A Prose about Tea

Human beings have joys and sorrows, parting and reunion, while objects are alike. Every piece of tea leaves that people drink has its own story, which originally was growing in some villages or among mountains along with trees and creeks, depending on the geographical environmental differences, some sprouting freshly, dotting the mountain rocks with green in the gusts of cold spring breeze, while some grown into pieces, emerging and disappearing in the summer clouds. Whatever situation they were in, they absorbed the natural essence transmitted from the advanced roots every minute, peacefully and harmoniously.

In rain, birds fly through the forests and strike on the leaves; while in the sun, butterflies dance around over the leaves, making it always such a relaxing and pleasant experience that one can enjoy themselves so much when walking in the forests along the creeks in mountains as to forget leaving. Since when someone tasted tea first, then it has become an essential part of human life. Imagine every adventure taken by people that dare to be the first and every tasting that risked life, each bearing the tea cultivators’ hard work and life. The encounters that went across ages all carried heart-touching stories within them. What type of power supported them to move forward? Buddhism takes cause and effects as the best solution, Confucianism promotes “changing with each day represents the greatest virtue” and nourishes human hearts with the spirit of self-improvement, while Lao Tzu老子 and Zhuangzi 庄子 call upon people to return to nature and love life itself. Maybe, it’s a little bit of everything. Of course, there is also luck or God’s favor. Tea knows the answer. After its value being discovered by human, tea ended the long lonely life of growing in the remote mountain areas and began the worldly journey together with the other essential items of daily living such as firewood, rice, oil and salt. Tea can be used as medicine to relieve illness and pain, or can be used as an ingredient in food and even given a reputation of auspicious symbol, or makes a great gift to endow people, which helps to draw the distance between people closer and reduces the strangeness. With different time and in different places, tea plays different roles in people lives.

When speaking of Lu Yu, 陆羽, Chinese now all call him “Tea Saint” with respect. Actually, he was an abandoned baby adopted by an old monk in a temple. Without knowing who the parents were, he took his name from the Hexagram Gradual of the Book of Changes 《易经》渐卦爻辞: Hong strolls on the land, the feather of which can be used as decoration in dances 鸿渐于陆，其羽可用仪. He started to study Buddhism from his early childhood, but then gradually got dissatisfied with the status quo like other monks who spoke of doctrines in mysterious metaphors, then left the temple to study literature and got interested in tea culture. He spent decades travelling across the country and did countless field trips, with ups and downs just like the tea leaves sinking and rising in water, to quench his thirsty for knowledge and also to relieve his loneliness and boredom.

It was just like the initial taste of the tea, with a bit of bitterness but to continue with sweet, which also coincided with the first character of the four truths of Buddhism苦, meaning bitter. Lu Yu later befriended more of the scholars who well studied Confucius and Mencius, Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi, especially the famous people who loved tea, such as Jiao Ran 皎然, Meng Jiao孟郊 and Huan Su怀素, and learned the truth about mountains and water. Unavoidably they often discussed truth over tea, offloading the worldly concerns and immersed their body and soul in the activities with a deep belief that famous mountains yield superior tea. When he gradually improved himself day by day and approached perfection, especially under the influence of the scholars such as Yan Zhenqing颜真卿 and Liu Changqing刘长卿, he was able to participate in and retreat from the politics and folklife freely, thus leaving a full and sparkling image in the Great Tang Dynasty. In chats and laughter, he turned everything, Heaven, Earth, objects and I all into a lifelong practice with respect. What a good embodiment of truth in tea!

The Classic of Tea《茶经》 has thereafter become popular and been passed down as a classic, establishing tea drinking customs. Therefore, tea has evolved from the wild bitter plant to a drink with different names.

The reason why tea prevailed in the Song Dynasty can be attributed to the policy of promoting agriculture while not restricting business internally, and the open attitude in trading externally. Pieces of tea leaves carrying the oriental mysterious charm evolve with freedom over the journey through the advanced transportation system, either by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, or along the Ancient Tea-Horse Road in south west China, or at the ports terminals clouded with bulk containers. Pieces of China tea sets representing Chinese civilization were also transported from the south to the north, along with the trading and cultural exchanges in the places down the route, which not only increased the financial revenue significantly, but also introduced tea and tea drinking customs to the world where various kinds tea etiquette developed afterwards. The handscroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival 《清明上河图》by the Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan, is an artistic reflection of the commercial prosperity of that time.

The four elegances of a tea house that people relish till today, tea utensils, artifacts, bonsai and brush painting, are good evidence of the artistic reflection as well. People carry out the relevant refined activities around tea, matching tea sets of various shapes with different types of tea leaves, savoring the exquisite and complex taste of it. Just like the western red wine, tea also plays an essential part as the soul of living aesthetics. People drinking tea are blessed, just like the remarks of Lu Yu in The Classic of Tea, 《茶经》, most of which are diligent and self-disciplined. As a contrast to people in the Tang Dynasty who are often commented as of the feature of wine, heroic and romantic, people in the Song Dynasty are mostly deemed as of the characteristics of tea, elegant and exquisite. 

With the long and profound history of China, tea drinking culture has varied with time and place, each social class having their own inheritance while developing their own way with diversity. People not only practiced and learned from their own experience, but also communicated with and learned from each other to pursue what they believe as beauty and uplift their spiritual cultivation. A cup of tea reflects the world. The person who prepares tea is often of modesty and self-discipline, quietly looking for the optimal balance from the tea drinkers who may agree in conversations but bear different opinions not revealed, while taking care of everything. That maybe is a true portrayal of “the extreme wisdom lies in modesty”.

When the tea cup is down, the host and guests are all happy with both righteousness and profit achieved and a world established together with aroma continuing to flow around. Nowadays, one starts to feel relaxed upon hearing the words of “let’s go to have a cup of tea!” Since when did drinking tea connect with relaxation?