cultivation. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, Crop , plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, and plant physiology....
 description of the tea plant and its proper planting as well as some etymological
Etymology

Etymology is the study of the roots and history of words; and how their form and meaning have changed over time.In languages with a long detailed history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to culture over time....
 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 Shennong
Shennong

Shennong , also known as the Yan Emperor or the Emperor of the Five Grains , is a legendary Emperor of China and culture hero of Chinese mythology who is believed to have lived some 5,000 years ago, and taught ancient China the practices of agriculture....
 through the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
.
  • 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.


External links

- Chinese influences on the Japanese tea ceremony