This is how I’d spend a few days in Chongqing as a tea lover, following the city’s stairways more than any map.

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I chose to stay at a small hotel near 山城巷步道 Mountain City Alley, set inside a restored historic building tucked into the hillside. Much of Chongqing is built on mountains, and its old pedestrian paths of steps, slopes, and narrow lanes were once how people moved between homes, markets, and river docks. Staying on one of them gave me a quieter way into the city, and a courtyard to come back to after a day in the old neighborhoods. The establishment checked all my boxes: history, modern amenities, cats.

Explore the neighborhood once you’re settled in. One of the most striking features about Chongqing is how closely everything is packed together. Residential buildings, breakfast stalls, noodle shops, teahouses, massage parlors, hair salons, convenience stores, and mahjong rooms often share the same slopes and stairways. The separation between home and street feels softer here than in most cities. You can leave your building, go down a few steps for breakfast, climb another set of stairs for a haircut, then spend the afternoon at a nearby teahouse playing mahjong with neighbors who seem to have been coming to the same table for years. Chongqing does not unfold in neat blocks. So embrace the rises, drops, turns, and layers!

Of course, within five minutes of leaving the hotel, I had already run into the first tea stop: 山城坝坝茶 Shancheng Baba Tea. 坝坝茶 bàbà chá is hard to translate neatly. 坝坝 bàbà means a flat open space, but in Chongqing, any flat ground is hard to come by. Here, a bàbà can be beside a road, near an old dock, outside someone’s doorway, or along a few stone steps, as long as there is open air and a place to sit and sip. At Shancheng Baba Tea, the local teahouse vocabulary appears all at once: bamboo chairs packed close together, small tables set with gaiwan 盖碗 (lidded tea bowls), plates of snacks (a lot of guazi), Sichuan opera’s iconic face-changing act, Bian Lian 变脸, and tea poured from a long-spouted copper kettle.

The long-spouted copper kettle is not all theater. Servers swing it in wide arcs, sending a narrow stream of hot water into the gaiwan from surprising distances. The choreography draws the eye, but the tool also makes practical sense: in a crowded teahouse, a long spout lets the server refill cups without leaning over guests or interrupting the table.

In the late Qing, after Chongqing was opened as a treaty port under the unequal treaty system, this part of the old city began to accumulate new kinds of buildings along its slopes: missionary compounds, churches, schools, private residences, and commercial spaces, some of which still shape the area today. One quiet stop is the former site of 金马寺小学 Jinmasi Primary School, now home to a small museum, library, and café. It is not a major attraction, which is part of its appeal. The museum has the feeling of a neighborhood memory room, with old telephones, pagers, MP3 players, stamps, food coupons, and other everyday objects displayed less like precious artifacts than things someone still remembers using. The library keeps some of the old classroom atmosphere too, with shelves of older books arranged among the original school furniture, plus a cat who seems to have taken on librarian duties. It is a good place to sit for a while, let the nostalgia do its quiet work, and then continue through the alleys.

In general, I would not over-plan Chongqing’s older residential neighborhoods. Wandering is part of the experience. If you are not especially comfortable with stairs, though, it is worth planning your route so you walk mostly downhill.

Take a sunny day to follow the city toward the river. Start in the morning at 湖广会馆 Huguang Guild Hall, one of the clearest places to see Chongqing as a migration city. Construction began in 1759, during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, and the complex is tied to the large-scale migration often called 湖广填四川 Huguang tian Sichuan, “Hunan and Guangzhou fill Sichuan.” The architecture is worth slowing down for: layered courtyards, carved wooden galleries, red curtains, and tiled roofs whose ridges curl upward into dense ornament. From some angles, the old rooflines sit directly against Chongqing’s modern bridges, putting the city’s Qing-dynasty river-trade world and contemporary infrastructure in the same frame. The guild hall also has a teahouse that uses the historic stage for Sichuan opera and long-spouted copper kettle pouring, so the complex does not feel like only a museum. You can sit with tea while a performance returns the courtyard to one of its older functions: a public place for gathering, watching, and lingering.

From Huguang Guild Hall, walk toward The Ropeway of Yangtze River and cross to the south bank. The ride is short, but the view is breathtaking: the Yangtze river below, towers rising on both banks, bridges crossing at different angles, and roads stacked into the slopes. Try to go on a clearer day if you can, since haze can flatten the view quickly. Once you are on the south bank, history-minded travelers can make a short stop at 重庆开埠遗址公园 Chongqing Port Opening Heritage Park, built around the former site of Little & Co. 立德乐洋行. The park preserves a cluster of century-old buildings connected to Chongqing’s forced opening to foreign trade, with restored structures, river views, and exhibition spaces arranged along the hillside.

From there, continue toward one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chongqing: Longmenhao Old Street 龙门浩老街 and Xiahaoli 下浩里. The area sits on the south bank of the Yangtze, so almost every turn gives you some version of river, slope, skyline, or old wall. Longmenhao has long been tied to the river. After Chongqing opened up to the world, this stretch of the south bank became one of the places where foreign firms, factories, villas, and mixed Chinese-Western buildings gathered. Today, the restored lanes are easy to wander: stone steps, old houses, terraces, cafés, restaurants, and small shops all layered into the hillside.

This was also where I found the most contemporary tea stop of my Chongqing stay, 雾白白W. BAIBAI Gelato & Tea, that translates into “white white fog”. I ordered a drink called Orchid Valley Cloud 兰谷浮云, which arrived in a flat, round glass jar that looked more like a perfume bottle than a teapot. The server explained that it could be tasted two ways.oured straight over ice, it tasted like clear brewed tea, light and aromatic. But after shaking the jar hard, the same tea turned cloudy and took on a surprisingly milky flavor, even though no milk had been added. The effect was strange in the best way: same tea, same ingredients, but a completely different impression once air and motion changed how the drink landed on the palate.

After spending time in Chongqing’s older neighborhoods and riverfront sites, I wanted to see the modern, slightly ridiculous side of the city too. This is where you learn an important rule of travel in Chongqing: maps are only moderately helpful. A route may look short, but the city has hidden several flights of stairs, an overpass, a tunnel, and a metro entrance somewhere between you and your destination. Some of the famous sights are cliché by now, but they are cliché for a reason. They are just fun.

Start with 李子坝 Liziba, where Line 2 of the Chongqing Rail Transit passes directly through a residential building. I took the train from its first stop so I could sit in the front car, which is worth doing if you have an extra fifteen minutes. The ride to Liziba station is short, but the view is fantastic: tracks curving between buildings, the river appearing and disappearing, and the city stacking itself around the line before the train finally slips into the famous station. After you exit, take the direct elevator down toward the Jialing River and head to the viewing platform, where everyone waits for the classic “eating the train” photo.

From Liziba station, continue up toward 鹅岭二厂 Eling Factory No. 2, now rebranded as Testbed2. The name sounds casual, but the site once belonged to the the Republic of China Central Banknote Printing Factory. Founded in 1937, it operated during Chongqing’s years as wartime capital, producing banknotes, stamps, and other state documents. In 1953, the site became Chongqing Printing Factory No. 2, and from the 1950s to the 1970s it produced most of the city’s color prints. Today, the presses are gone, and the old factory has been remade into a cultural and creative park, with cafés, shops, studios, and terraces looking out over the city.

There are endless things to explore inside Chongqing itself, but if you have one extra day, I would leave the city center for a day trip to Dazu Rock Carvings 大足石刻. About a 1.5-hour drive away, Dazu is a group of cliff-carving sites spread across the district, with works dating mainly from the 9th to 13th centuries. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and what makes it especially memorable is how human the carvings feel. Alongside Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian imagery, the cliffs also turn to everyday life: parents and children, moral lessons, market activity, domestic care, punishment, devotion, and ordinary bodies moving through the world.

If you only have one day, focus on Baodingshan 宝顶山 and Beishan 北山. Baodingshan is the more dramatic and didactic site, largely associated with the Southern Song monk Zhao Zhifeng 赵智凤, with carvings arranged almost like a visual teaching program along the cliff. Beishan is older and quieter, with carvings begun in the late Tang and continued into later periods; its figures feel more intimate, devotional, and closely worked.

For anyone, especially a tea lover, I hope you visit Chongqing one day and let yourself get a little lost in it.

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The practice of 茶百戏 belongs to the world of whisked powdered tea, where plain water could be used to draw pale lines and forms across the dark foam of the tea itself. The term translates literally as “Tea’s One Hundred Plays.” It was also known as 分茶 (“splitting tea”) and 水丹青 (“water-borne painting”).

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One of the earliest extant descriptions of this ephemeral art appears in Liu Yuxi’s (772–842) poem, Song of Tasting Tea at the Xishan Monastery (西山兰若试茶歌): “骤雨松声入鼎来，白云满碗花徘徊.”

Water rises in the cauldron like sudden rain through the pines.
White cloud fills the bowl,
as flower-like forms linger on the tea.

The practice receives its clearest early naming in Tao Gu’s (903-970) Record of Tea (荈茗录): 茶至唐始盛。近世有下汤运匕，别施妙诀，使汤纹水脉成物象者，禽兽虫鱼花草之属，纎巧如画，但须臾即就散灭，此茶之变也。时人谓之「茶百戏」。

Tea began to flourish in the Tang dynasty. In more recent times, some developed a special technique: by adding hot water and working the tea spoon across the surface, they made the tea’s patterns and watery traces form images of birds, beasts, insects, fish, flowers and grasses. Exquisite as paintings, the art dispersed within moments. This was tea in transformation. People of the time called it “Tea’s One Hundred Plays.”

What makes the effect so captivating is that it seems almost magical: water alone can turn green foam pale. Yet the visual effect likely rests on a fairly simple piece of physics.

Tea appears green because more green light makes it back to your eyes, while more of the other colors are absorbed. Dense foam works differently. In a foam packed with tiny bubbles, light of all colors is scattered in many directions, so the foam naturally looks white.

In whisked tea, those bubbles are surrounded by tea-rich liquid and fine tea particles, which tint the foam green. When a little plain water is added, it likely rinses or dilutes some of that tea color away from the the surface of the foam without immediately destroying the bubbles. In that small area, the bubbles are optically clearer, so their natural white scattering shows through more strongly. That is why a pale mark can suddenly appear.

In many modern examples, the method has shifted. A dense paste of tea is prepared first, then applied like ink over a field of white foam. Compared with the older water-only technique, this creates stronger contrast and allows much greater control over the final image.

It is remarkable that ancient Chinese tea drinkers noticed this transformation, refined it, and turned it into an art. What began as a fleeting change on the surface of whisked tea became a practice with its own names, techniques, and aesthetic vocabulary. In 茶百戏, we glimpse a culture that looked at tea with extraordinary care, finding in the life of foam a source of wonder, craftsmanship, and beauty.

If you want to see it live, check out this video I found on Youtube.

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During the Song dynasty (960–1279), Chinese tea culture reached one of its historical pinnacles. Across the empire, tea was widely consumed, deeply appreciated, discussed, and even contested. From ordinary households to gatherings of literati, and at the highest levels of the imperial court, connoisseurs compared color, aroma, and the fine white foam that rose on the surface of a freshly whisked bowl of tea. Standards of preparation grew increasingly exacting, and taste itself became a matter of cultivated judgment.

It was within this atmosphere of aesthetic intensity and imperial patronage that The Grand Treatise on Tea 大观茶论 was written by Emperor Huizong of Song in the year of 1107, whose reign coincided with the height of Chinese dian cha tea culture. In this treatise, Emperor Huizong turns his attention to the finest points of powdered tea. He writes on the selection of tribute leaves, the color and density of the foam, the control of water temperature, and the precise movement of the bamboo whisk. He distinguishes flawed preparations from masterful ones and describes, step by step, how the foam should rise, gather, and hold.

While Chinese tea practice later shifted toward loose-leaf infusion, the Song method of dian cha was carried to Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisai together with seeds of Camellia sinensis. In this way, The Grand Treatise on Tea offers more than a record of how tea was prepared in China over a thousand years ago. It preserves the Song powdered tea method that later became the foundation of the matcha tradition.

The original Song manuscript of this book has been lost, and the text survives through copies transmitted across later dynasties. This translation is based on the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries 四库全书, compiled between 1772 and 1782 during the Qing dynasty. The scan cited here is from a copy held in the collection of Zhejiang University Library and made available through Chinese Text Project.

The work that follows is my attempt to translate The Grand Treatise on Tea into English. For each section, I present the original classical text, followed by my English translation. My notes and comments appear at the end of each section in italics. Where appropriate, I include images of Song dynasty tea wares and related objects drawn from museum collections to situate the text within its material world. Many of my comments also draw on modern chemistry and food science, offering a contemporary lens on processes that Song artisans understood through trial, error and refinement.

P.S.:If you have time for only one chapter right now, begin with Chapter Fourteen, “On Dian Cha” (点茶), where the seven-stage preparation reveals in exquisite detail how the celebrated white foam is properly developed and maintained.

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Preface

尝谓首地而倒生，所以供人求者，其类不一。谷粟之于饥，丝枲之于寒。虽庸人孺子皆知常须而日用，不以时岁之舒迫而可以兴废也。至若茶之为物，擅瓯闽之秀气，钟山川之灵禀，祛襟涤滞，致清导和，则非庸人孺子可得而知矣。中澹间洁，韵高致静。则非遑遽之时可得而好尚矣。

People have long held that the earth brings forth its bounty to meet various human need. Rice and millet relieve hunger; silk and hemp resist cold. Even the most ordinary person, even a child, knows these are the basic provisions of life, whether in years of abundance or of hardship.

Tea is different.

It gathers the essence and vitality from the mountains and streams of Ou and Min*. It lifts the weight from the chest and lightens the heart. It brings clarity and harmony. Such effects are not easily grasped by an ordinary person or a child.

When one drinks tea, one becomes composed and gentle, refined in bearing and serene in demeanor. Such refinement cannot be appreciated in a state of fluster or agitation.

Note: Ou and Min refer to regions along the southeastern coast of what are now Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.

本朝之兴，岁修建溪之贡。龙团凤饼，名冠天下，而壑源之品，亦自此而盛。延及于今，百废俱兴，海内晏然，垂拱密勿，幸致无为。

Since the founding of our dynasty, tribute tea from Jianxi* is prepared each year. The ‘dragon rounds’ and ‘phoenix cakes’ are the most renowned teas throughout the realm. From that time onward, the teas of Heyuan* also flourished. Today, all that had fallen into neglect thrives once again. Peace prevails throughout the realm. The ruler governs in composed restraint, while ministers labor with quiet diligence. Thus governance achieves the ideal of wu wei, the art of non-action.

Note: Jianxi and Heyuan were core production areas of Northern Song tribute tea, located in modern day Jian'Ou, Fujian province.

缙绅之士，韦布之流，沐浴膏泽，熏陶德化，盛以雅尚相推，从事茗饮。故近岁以来，采择之精，制作之工，品第之胜，烹点之妙，莫不盛造其极。且物之兴废，固自有时，然亦系乎时之汙隆。时或遑遽，人怀劳悴。 则向所谓常须而日用，犹且汲汲营求，惟恐不获，饮茶何暇议哉！

The scholar-officials and ordinary people alike partake of imperial benevolence and are shaped by moral cultivations. Refined taste prevails, and the pursuit of tea drinking flourishes. Therefore, in recent years, the precision of leaf selection, the craftsmanship of tea, the mastery in assessment, and the subtlety of brewing and whisking have all reached their pinnacle. While the rise and fall of things have their own timing, they are also shaped by the waxing and waning of the era. During times of turmoil, people are exhausted and weary. Even the daily necessities must be anxiously pursued, for fear they cannot be secured. In such times, who would have the leisure to speak of drinking tea?

世既累洽，人恬物熙。则常须而日用者，固久厌饫狼籍。而天下之士，励志清白，兢为闲暇修索之玩，莫不碎玉锵金，啜英咀华。较筐箧之精，争鉴裁之别 。虽下士于此时，不以蓄茶为羞，可谓盛世之情尚也。

Now that the realm has enjoyed a long period of harmony and stability, people live in tranquility and abundance. The basic provisions of life reached a level of excess. The scholars of refined taste earnestly apply themselves to cultivated pursuits. They delight in the resonant sound of the gold tea grinder, savoring the finest qualities of the brew. People compare the craftsmanship of bamboo tea containers and compete in judging their merits. Even non-scholars no longer regard keeping tea as presumptuous. Tea may truly be called the spirit and fashion of this flourishing era.

呜呼！至治之世，岂惟人得以尽其材，而草木之灵者，亦得以尽其用矣。偶因暇日，研究精微，所得之妙，后人有不自知为利害者，叙本末列于二十篇，号曰茶论。

Alas! In an age of ultimate good governance, people and plants alike are able to realize their full potential. On a relaxing day, I turned my attention to researching the subtle principles of tea and came to grasp its finer excellence. Fearing that later generations might not fully appreciate the proper ways of tea, I have set forth its origins and developments in twenty chapters and named it the Treatise of Tea.

Chapter One: On Growing Regions

植产之地，崖必阳，圃必阴。盖石之性寒，其叶抑以瘠，其味疏以薄，必资阳和以发之；土之性敷，其叶疏以暴，其味强以肆，必资阴荫以节之。阴阳相济，则茶之滋长得其宜。

Tea should be cultivated either on south-facing cliffs or in shaded gardens. The cold nature of rock restricts leaf growth and renders the flavor sparse and light. Thus, more sunlight is needed to encourage development. Garden soil is rich in nutrients. The tea leaves unfurl rapidly and the flavors become overwhelming. Thus, shade is used to temper the growth. The right balance of yin and yang helps the tea plant flourish.

Chapter Two: On Timing

茶工作于惊蛰，尤以得天时为急。轻寒，英华渐长，条达而不迫。茶工从容致力，故其色味两全。若或时阳郁燠，芽甲奋暴，促工暴力随稿。晷刻所迫，有蒸而未及压，压而未及研，研而未及。茶黄留积，其色味所失已半。故焙人得茶天为庆。

Timing is everything. Tea production begins around Jingzhe*. The air still carries a slight chill, as spring growth begins to emerge. The tea tree branches extend without haste. Thus, the tea workers can pick and prepare tea with composure and care, fully preserving the color and flavor.

If the weather turns hot and humid, tea buds grow rapidly. As the shadow on the sundial advances without mercy, the workers hasten and rush the process.Some leaves may be steamed but not pressed, pressed but not ground, and ground but not packed into molds. The leaves begin to yellow, losing more than half of their color and flavor. Therefore, tea grower regard favorable weather as a blessing.

Note: Jingzhe (惊蛰) is the third of the twenty-four solar terms (节气) in the traditional Chinese calendar, marking the arrival of early spring. The name, meaning “the awakening of insects,” refers to the first spring thunder believed to stir dormant life from winter rest. Agriculturally, it signals warming temperatures and seasonal rains, a key moment for plowing, sowing, and renewed growth.

Chapter Three: On Plucking and Selection

撷茶以黎明，见日则止。用爪断芽，不以指揉，虑气汗熏渍；茶不鲜洁。故茶工多以新汲水自随，得芽则投诸水。凡牙如雀舌谷粒者为斗品，一枪一旗为拣芽，一枪二旗为次之，余斯为下。茶之始芽萌则有白合，既撷则有乌带，白合不去害茶味，乌带不去害茶色。

Tea is plucked at dawn before sunrise. The tea buds should be severed with fingernails, and not rubbed with finder tips. Body heat and sweat could contaminate the leaves. Tea workers often carry freshly drawn well water with them. As soon as tea buds are plucked, they are placed in water.

Tea leaves shaped like sparrow tongues or grains of millet are classified as Dou-grade, the finest kind. “One spear and one banner” refers to one bud and one leaf, and it is classified as Jianya, the next best. “One spear and two banners” denotes one bud and two leaves, ranking one step below. All other kinds are inferior.

When buds first emerges, it may bear twin clasping leaves known as Baihe. Once plucked, a small stem collar remains at its base, known as Wudai. If the Baihe are not removed, they impair the flavor of the tea; if the Wudai is not removed, it impairs the color.

Chapter Four: On Steaming and Pressing

茶之美恶、尤系于蒸芽压黄之得失。蒸太生则芽滑，故色清而味烈。过熟则芽烂，故茶色赤而不胶。压久则气竭味漓，不及则色暗昧涩。蒸芽欲及熟而香，压黄欲膏尽亟止。如此，则制造之功，十已得七、八矣。

Above all, the quality of tea depends on how the leaves are steamed and pressed until they turn yellow. Understeamed leaves remain slick and unset. The resulting liquor would appear clear with a harsh flavor. Oversteamed leaves can break down in to pieces. The tea turns reddish and does not bind properly in the mold. If pressed for too long, the tea’s essence is depleted, and its aroma and flavor grow flat. Insufficiently pressed tea, on the other hand, tends to have a dull color and an astringent taste. The leaves should be steamed just to the point of doneness, preserving their aroma. Pressing should continue until the moisture is fully expelled, and stop immediately thereafter. If done properly, seventy or eighty percent of the craft is accomplished.

Comment: Remarkably, a great deal of chemical drama unfolds during steaming, a process Song artisans mastered centuries before the language of chemistry existed. Heat rapidly denatures enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase, halting the oxidation of catechins that would otherwise darken the leaf and sharpen its taste. If the steaming is insufficient, those enzymes remain active, and the yellowing Huizong noted begins at the molecular level. For a deeper discussion of catechin oxidation and pigment stability, see the chapters on Polyphenols and Pigments in my The Hidden Chemistry of Tea.

Steaming softens the architecture of the leaf, loosening cell walls and making its internal compounds more accessible. A measured degree of pressing becomes essential, as expelling excess water concentrates the remaining soluble constituents within the leaf. Yet pressure carried too far can force out liquid rich in dissolved compounds and increase exposure to air, allowing delicate aromatic molecules to dissipate, much as they would under excessive heat. Subtle flavors dull, and what was once full becomes thinned. The difference between richness and depletion lies in restraint.

Chapter Five: On the Making of Tea

涤芽惟洁，濯器惟净。蒸压惟其宜，研膏惟熟，焙火惟良。饮而有少砂者，涤濯之不精也；文理燥赤者，焙火之过熟也。夫造茶，先度日晷之短长，均工力之众寡，会采择之多少，使一日造成。恐茶过宿，则害色味。

The tea leaves must be thoroughly cleaned, and the utensils kept spotless. Steaming and pressing must be done with precision. The tea must then be ground into a properly refined paste. And the roasting fire should be carefully controlled.

If fine particles are found in the cup, the washing wasn’t sufficiently thorough. If the surface of the tea cake appears dry and reddish, the roasting fire was excessive.

In making tea, one must first gauge the length of daylight, balance the available labor, and determine the quantity of leaves to be plucked, so that the entire process is completed within a single day. For if the leaves pass the night, both their color and flavor will suffer.

Comment: Whether before or after steaming, time itself becomes an active force. Freshly plucked leaves remain metabolically and enzymatically active, and even brief delay allows oxidation, respiration, and pigment degradation to begin. In warm, moist conditions, microbial activity can also take hold, subtly reshaping aroma and flavor. Steaming arrests much of the leaf’s internal chemistry, yet residual moisture still permits slower oxidative change and the gradual loss of volatile compounds. After all, given enough time, chemistry moves forward.

Chapter Six: On Appraisal and Discernment

茶之范度不同，如人之有首面也。膏稀者，其肤蹙以文；膏稠者，其理敛以实；即日成者，其色则青紫；越宿制造者，其色则惨黑。有肥凝如赤蜡者, 末虽白，受汤则黄。有缜密如苍玉者，末虽灰，受汤愈白。有光华外暴而中暗者，有明白内备而表质者。其首面之异同，难以概论。

Just as people differ in their features, tea comes in different forms. If the ground tea paste is too thin, the surface of the cake contracts into wrinkled patterns as it sets;
if the paste is thick and cohesive, the grain draws together, becoming dense and finely compact. Tea finished within the same day shows a cool bluish-purple hue, but turns somber black if processed after passing the night. Some tea cakes are richly congealed, smooth like red wax. Though the powder appears pale, it yields a yellowish liquor when whisked. Others are dense and finely compact like dark jade. Though the powder looks gray, they produce an even whiter, brighter appearance when whisked. Some shine with luster on the surface yet are dark within; others possess inward brightness despite a plain exterior. The differences in their outward appearance cannot be judged by sweeping generalizations.

要之，色莹彻而不驳，质缜绎而不浮。举之凝结，碾之则铿然，可验其为精品也。有得于言意之表者，可以心解。 又有贪利之民，购求外焙已采之芽，假以制造，碎已成之饼，易以范模。虽名氏采制似之，其肤理色泽，何所逃于鉴赏哉。

In essence, the surface of the tea cake should be lustrous and even, free of mottling; its texture tightly knit and solid, not loose or hollow. It should feel firm and compact in the hand and produce a crisp, clean sound when broken. By these signs one may judge it to be of superior quality. Some qualities lie beyond what words can fully express and must be grasped intuitively. Driven by profit, some procure leaves from private roasts outside Beiyuan* and falsely claim them as tribute tea; others break apart finished cakes and press them into Beiyuan’s molds.

Note: Imperial tea garden.

Chapter Seven: On White Tea

白茶自力一种，与常茶不同。其条敷阐，其叶莹薄。崖林之间，偶然生出，虽非人力所可致。有者不过四、五家，生者不过一、二株，所造止于二、三胯而已。芽英不多，尤难蒸培，汤火一失，则已变而为常品。须制造精微，运度得宜，则表里昭彻，如玉之在璞，它无与伦也；浅焙亦有之，但品不及。

White tea stands in a category of its own, distinct from ordinary tea. Its branches spread freely and its leaves are delicately thin with a luminous sheen. The tree grows naturally among the cliffside forests and is not the result of human cultivation. At most four or five families have these trees, each with only one or two plants. Each family would harvest enough leaves to produce only two or three tea cakes.

The tea buds are few and far between and especially difficult to steam and process. If the balance of water and heat is even slightly mismanaged, the tea quickly declines into an ordinary grade. It must be crafted with the utmost precision and with exact control of heat and processing. Only then will the tea be clear and luminous throughout, like a piece of uncut jade, unparalleled by any other. A lightly roasted version also exists, but it does not attain the same excellence.

Comment: The “white tea” described here should not be confused with the minimally processed white teas of later Fujian tradition. Song white tea was steamed, pressed into cakes, and prepared for whisked tea. The term most likely referred to rare pale-leaf or naturally lighter cultivars prized for their luminous color in the bowl, not to the sun-withered style now associated with white tea. While the name appears in slightly earlier Northern Song sources, this chapter offers one of the earliest detailed accounts of white tea as a distinct and exceptional category. In doing so, Huizong elevated it from a rare botanical curiosity to an imperial standard of refinement.

Chapter Eight: On Sieve and Grinder

碾以银为上，熟铁次之。生铁者，非掏揀槌磨所成，间有黑屑藏干隙穴，害茶之色尤甚。凡碾为制，槽欲深而峻，轮欲锐而薄。槽深而峻，则底有准而茶常聚。轮锐而薄，则运边中而槽不戛。

Silver is the finest material for tea grinders; wrought iron ranks next. Grinders made from unrefined raw iron may conceal dark particles in their seams and cavities, tainting the tea’s color. A tea grinder should have a deep, steep trough and a sharp, thin wheel. The depth keeps the wheel centered, while the steep sides guide the tea downward so it gathers evenly at the bottom. The thin, sharpened wheel moves smoothly within the trough without scraping the sides.

罗欲细而面紧，则绢不泥而常透。碾必力而速，不欲久，恐铁之害色。罗必轻而平，不厌数，庶已细者不耗;惟再罗，则入汤轻泛，粥面光凝，尽茶之色。

The sieve should be fine, with the silk stretched taut over the frame, so it does not clog and remains permeable. Grinding must be firm and swift, never prolonged, lest the iron taint the tea’s color. Sifting, by contrast, should be gentle and steady, repeated patiently, so the powder becomes a fine, bright green without scattering. Only after being sifted twice will the powder rise lightly in the water, forming a smooth, lustrous surface like porridge, fully revealing the tea’s color.

Chapter Nine: On Tea Bowl

盏色贵青黑，玉毫条达者为上。取其燠发茶采色也。底必差深而微宽，底深则茶宜立而易于取乳，宽则运筅旋彻不碍击拂。然须度茶之多少，用盏之大小。盏高茶少则掩蔽茶色，茶多盏小则受汤不尽。盏惟热则茶发立耐久。

Tea bowls are best in a deep black glaze. Those with fine, clearly defined jade-like streaks are superior. These bowls retain heat and bring out the tea’s color. The base should be moderately deep and slightly wide. Greater depth allows the tea to rise properly and the foam to develop more easily, while a wider base gives the whisk space to turn freely.

Still, the size of the bowl should be chosen according to the amount of tea. When a tall bowl holds only a small amount of tea, the color does not show well. Conversely, if too much tea is placed in a small bowl, there isn’t enough water to work the mixture properly. The tea bowl should be kept warm, so the foam will rise and hold.

Chapter Ten: On Tea Whisk

筅，茶筅以觔竹老者为之：身欲厚重，筅欲疏劲。本欲壮而未必眇，当如剑瘠之状。盖身厚重，则操之有力而易于运用。筅疏劲如剑瘠，则击拂虽过而浮沫不生。

The whisk is made from mature, sturdy bamboo. The handle should be thick and solid, while the prongs are set apart yet springy. The base should be sturdy but not cluttered, the whole shaped like the spine of a sword. A thick handle is easier to hold and maneuver. Firm, well-spaced prongs shaped like the spine of a sword prevent coarse foam, even with heavy whisking.

Chapter Eleven: On Ewer

瓶宜金银，小大之制，惟所裁给。注汤害利，独瓶之口嘴而已。嘴之口差大而宛直，则注汤力紧而不散；嘴之未欲园小而峻削，则用汤有节而不滴沥。盖汤力紧则发速有节，不滴沥，则茶面不破。

The ewer is best made of gold or silver, and its size should be appropriate to its use. How the water falls depends entirely on the form of the spout. The spout should open slightly wide at its base and curve cleanly, producing a strong, focused stream that does not scatter. The spout should also narrow to a small, finely tapered tip, so the flow remains measured and free of drips. A steady, concentrated stream brings the tea together quickly and in proper rhythm, while a clean pour keeps the surface smooth and undisturbed.

Comment: What Huizong describes in aesthetic terms is a matter of fluid dynamics. A properly shaped spout encourages laminar flow, in which water moves in smooth, coherent layers rather than breaking into turbulence. A focused stream delivers momentum efficiently into the bowl, helping the whisked tea come together without splashing or scattering. When the tip is finely tapered, surface tension allows the stream to detach cleanly, preventing drips that would otherwise disturb the fragile foam. The elegance lies in physics.

Chapter Twelve: On Ladle

杓之大小，当以可受一盏茶为量，过一盏则必归其余，不及则必取其不足。倾杓烦数，茶必冰矣。

The ladle should measure one bowl of water precisely. If there is too much, it must be poured back; if too little, more must be added. Extra pours lower the temperature of the tea.

Chapter Thirteen: On Water

水以清轻甘洁为美。轻甘乃水之自然，独为难得。古人品水，虽曰中泠惠山为上，然人相去之远近，似不常得。但当取山泉之清洁者。其次，则井水之常汲者为可用。若江河之水，则鱼鳖之腥，泥泞之污，虽轻甘无取。凡用汤以鱼目蟹眼连绎迸跃为度。过老则以少新水投之，就火顷刻而后用。

The finest water is clear, light, sweet and pure. Though lightness and sweetness are natural to water, such water is difficult to come by. Though Zhongling Spring* (in Zhenjiang) and Huishan Spring* (in Wuxi) are considered the finest by the ancients, their waters were not readily accessible to all. In practice, any clean mountain spring will suffice, with well water that is regularly drawn as the next best choice. River water bears the smell of aquatic life and the murk of silt. Even if it is light and sweet, it is unsuitable for tea.

When boiling water for tea, wait until small bubbles rise in steady succession, like fish and crab eyes. If the water has boiled too long, add a small amount of fresh water and return it briefly to the fire before using it.

Note: Zhongling Spring and Huishan Spring are two renowned springs located in present-day Zhenjiang and Wuxi, both in Jiangsu province.

Chapter Fourteen: On Dian Cha

点茶不一。而调膏继刻，以汤注之，手重筅轻，无粟文蟹眼者，调之静面点。盖击拂无力，茶不发立，水乳未浃，又复增汤，色泽不尽，英华沦散，茶无立作矣。有随汤击拂，手筅俱重，立文泛泛。谓之一发点，盖用汤已故，指腕不圆，粥面未凝。茶力已尽，云雾虽泛，水脚易生。

The methods of preparing dian cha (Song-style powdered tea) are far from consistent. After blending the powdered tea into a paste, pour in hot water shortly. A “still-surface” preparation occurs when the hand bears down too heavily while the whisk fails to drive the liquid, leaving the surface without the fine millet-grain textures or bright crab-eye bubbles. This is because the whisking lacks intensity, the tea fails to rise and stand. Thus the water and foam can not fully integrate. After the subsequent pour, the tea’s color and brightness have not yet fully emerged. Its finest essence disperses, and the foam never gathers into a firm, lasting stand.

Another flawed method appears when the tea is whisked continuously as water is poured, with both the hand and the whisk bearing down heavily. The foam rises, but it fails to bind and instead floats loosely across the surface, pale and scattered. This is known as a “single-burst” preparation. With too much water already in the bowl, the wrist cannot maintain smooth, rounded motion, and the surface never thickens like porridge. The tea’s vitality has already been spent. Water soon begins to separate at the edges, even if a mist-like foam still spreads across the surface.

妙于此者，量茶受汤，调如融胶。环注盏畔，勿使侵茶。势不欲猛，先须搅动茶膏，渐加击拂，手轻筅重，指绕腕旋，上下透彻，如酵蘖之起面。疏星皎月，璨然而生，则茶之根本立矣。第二汤自茶面注之，周回一线。急注急上，茶面不动，击拂既力，色泽惭开，珠玑磊落。三汤多置。如前击拂，渐贵轻匀，周环旋复，表里洞彻，粟文蟹眼，泛结杂起，茶之色十已得其六七。

The skilled practitioner measures how much water the tea can properly take, blending them together the consistency of melted resin. They pour in a circular stream along the rim of the bowl, and do not let the water plunge directly into the tea. The pour should not be abrupt or forceful. Gently stir the tea paste to loosen it, and then gradually increase the circular whisking. Keep the hand light, and let the whisk move firmly through the tea. The fingers move with the wrist in a smooth, circling motion, working the tea thoroughly from top to bottom. The surface begins to lift and swell like gently rising dough. The foam appears like scattered stars and a bright moon, gleaming across the surface. At this point, the tea’s foundation is firmly established.

The second infusion is poured over the surface of the tea, tracing a thin, continuous circle. Pour and lift the ewer swiftly, keeping the surface undisturbed. Whisk with controlled force as the brilliance gradually unfolds and the foam gathers into layered pearls. The third infusion is added more generously. Whisk as before, but let the motion gradually become lighter and more even, circling along the same path until the tea is thoroughly worked through. Millet-grain and crab-eye bubbles begin for form and gather. By this stage, the tea has reached six or seven parts of its full brilliance.

四汤尚啬。筅欲转稍宽而勿速，其清真华彩，既已焕发，云雾渐生。五汤乃可少纵，筅欲轻匀而透达。如发立未尽，则击以作之；发立已过，则拂以敛之。结浚霭，结凝雪。茶色尽矣。六汤以观立作，乳点勃结则以筅著，居缓绕拂动而已。七汤以分轻清重浊，相稀稠得中，可欲则止。

The fourth infusion should be restrained. The whisk may move in slightly wider circles, but it must not be hurried. By now, Its bright, snow-like foam has already come fully into bloom, and a soft cloud begins to gather. The fifth infusion allows slightly more freedom. The whisk should stay light and even, working thoroughly through the tea. If the foam has not yet fully risen and stood, strike to build it up. If the foam has risen too far, brush the surface gently to settle it back into form. Now, the foam gathers like mist and settled snow as it reaches its full brilliance. With the sixth infusion, observe how the foam stands and holds. If small, white droplets begin to swell and cluster, touch them lightly with the whisk, moving slowly in gentle circles. With the seventh infusion, judge whether the tea is light and clear or heavy and turbid. Stop when the consistency is properly balanced.

乳雾汹涌，溢盏而起，周回旋而不动，谓之咬盏。宜匀其轻清浮合者饮之。《桐君录》曰，“茗有饽，饮之宜人，虽多不为过也。

The foam swells and rises like clouds to the edge of the bowl as if about to spill. Yet it circles the bowl and holds fast. This is called “biting the bowl.” Now drink the light, clear, floating essence, harmoniously brought into balance. The Record of Tongjun* says:” Tea has layer of froth on top. It benefits and pleases the body. One can never have too much of it.”

Note 1: Tongjun is regarded as one of China’s earliest pharmacological figures. The earliest written record of him dates to the Spring and Autumn period, 770–481 BC. Although, the original text of The Record of Tongjun has been lost, it is frequently cited in later medical and encyclopedic sources. Fragments of its content survived through these quotations. The text is associated with early Chinese pharmacological classification and emphasizes the medicinal properties of plants, including tea.

Comment: I have often wondered why the Chinese people chose the word Dian 点 for the preparation of whisked powder tea. A glance at the dictionary reveals meanings such as applying in small amounts, selecting, and even illuminating and guiding. In tea preparation, one senses something of all these gestures: the careful use of a precious, finely powdered leaf, the deliberate calibration of each movement, and quiet spiritual clarity this ritual brings to us.

Naming aside, tea leaves contain natural surfactant compounds such as saponins, along with proteins and amino acids that contribute to foam stability. During whisking, these components lower surface tension and help form elastic films around air bubbles. The bright “crab-eye” bubbles and fine millet-grain textures Huizong describes are visible signs of proper aeration, indicating that air has been incorporated into a stable colloidal foam. When whisking lacks force or timing, water and foam fail to integrate into a cohesive network of liquid and air, leaving the surface flat and without the luminous patterns.

Chapter Fifteen: On Flavors

夫茶以味为上。香甘重滑，为味之全。惟北苑壑源之品兼之。其味醇而乏风骨者，蒸压太过也。茶枪乃条之始萌者，木性酸，枪过长则初甘重而终微涩。茶旗乃叶之方敷者，叶味苦。旗过老则初虽留舌而饮彻反甘矣。此则芽胯有之。若夫卓绝之品，真香灵味，自然不同。

In tea, flavor is paramount. Aroma, sweetness, body, and smoothness together constitute the complete flavor of tea. Only select teas from Beiyuan and Heyuan* possess all four qualities. Excessively steamed and pressed tea may taste mellow and rich, but it feels flat and lacks the liveliness that gives it character.

The “spear” is the tender bud at the tip of a young shoot. It retains a woody character with a faint tart edge. If the spear grows too long, the tea tastes sweet and substantial at first, but finishes with a faint astringency. The “banner” is the leaf just beginning to unfurl, and its taste is bitter. If the leaves becomes too mature, it first lingers bitterly on the tongue, but gives way to a sweet aftertaste. Such variations are found in the bud and leaf themselves. Truly exceptional teas, with true aroma and lively flavor, are naturally set apart.

Note: Beiyuan refers to the imperial tea gardens of Fujian, while Heyuan was a renowned private estate in the same region. Both were associated with the production of high-quality tribute tea.

Chapter Sixteen: On Aroma

茶有真香，非龙麝可拟。要须蒸及熟而压之，及干而研，研细而造，则和美具足。入盏则馨香四达，秋爽洒然。或蒸气如桃人夹杂，则其气酸烈而恶。

想要得此真香，一定要把茶叶蒸到熟透再压榨，直到汁水压榨干了再细细地研磨，研细之后才可制成茶饼。这样造出的茶就具备了和美的气韵，新茶入盏即清香四溢，犹如秋气一般清楚怡人。如果蒸茶时蒸气中夹杂有桃仁之类的异味，那茶味就酸烈难闻了。

Tea possesses a true aroma that borneol or musk cannot rival. The leaves must be fully steamed and then pressed. Once dried, they are ground to a fine powder before

The leaves must be steamed until fully cooked and then pressed until dry. They are then finely ground before being shaped in a mold. The resulting tea can achieve balance and harmony. When placed in the cup, its aroma spreads like the refreshing autumn air. If the steam carries a peach-kernel note, the tea’s aroma turns sharp and unpleasant, revealing that it has not been fully steamed.

Chapter Seventeen: On Color

点茶之色，以纯白为上真，青白为次，灰白次之，黄白又次之。天时得于上，人力尽于下，茶必纯白。天时暴暄，芽萌狂长，采造留积，虽白而黄矣。青白者蒸压微生。灰白者蒸压过熟。压膏不尽，则色青暗。焙火太烈，则色昏赤。

When it comes to the color of dian cha, the order of excellence runs from pure white to bluish white, grayish white, and yellowish white. When heavenly timing is right and human effort fully applied, the tea will be pure white. If the weather becomes excessively hot, the buds and leaves grow rampant and harvesting cannot keep pace. Even white tea turns yellow. A bluish white color indicates that steaming and pressing were slightly underdone, while a grayish white color indicates that they were overdone. If the steamed leaves are not pressed thoroughly, the color appears bluish and dark. When roasted with excessive heat, the color turns dull and reddish.

Chapter Eighteen: On Storage and Baking

数焙则首面干而香减，失焙则杂色剥而味散。要当新芽初生，即焙以去水陆风湿之气。

Repeated baking dries the surface of the tea cakes and diminishes their aroma, while insufficient firing leaves the color uneven and the aroma underdeveloped. Bake the tender, newly picked leaves and buds to drive off the dampness gathered from the surrounding air and soil.

焙用热火置炉中，以静灰拥合七分，露火三分，亦以轻灰糁覆。良久即置焙篓上，以逼散焙中润气。然后列茶于其中，尽展角焙，未可蒙蔽。候火速彻覆之。火之多少，以焙之大小增减。

Use a bed of fully kindled charcoal in the stove. Bank the charcoal with settled ash, covering about seventy percent and leaving roughly thirty percent exposed, then lightly dust the exposed embers with fine ash. After some time, set the baking basket over the stove to first dispel the moisture within. Then transfer and lay the leaves evenly inside the basket, so that no leaves are shielded and the heat can reach every corner of the basket. Observe the fire closely. When the baking is done, one must quickly cover the exposed charcoal completely with ash. Adjust the heat according to the size of the baking basket.

探手中炉：火气虽热，而不至逼人手者为良。时以手挼茶，体虽甚热而无害，欲其人力通彻茶体尔。或曰，焙火如人体温，但能燥茶皮肤而已，内之湿润未尽，则复蒸暍矣。

One may test the heat by placing a hand into the stove. It should feel warm but not hot enough to burn. From time to time, gently rub the leaves between the fingers. Even if the leaves feel very hot, it will do no harm. The aim is for the manual handling to allow the heat to penetrate evenly throughout the leaves. Some say that if the baking heat is at body temperature, it can only dry the surface of the leaves. If the moisture within has not been fully driven off, the interior of the leaves will continue to steam.

焙毕，即以用久竹漆器中缄藏之。阴润勿开，终年再焙，色常如新。

Once the baking is complete, seal the tea and store it in a well-seasoned lacquered bamboo container. Do not open it in damp or overcast weather. At the end of the year, bake the tea once more, and the color of the tea will remain as fresh as when it was first made.

Chapter Nineteen: On the Naming of Teas

名茶各以圣产之地叶。如耕之平园台星岩叶，刚之高峰青凤髓叶，思纯之大岚叶，屿之屑山叶，五崇柞之罗汉上水桑牙叶，坚之碎石窠石臼窠叶。琼叶。辉之秀皮林叶，师复师贶之虎岩叶，椿之无又岩芽叶，懋之老窠园叶。各擅其美，未尝混淆，不可慨举。

Renowned teas take their names from the celebrated lands that produce those leaves. For instance, Geng tea comes from the leaves of Pingyuan’s Taixing Cliff, Gang tea is made from Qingfeng Sui leaves grown on High Peak, Sichun tea from Dalan, Yu tea from Mount Xie, Wuchongzuo tea from leaves known as “mulberry buds” in the upper waters of Luohan, Jian tea from the rocky sites of Suishike, Shijiuke, and Qiong, Hui tea from the Xiupi forest, Shifu and Shikuang teas from Tiger Cliff, Chun tea from the buds of Wuyou Cliff, and Mao tea from the Old Hollow Garden. Each of these distinct teas has its own merit, and they are too many to recount in full.

Note: Most of the tea names listed here do not survive as distinct categories today. One exception is Dalan, which remains a place name in present-day Yuyao, Zhejiang, and is still associated with tea production. The other localized designations, however, did not continue as stable commercial categories and gradually fell out of use as processing methods and market structures changed in later dynasties.

后相争相鬻，互为剥窃，参错无据。不知茶之美恶，在于制造之工拙而已，岂岗地之虚名所能增减哉。焙人之茶，固有前优而后劣者，昔负百今胜者，是亦园地之不常也。

Over time, sellers compete in the marketplace, stealing one another’s names, and it becomes difficult to know whether a tea truly came from the place it claims. Little do they realize that a tea’s quality rests in the craftsmanship behind it. How could the mere reputation of a hillside add to it or take away from it? Tea from the same producer may first excel and later decline, or improve after an earlier setback. Such shifts reflect the changing conditions of the soil.

Chapter Twenty: On Private Roast

世称外焙之茶，脔小而色驳，体耗而味淡。方正之焙，昭然则可。

The so-called “private roast” is made from leaves that are smaller and slender, often mottled in color. The tea cakes lack compactness, and the flavor is light and bland. By contrast, the superiority of the official roast is immediately apparent.

近之好事者，筴笥之中，往往半之，蓄外焙之品。盖外焙之家，久而益工，制之妙，咸取则于壑源，效像规模摹外为正。殊不知其脔虽等而蔑风骨，色泽虽润而无藏蓄，体虽实而缜密乏理，味虽重而涩滞乏香，何所逃乎外焙哉？

In recent times, certain people have taken to filling half of their bamboo tea chests with private roast tea. Those who operate the private roasts have, over time, grown increasingly skilled. They have imitated the mold of the official Heyuan roast, so that their tea cakes appear the same in size and shape. These people hardly ever realize that although the privately roasted tea cakes may match the official ones in size, display a lustrous color, weigh solidly in the hand, and carry a strong taste, they lack its character, depth, ordered texture, aroma, leaving behind astringency and dullness. How could these possibly escape the fate of being known as private roast?

虽然，有外焙者，有浅焙者。盖浅焙之茶，去壑源为未远，制之能工，则色亦莹白。击拂有度，则体亦立汤，惟甘重香滑之味，稍远于正焙耳。于治外焙，则迥然可辨。

Besides the private roasts, there are light roasts. Light roasts do not depart far from Heyuan tea. When skillfully made, it too can be translucent and white. If whisked with proper measure, the foam will rise and hold on the surface. It falls only slightly short of the official roast in sweetness, body, aroma, and smoothness, unlike the private roast, which can be readily distinguished.

其有甚者，又至于采柿叶桴榄之萌，相杂而造。时虽与茶相类，点时隐隐如轻絮，泛然茶面，粟文不生，乃其验也。桑苎翁曰：“杂以卉莽，饮之成病。”可不细鉴而熟辨之。

桑苎翁曾经说过:“茶中掺入草木析叶子，人喝了是要生病的。”这一点，喝茶的人怎能不明鉴别，细分辨呢。

What’s even worse are those who mix tender persimmon and olive leaves into tea. These may resemble tea at first glance. However, when whisked, a faint, light fluff drifts across the surface, and the fine millet-like foam never forms. This is the telltale sign. Lu Yu once said :” When mixed with plants and weeds, drinking it can bring illness.” How could one fail to examine the tea one drinks carefully and distinguish good from bad?

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This everyday presence makes Turkey’s relationship with tea feel timeless, even though it is anything but.

Turkey today drinks more tea (Çay) per person than any other country in the world, roughly three kilograms of dry tea per capita each year. The ubiquity of tea today masks how recent this habit is. Before the modern era, tea had little presence in the region. In Byzantine Anatolia, wine and herbal drinks dominated daily life, and under the Ottoman Empire, coffee became the defining social beverage.

The shift began after World War I. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the disruption of global trade made coffee imports expensive and unreliable, pushing the young Turkish state to seek a domestic alternative.

By the early twentieth century, camellia sinensis from China had already been established under the Russian Empire in the Caucasus, the mountainous region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, particularly in Georgia. Turkey later imported seeds and seedlings from this region. In the 1920s, tea farming was formally promoted by the state, and within a few decades, a crop previously unknown to Ottoman agriculture became the everyday drink of modern Turkey.

Almost all of Turkey’s tea is grown along a narrow stretch of the eastern Black Sea coast around Rize, the only area of the country suitable for tea cultivation, where heavy rainfall, acidic soils, and mild winters support gardens on steep hillsides. Nearly all of this tea is fully oxidized black tea. Across the country, it is brewed using the çaydanlık, a double-pot system that produces a strong concentrate, later diluted to taste in the glass. Tea is served almost exclusively in small, tulip-shaped ince belli glasses, their clear walls revealing the bright reddish amber color expected of good tea.

Ideas for Istanbul

Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a city defined by movement. Trade routes, empires, and migrations have passed through it for centuries, leaving a dense urban fabric active day and night. Within this constant motion, neighborhoods take on distinct rhythms. One of my favorites is Sultanahmet, where monumental history sits directly alongside everyday life.

A natural way to begin the day here is with a visit to a hamam, the traditional Turkish bath. At places like Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, heat comes from warmed marble slabs rather than hot air, circulated from beneath the building using methods that date back to 1556. Located between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, the bath occupies one of the city’s most historically dense sites. After warming, scrubbing, bubble washing, and rinsing beneath a high domed ceiling, hot tea and şerbet are served, easing the transition back into the movement of the city.

Depending on where you stay, breakfast may already be part of the morning rhythm. At the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, the spread leaned into everyday Turkish staples. Breads, cheeses, olives, and fresh vegetables are joined by warm dishes like menemen, softly scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers, and sucuk, a garlicky, spiced beef sausage often served alongside eggs. Of course, tea is poured continuously as a quiet constant.

For those interested in history, the Topkapı Palace Harem and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums are both well worth the time and sit comfortably within a walking route. Afterward, the day may naturally turns toward something sweet. One dependable stop is the historic Hafız Mustafa 1864, which has several polished locations across the city and makes it easy to sample classic confectionary without seeking them out individually. The selection ranges from Turkish delight and syrup-soaked pastries to dishes like künefe, and tavuk göğsü, a milk pudding made with finely shredded chicken breast (!). If salep appears on the menu, it is worth trying. Thick, hot, and lightly floral, it is widely sold by street vendors in colder months and often enjoyed alongside tea while moving between stops.

The draw to the Grand Bazaar, for me, has always been people watching and window shopping. Narrow corridors, tightly packed shops, and voices echoing through vaulted passages reflect a long-standing commercial tradition shaped by trade, proximity, and exchange. Within this older structure, tea has found a natural place. Small tulip-shaped glasses sit beside cash registers and display cases, and metal trays circulate steadily through the corridors. These are carried by çaycı, professional tea servers working for nearby tea kitchens or cafés. Shopkeepers place informal, ongoing orders, and tea arrives throughout the day without disrupting work.

After spending time in Istanbul’s denser spaces, I find myself seeking quieter quarters from time to time. Beneath the streets of Sultanahmet, the city’s cisterns offer that pause. The Basilica Cistern is the most well known, with its forest of columns and softly lit walkways. The ancient water storage reveal the Byzantine infrastructure that kept the city functioning long before modern plumbing. If the atmosphere of these underground spaces resonates with you, the restaurant Aheste offers a similar sensibility not too far away. Set in a vaulted space once used for water storage, it carries the same subdued, enclosed feeling, echoing the quiet beneath Istanbul’s streets.

Ideas for Kapadokya (Cappadocia)

If you have a few days to spare, it is worth venturing towards Central Anatolia, particularly the region of Cappadocia. Here, human activity has long been etched into the landscape, with homes, churches, and public spaces carved directly into the volcanic rock and adapted across generations.

I enjoyed staying in this town called Göreme, which sits centrally among many of the region’s major sites. It was easy to find a taxi for the day and move between valleys, museums, and viewpoints without rushing. For a full sense of place, staying in a cave hotel adds another layer to the experience. ooms with windows and higher vantage points are especially rewarding, offering wide views across the plateau and, on clear mornings, hot air balloons rising over a striking landscape below. If you do want to go on a hot air balloon ride, book in advance. In winter, flights are weather dependent, so allowing multiple mornings improves the chances of a successful takeoff.

After a meze-style Turkish breakfast and, of course, several cups of tea and coffee, you are ready to start the day. One natural starting point is the Göreme Open Air Museum, where rock-cut churches and frescoes introduce the region’s monastic past. From there, a visit to Kaymaklı Underground City reveals how entire communities once lived beneath the surface. The earliest phases of the underground city date to at least the first millennium BCE, and the complex is believed to extend across as many as eighteen levels, later expanded to shelter Christian communities during periods of persecution. Today, four levels have been excavated and are accessible to visitors. Some tunnels were carved narrow enough for a single person to pass and require bending at points. During peak hours, the confined spaces can be challenging for visitors sensitive to enclosed environments.

After emerging from the underground, I needed a short pause before continuing. A few steps away is Akın Usta Çorba ve Kebap Salonu, where locals stop in for freshly made pide or lahmacun, simple and quick. Tea is served on the house, an easy reset before heading back out.

Heading back towards Göreme, you can stop by the Uçhisar Castle, the highest point of Cappadocia. Carved directly into the highest point of the region, Uçhisar Castle functioned for centuries as a strategic fortress and shelter, overlooking the valleys of Cappadocia. You can hike all the way to the top!

After a full day of moving through stone and history, dinner on higher ground feels fitting. Happena Restaurant serves regional Anatolian dishes in a quiet hilltop setting, with wide views across the valleys as the light fades.

My second day in Cappadocia unfold more slowly. The Zelve Open Air Museum feels more expansive and less structured, with abandoned dwellings scattered across a wide valley. For another castle experience, drive up to Ortahisar Panorama. The cafe offers another perspective on how closely daily life here has always been tied to the rock itself.

In Cappadocia, tea appears again in familiar glasses, served in hotel courtyards and small cafés, unchanged by the landscape around it. Against the vastness of Central Anatolia, that small continuity becomes especially noticeable, grounding the experience in a rhythm carried from city to stone and back again.

For tea lovers, Turkey offers a different kind of experience. These itineraries have no plantations to visit and no formal tastings to seek out. Instead, tea appears again and again, brewed the same way, served in the same small glasses, woven quietly into daily life. You encounter it on ferries, in markets, after meals, between long walks through history, and often late into the night.

That repetition is part of the beauty of traveling here. Turkey reveals extraordinary layers of human history and a dense blending of cultures, from Byzantine infrastructure to Ottoman streets and Anatolian landscapes shaped over centuries. Tea does not stand apart from any of it. It moves alongside daily life, steady and unremarkable, offering a simple continuity as you move from place to place.

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Longjing tea comes from the hills around Hangzhou, and once you are there, it quickly becomes clear that the city grew up around it. The tea fields spill down toward West Lake, temples sit just above the terraces, and narrow paths wind through villages that still smell faintly of roasted leaves in spring.

Longjing is not just something to taste here. It gives structure to the landscape and a rhythm to daily life. For centuries, these hills supplied tea to monks, scholars, and emperors, and the same routes once used to move tea now make some of the most rewarding walks in the city. Along the way, you will find tea houses tucked beside the lake or hidden in the hills, places meant for lingering.

In this article, I put together tea-centered hikes and walks that move through Hangzhou’s history. It focuses on beautiful tea fields, relaxed tea houses, and the stories that connect them. At the end, I include a simplified itinerary with maps, and I list the local Chinese names for each stop, which is especially helpful if you prefer using Chinese map apps for route planning.

I will continue to update this guide as I discover more tea walks around Hangzhou, so feel free to subscribe if you would like to follow along as new routes are added.

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1. Longjing Village (2 – 3 hrs)

2. Tiger Spring to Misty Village (4 – 5 hours)

3. Baoshi Mountain (~1 hour)

Longjing Village (2 – 3 hrs)

Traditionally, West Lake Longjing tea was described as having five production categories: Shi 狮 (Lion), Long 龙 (Dragon), Yun 云 (Cloud), Hu 虎 (Tiger), and Mei 梅 (Plum). The modern day system groups Mei 梅 together with Yun 云, leaving four officially recognized production areas used today for geographic indication and labeling. The first route I share below focuses on three of these tea production areas, Shi 狮 (Lion), Long 龙 (Dragon), and Mei 梅 (Plum)/Yun 云 (Cloud), and it would take around 2 – 3 hours depending on your pace.

Meijiawu Village 梅家坞村 sits on the western side of West Lake and is one of the largest and most active Longjing tea producing villages in Hangzhou. Tea has been grown here for centuries, and today the hills surrounding the village are almost entirely covered in neatly terraced tea fields. Historically, Meijiawu was classified separately as Mei 梅, before later being grouped under Yun 云 in modern usage. Beyond the tea fields, the village is lined with casual tea houses and local restaurants, making it an easy and comfortable place to start the day before heading into the hills.

We will begin the hike by navigating to the [1] Meijiawu Village 梅家坞村 bus stop. There is a memorial arch that says Ten Li Langdang Ridge 十里琅珰.

Ten Li Langdang Ridge 十里琅珰 takes its name from the old mountain path, which was traditionally measured at about ten li, roughly five kilometers. Langdang 琅珰 is a classical term associated with the clear, resonant sound of jade ornaments, and here it is used poetically to describe a long, elevated ridgeline where wind, footsteps, and voices carry clearly as the trail winds through tea fields and forest.

This is the path we will be taking all the way up to [2] Sanfencha 三分叉, a quiet three-way junction in the hills that once connected tea farmers’ paths between villages and tea fields. At the junction (red arrow down below), you may take a small detour towards a viewing point at [3] Ten Li Langdang Lookout or head directly down towards [4] the Longjing Village 龙井村.

Longjing Village 龙井村 sits at the heart of the West Lake Longjing landscape and is closely associated with both Long 龙 and Shi 狮 production areas. Tea grown around the village itself falls under the Long 龙 designation, while the nearby slopes of Shifeng 狮峰 (Lion Peak) produce Shi 狮 tea, traditionally regarded as the highest and most prized style of West Lake Longjing.

Today, Longjing Village is an easy place to slow down, with tea houses and small restaurants serving local dishes prepared with tea and seasonal ingredients, such as the famous Longjing prawns 龙井虾仁.

If the day is still young and you have more energy, you can take a short walk from Longjing Village 龙井村 to visit the China National Tea Museum Longjing campus for free. The museum is China’s only national level museum dedicated entirely to tea and tea culture with clear English signage and a well curated exhibition on tea in China and around the world. Check out their website before you go. The museum also has a second campus, Shuangfeng, that is 30 minutes away by foot.

You may choose to do this route in reverse order, but know that the terrain around Longjing Village is steeper and more compact than in Meijiawu Village, with smaller plots, rockier soils, and older tea bushes, factors often credited with producing teas of greater depth and balance. If you end your trip in Meijiawu village 梅家坞 instead, it makes a nice stopping point to rest with a cup of tea or a full meal at Yunjing Tianzhu 云径天竹, a tea house and restaurant overlooking a full sweep of terraced tea fields.

Tiger Spring to Misty Village (4 – 5 hours)

Hupao 虎跑, originally called 虎刨, is best known for its water. Since the Tang dynasty (618 – 907 AD), it has been regarded as one of Hangzhou’s finest sources for brewing tea, especially Longjing. According to local legend, a Tang dynasty monk named Xingkong 性空, troubled by the lack of water for his temple, dreamed of two tigers digging into the earth. When he awoke, a spring had appeared at the spot. The site was first called Tiger Dug Spring (虎刨), using the character for digging, and later evolved into Tiger Run Spring 虎跑, for the two words sound similar. Today, this area is a fitting place to begin a longer hike (4 – 5 hours) and marks the final stop among the four West Lake Longjing production areas, Hu 虎 (Tiger).

Navigate to [1] the east entrance of Hupao Scenic Area on Hupao Rd 虎跑路. After passing a stone tiger, you will arrive at [2] Hupao Temple 虎跑寺, first founded in 819 AD during the Tang dynasty. This temple has been destroyed and then rebuilt many times and is remembered today for its links to famous monks such as Ji Gong and Hong Yi. The site itself now functions as a public park preserving both Buddhist heritage and natural scenery. If you see people carrying empty bottles, follow them to the actual Hupao Spring and taste it for yourself!

Continue along the paved path and follow the signs toward [3] Guiren Pavilion 贵人阁. From here, you get a rare panoramic view that takes in both West Lake and the Qiantang River, with Hangzhou’s modern skyline rising in the distance.

Stepping down the pavilion, continue towards [4] Ma’er Shan Ridge 马儿山岗. Along the way, on the river facing slopes below, you can also spot tea terraces belonging to the Hu 虎 (Tiger) production area of West Lake Longjing. Ma’er Shan Ridge is a three-way intersection, where you will then take the direction of [5] Li’an Temple 理安寺.

Li’an Temple is a Buddhist monastery tucked along an old mountain path. It was first founded during the Five Dynasties period (907 – 960 AD), renamed during the Southern Song (1127 – 1279) after an imperial visit, rebuilt in the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644), expanded to its height during the Qing dynasty. Today, the complex is a wonderful place to enjoy osmanthus blossoms in early autumn and autumn foliage later in the season.

From Li’an Temple 理安寺, take the direction towards [6] Jiuxi Yancun 九溪烟村. Jiuxi Yancun 九溪烟村, often translated as Nine Creeks in Misty Village, takes its name from the way fog and cooking smoke once drifted through the valleys where nine small streams converge. Historically, this area was a quiet agricultural settlement connected by winding waterways, tea fields, and footpaths, with villages tucked low among the hills. From here onward, the route simplifies into a single main path that leads all the way out toward the Qiantang River. You can choose to walk the entire way or hop on a park shuttle from the village (and two stops on the way), with tea fields lining much of the route.

Baoshi Mountain (~1 hour)

If you enjoy an early morning hike, Baoshi Mountain 宝石山 is a great place to begin the day. In the summer, the trails start filling with local elders soon after sunrise, but at that hour the air is still cool and the city feels far away. There are several paths that lead up the mountain, and I will share a route that I have taken many times. This route is about 2 km, short and sweet and can get you to the peak within 20 – 30 minutes. Shoes with good grip are recommended and I wouldn’t go up there during or after rain.

Start on the north side of Baoshi Mountain from Shuguang Rd. 曙光路 near the Zhejiang Library [1]. You will enter through the Yellow Dragon Cave 黄龙洞 scenic area. Shortly after, you will pass by [2] the Folk Culture Park 黄龙洞圆缘民俗园, and you will continue along a small path to the right of the park.

Yellow Dragon Cave has been documented as a religious site since the Song dynasty (960 – 1279 AD). The name itself, however, comes from local tradition. According to legend, a Buddhist monk named Huikai built a temple here. One day, a thunderclap split the mountain, releasing a clear spring from the rock. A yellow dragon emerged and followed Huikai, giving the cave its name. Another well known folk story tells of two yellow dragons living nearby. When the elder dragon brought destruction to the city of Hangzhou, the younger dragon sacrificed itself to stop him by flooding the cave with water from West Lake. A small waterfall marked the place where the young dragon was buried and a carved dragon head was later placed there in its memory.

By the late Qing dynasty, Yellow Dragon Cave had become one of Hangzhou’s prominent Daoist temple complexes, a role that continues until today.

A few steps ahead, the trail enters a bamboo forest. Towards the end, the walkway becomes unpaved. At an intersection, you will see signage. Follow the sign for [3] Chuyang Platform 初阳台. You may then follow the signs toward [6] Baochu Pagoda 保俶塔.

The name of the Chuyang Platform simply means the platform of the first sun. It can be traced back to the Eastern Jin dynasty (317 – 420 AD). The legend has it that the platform was built by the Daoist master Ge Hong for alchemy. By the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, written records already described it as Hangzhou’s finest viewpoint for watching the sunrise.

On the way, you will first pass [4] the Baopu Daoist Temple 抱朴道院 and then [5] Hama Peak 蛤蟆峰, where you can drink in the panoramic view of the entire West Lake.

Baopu Daoist Temple 抱朴道院 is also closely associated with the Daoist scholar and alchemist Ge Hong. While no precise founding year is recorded, the site is generally traced to the Eastern Jin dynasty (317 – 420 AD), when Ge Hong is believed to have practiced alchemy and medicine here. What began as a small retreat gradually developed into an important Daoist complex, reaching its height during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907), the Five Dynasties period (907 – 960), and the Song dynasty (960 – 1279). Its growth was shaped by Daoist traditions that emphasized healing, cultivation, and working in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

While [6] Baochu Pagoda 保俶塔 is a solid brick pagoda and cannot be entered or climbed, it is one of Hangzhou’s most recognizable landmarks. The pagoda was first built in the Five Dynasties period (907 – 960), traditionally dated to 948 AD, during the Wuyue Kingdom. Its name, which can be translated as “Pagoda Protecting Chu,” is commonly linked to local legends about safeguarding the kingdom and its people.

Once you are past the pagoda, walk downhill toward West Lake. Along the way, you can stop to view [7] the Baoshi Mountain stone carvings 宝石山造像. These are Buddhist figures carved directly into the cliff faces, most dating to the late Southern Song and Yuan periods, around the 13th and 14th centuries. These carvings are very weathered and are easy to miss if you are not looking closely. They reflect a period when Buddhist practice extended beyond formal temples into the surrounding landscape, turning mountain paths themselves into spaces for devotion and contemplation.

Eventually, you will reach [8] Beishan Rd. 北山路 along the northern shore of West Lake. Turn right and follow the road as it curves gently along the water. Use your map to help find a tea house called [9] Gugong Youxi 顾宫有喜, a small, tucked away tea house that also serves coffee and sweets. It is housed within the grounds of the former Manao Temple 玛瑙寺, a setting that gives the space a calm, slightly removed feeling from the busy lakeside. It is a good place to sit down, rest your legs, and let the morning walk settle before continuing on.

As I explore more of the hills and tea paths around Hangzhou, I will keep updating this guide with new hikes and city walks.

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1. Methylxanthines

   1. Caffeine

   2. Theobromine and Theophylline

2. Amino Acids

   1. L-theanine

   2. Glutamic acid

   3. Alanine, Glycine, Serine, Threonine

   4. Aspartic Acid

3. Polyphenols

   1. Flavan-3-ols, theaflavins and thearubigins

   2. Flavonols

   3. Phenolic acids

   4. Hydrolysable tannins

4. Volatile aroma compounds

   1. Terpenoids

   2. Benzenoid and phenylpropanoid volatiles

   3. Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs)

5. Pigments

   1. Chlorophylls

   2. Carotenoids

6. Saponins

Methylxanthines

Methylxanthines are a small family of nitrogen-containing alkaloids built on a shared xanthine backbone (see structure above). In tea, this group includes caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. All three act as stimulants because their xanthine structure closely resembles that of the adenosine molecule. This similarity allows them to bind to and block adenosine receptors in our brains. Their subtle structural differences lead to differences in potency, and all three compounds contribute to tea’s characteristic bitterness.

Caffeine

Caffeine, the most widely consumed psychoactive substance globally, is a bitter-tasting molecule naturally synthesized by the tea plant.

Contrary to the common belief that black tea contains less caffeine than green, caffeine levels do not strictly follow tea type. As discussed in my article on the evolution of major tea types, all teas come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What sets them apart is how the leaves are processed. Because caffeine is a heat-stable compound, the various heating steps used in tea making, including steaming, pan-firing, or roasting, do not destroy this molecule, and therefore do not fundamentally change its content in the tea leaves.

Tea brewing is an infusion process that extracts caffeine from the tea leaf into water. The natural level of caffeine varies by the cultivar, leaf age, position on the shoot, and the leaf-to-stem ratio of the harvested material. In addition, the degree of leaf breakage during processing (for example, tea bags versus loose leaf) and brewing conditions such as water temperature and steep time, all determine how much caffeine ultimately ends up in your cup.

Caffeine is highly water-soluble and diffuses rapidly; most of it is released into the brew within the first two to three minutes of steeping. Most Camellia sinensis tea leaves contain about 10 – 40 mg of caffeine per gram of dry leaf. A typical cup of tea prepared with 3 grams of dry leaves can deliver up to 30 – 120 mg of caffeine. In traditional Chinese brewing styles, tea is often steeped for 15, 30, or 45 seconds per infusion, producing lighter cups while allowing the same leaves to be re-steeped a few times. This way, caffeine is released gradually across the successive brews.

While caffeine helps dispel drowsiness and improve cognitive function, its half-life in healthy adults averages about 3 – 7 hours. Even moderate tea consumption later in the day can therefore interfere with sleep quality, which is why tea is generally best enjoyed earlier in the day.

Theobromine and Theophylline

Alongside caffeine, tea contains theobromine and theophylline, both present in much smaller amounts than caffeine and having less effect on the central nervous system.

Both compounds relax airway muscle (bronchial smooth muscle) and have long been recognized for their bronchodilating effects. Theophylline in particular has been used clinically in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma, although at doses far higher than those encountered in tea. From a sensory perspective, theobromine contributes a softer, more rounded bitterness, while theophylline, present only in trace amounts, has little direct impact on flavor. Together, they play a secondary role, subtly shaping tea’s bitterness and physiological profile without defining it.

Amino Acids

All known life depends on amino acids, and the tea plant Camellia sinensis is no different. In tea, these small molecules play an outsized role in shaping sweetness, umami, and overall mouthfeel.

L-theanine

L-theanine is an amino acid that won’t be part of any proteins but gives tea part of its smooth, umami character. It is a distinctive compound found almost exclusively in Camellia sinensis, with only trace amounts detected in a few mushroom species.

L-theanine is made in the roots of the tea plants and then transported upward through the xylem (plant’s plumbing system) to young shoots and buds. Besides the cultivar and leaf maturity, light exposure strongly influences the abundance of this chemical. Cultivation in shaded conditions significantly increases L-theanine levels in the leaves.

Unlike caffeine, L-theanine changes in response to different steps of tea preparation. The initial enzyme inactivation through steaming or pan-firing at 100-120 °C has little effect on this compound. However, roasting at over 150 °C can markedly reduce L-theanine through Maillard reactions. Amino acids and sugars react to form melanoidin, the brown molecule that gives tea its nutty or caramel notes. During the production of some teas such as oolong, leaves undergo withering and rolling, which exposes internal tissues and leads to leaching and partial breakdown of L-theanine. As a result, you might find 10-30 mg of L-theanine in 5 g of dry green tea leaves, but very little in the same amount of aged Pu’er.

Several small randomized trials have reported that L-theanine can promote relaxation and reduce stress without causing drowsiness. When taken together with caffeine, it appears to further enhance attention and reaction time. While supplement makers like to advertise L-theanine’s ability to support the immune function and reducing inflammation, evidence from well-designed double-blind, randomized trials remains limited and inconclusive.

Glutamic acid

Glutamic acid is another free amino acid in tea that contributes to umami, though in a more direct and sharper way than L-theanine. Yes, this is the same glutamate that gives the flavor enhancer, MSG, its umami taste! While L-theanine provides a smooth, lingering savoriness, glutamic acid adds a straightforward savory note that can be perceived as brothy or soup-like at higher concentrations.

Young leaves tend to contain more glutamic acid, and shaded cultivation can modestly increase its levels by favoring nitrogen-rich metabolites. In tea processing, glutamic acid is relatively stable during steaming or pan firing, but extended withering, oxidation, and roasting can reduce its presence as it participates in browning reactions or is lost through leaching.

In most teas, glutamic acid does not stand out on its own. Instead, it works alongside L-theanine and other amino acids to deepen umami and soften bitterness, contributing to the savory backbone that is especially noticeable in high quality green teas and lightly oxidized oolongs.

Alanine, Glycine, Serine, Threonine

Tea also contains several free amino acids that contribute subtle sweetness and smoothness. The most relevant are alanine, serine, glycine, and threonine. Rather than tasting sweet on their own, these amino acids soften bitterness and astringency, giving tea a rounder and more balanced mouthfeel.

Alanine is the most important of this group and provides a mild, clean sweetness, especially in high-quality green teas and lightly oxidized oolongs. Serine and threonine contribute gentle sweetness and smoothness, while glycine plays a minor supporting role due to its low abundance. Their levels are highest in young leaves and shaded teas and tend to decline with heavier processing and roasting as they are lost or transformed during tea-making.

Aspartic Acid

Aspartic acid is the primary amino acid in tea associated with sourness. Compared with glutamic acid, it is less savory and more directly acidic. In brewed tea, it can add a faint sharpness, even though its concentration is usually low. (For the chemistry geeks, this is because the side-chain carboxyl group of glutamic acid has a higher pKa than that of aspartic acid. As a result, aspartic acid donates protons more readily at the mildly acidic pH of tea, typically around pH 5 to 6.)

In most teas, aspartic acid does not stand out on its own. Its contribution is subtle, adding a slight edge or brightness rather than overt sourness. This effect is more noticeable in later harvests and older leaves, where the balance of amino acids shifts away from sweetness and umami.

Aspartic acid is relatively stable during green tea processing steps such as steaming or pan firing. During prolonged withering, oxidation, and roasting, its sensory impact tends to fade as other taste active compounds become more prominent. As a result, aspartic acid plays a minor but balancing role, fine tuning acidity rather than defining the flavor profile of tea.

Polyphenols

Polyphenols really sound like a chemist’s word, but they are actually a large group of natural molecules that plants make to protect themselves against insects, microbes, and UV light. The term phenol refers to a chemical structure where a hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to an aromatic benzenoid ring (see example above with various -OHs around three hexagons). For us tea drinkers, these same compounds give much of tea’s taste, mouthfeel as well as color.

Flavan-3-ols, theaflavins and thearubigins

Under the umbrella of polyphenols, flavan-3-ols share a three-ring backbone (see above). That same structure forms the backbone of tea chemistry.

The four major flavan-3-ols are epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Together, they account for around 10% of the dry weight of tea leaves. Among them, EGCG and ECG are found in particularly high abundance in tea and are often used as chemical markers to authenticate tea extracts. Their abundance in tea varies with cultivar, leaf maturity, light exposure as well as season, reflecting how the plant balances growth and defense under different conditions.

Flavan-3-ols are the source of much of tea’s bitterness and astringency. These molecules bind to proteins in saliva, tightening our mouth’s tissues and creating the dry sensation that lingers on the tongue. As early as 659 CE, the Tang court pharmacopeia Xin Xiu Ben Cao recorded that tea picked in autumn is more bitter, an observation that aligns neatly with what we know about the seasonal chemistry of tea! These same polyphenols also help reduce the perception of greasiness after a meal. Fatty foods coat the tongue and dull taste receptors, and polyphenols can interact with that oily film, breaking up the sensation and making the mouth feel cleaner.

Speaking of season, the color of tea owes much to what happens to flavan-3-ols after harvest. In living tea leaves, these molecules are colorless. After the leaves are plucked from the tree and especially when the leaves are rolled and bruised, an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) comes into contact with these flavan-3-ols and oxygen. Much like how a banana bruises and turns brown, the oxidized flavan-3-ols form theaflavins, which give tea liquor its bright golden-orange hue.

As oxidation continues, these theaflavins polymerize into thearubigins, deepening the color toward reddish brown and softening the astringency. Because thearubigins are heterogeneous polymers rather than a single defined compound, their exact molecular structure remains undetermined despite decades of research.

In contrast, green tea processing begins with a step called shaqing 杀青, which literally means “arresting the green”. This step involves briefly heating the freshly picked leaves, either by steaming (traditional method used before the 1300s in China) or pan firing (the modern approach) to inactivate polyphenol oxidase. By halting the enzyme’s activity, shaqing prevents the oxidation of flavan-3-ols, preserving their colorless state and allowing the leaves natural green color to shine through. As a result, green teas also taste brisker and more astringent than oxidized teas.

Flavonols

These compounds should not be confused with the flavan-3-ols we just discussed, even though their structures are similar and their names sound alike. Some of the major flavonols in tea are quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. Tea is highlighted here because these compounds are also prevalent in fruits and vegetables.

These compounds are produced directly in the tea leaves as part of their defense system against UV light. As a result, their levels are strongly influenced by sunlight exposure. Buds and young leaves grown under full sun tend to accumulate more flavonols than those on shaded plants.

Interestingly, most flavonols in tea are stored as glycosides, meaning a sugar unit is attached to the flavonol backbone. Attaching a sugar makes flavonols much easier to dissolve in water than their original, unsugared forms, while also protecting them from premature oxidation. The sugar attachment softens the intrinsic bitterness of the parent flavonols. Still, during brewing these ‘sweetened’ flavonols dissolve more slowly than flavan-3-ols, and therefore their impact on the overall flavor profile is modest and easily overshadowed by the stronger astringency of catechins.

Flavonols have been studied widely for their potential health benefits. As antioxidants, many studies point to their ability to modulate inflammation and protect cells from oxidative stress, therefore having a positive effect on diseases including cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, various cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders. It’s worth noting that while these compounds are generally considered safe to consume, high-quality clinical trials capable of demonstrating clear and consistent benefits remain limited.

Phenolic acids

Phenolic acids are much smaller than other polyphenols. In tea, the most common phenolic acids are gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and p-coumaric acid.

These molecules are produced in the leaves as part of the plant’s general stress response. Their levels reflect a combination of genetics, leaf age, and environmental factors such as sunlight and temperature. Gallic acid in particular plays a central role in tea chemistry because it forms the gallate group seen in many catechins, including EGCG and ECG. During processing, some oxidation of gallated catechins can release free gallic acid, which is why black teas often contain higher amounts of it.

Compared with other polyphenols, phenolic acids contribute less to bitterness and astringency, and add only a faint tart or sharp edge. This is not the clear sourness you would experience with citric acid in a lemon, but rather a light tightening effect on the palate. While these acids have a mild flavor themselves, their more important sensory roles are indirect. They influence color development as well as taste through their interaction with oxidized flavan-3-ols (see section above).

Phenolic acids are abundant in many fruits, grains, and vegetables, so tea is only one dietary source among many. They too are widely studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (I am sensing a theme here), although they occur in tea at significantly lower levels compared with the flavonols.

Hydrolysable tannins

Hydrolysable tannins are another group of tea polyphenols, although they occur at much lower levels than all categories discussed above. They are larger molecules built from a central sugar, usually glucose, that is connected to (esterified with) several phenolic acids. When exposed to heat, acid, base, or certain enzymes, these ester bonds can break apart. This susceptibility to breakage is why they are called hydrolyzable.

Two main families are found in tea. Gallotannins are formed when multiple gallic acid units attach to a glucose core. Ellagitannins arise when some of these gallic acid units couple to form larger structures before binding to glucose. When these tannins break down, they release gallic acid or ellagic acid, both of which can be found in small amounts in brewed tea.

Hydrolysable tannins contribute only lightly to taste, adding a gentle drying sensation that is far weaker than the astringency caused by flavan-3-ols. Their chemical significance is greater than their sensory impact. Gallotannins supply the gallic acid needed to form gallated catechins such as ECG and EGCG. During tea processing, oxidation and heat can also break down these tannins, subtly altering the balance of phenolic acids in the leaf.

Hydrolysable tannins are well known from fruits such as pomegranate and berries, where they can influence both taste and texture. Tea contains them too, but at levels too low to define the flavour profile on their own. They are nevertheless part of the broader network of phenolic molecules that shape tea chemistry, from the gallate groups on catechins to the slow release of gallic acid during oxidation and aging.

Volatile aroma compounds

While the molecules discussed above shape much of tea’s taste, mouthfeel, and color, they contribute very little to its aroma. The scents we associate with different teas come from an entirely different group of chemicals known as volatile aroma compounds. These molecules are present in only trace amounts, yet they evaporate and get picked up by our noses readily.

Even though these molecules do not meaningfully affect the nutritional or health profile of tea, they shape much of our sensory experience when we drink tea. They are responsible for the floral, fruity, grassy, or roasted notes that rise with the steam and play a key role in how we perceive the character of each tea.

Terpenoids

Terpenoids are a major family of aroma molecules in tea and are responsible for many of the floral, citrus-like, and fruity notes in both oolong and black teas. Among them, three compounds appear most consistently. Linalool provides orchid, lily, and citrus notes and is especially prominent in high quality oolongs and many black teas. Geraniol contributes sweet, rose like floral notes and and plays a strong role in the perfume of many lightly oxidized oolongs. Nerol and citronellol add softer green citrus, lemony or slightly minty accents.

Besides cultivar, leaf age and sunlight exposure, the process of tea making also impacts the abundance of these terpenoids, as expected.

Withering is a central step in the making of oolong and black teas, where leaves are intentionally rested to encourage biochemical changes that increase the amount of linalool and geraniol. When the leaves are rolled or lightly bruised, as is typical in oolong processing and during the early stages of black tea manufacture, the disruption of cell structure allows additional terpenoids to be released and formed, strengthening both floral and citrus like notes. Light oxidation in oolong and black tea further modifies these compounds and forms linalool oxides that add complexity to the aroma. In teas that undergo roasting or high heat finishing, some of the brightest floral terpenoids decline as they shift into warmer, sweeter aromatic products, which gently softens the high floral character.

Benzenoid and phenylpropanoid volatiles

Benzenoid and phenylpropanoid volatiles form another important group of tea aroma molecules. Many of them trace back to the amino acid phenylalanine and share a benzene ring in their structure. Phenethyl alcohol is one of the most characteristic members, contributing sweet, honey like, rose floral notes that appear in many oolongs and black teas. Benzyl alcohol adds a softer floral sweetness, while benzaldehyde gives a hint of almond or cherry pit. Methyl salicylate, which some readers may recognize as the smell of wintergreen, can appear as a cool, minty or medicinal top note, especially in certain high mountain oolongs and some aged teas.

Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs)

Green leaf volatiles are a group of aroma compounds responsible for the fresh, grassy, leafy notes commonly associated with green teas and lightly processed teas. The most representative members include hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, and cis-3-hexenyl acetate. Together, they create aromas reminiscent of freshly cut grass, green apple skin, crushed leaves, or cucumber.

Young leaves tend to produce more green leaf volatiles and thus have more pronounced green notes, while older leaves often have a more muted profile. Environmental factors such as temperature and water availability can also affect membrane composition and, in turn, the potential for these aromas to form.

Tea processing plays a decisive role in shaping green leaf volatiles. In green tea manufacture, leaves are intentionally heated early through shaqing 杀青 to inactivate enzymes, preserving a portion of the fresh green aroma before extensive oxidation can occur. Minimal rolling or gentle shaping helps retain these notes. In contrast, during oolong and black tea production, withering and prolonged oxidation allow green leaf volatiles to dissipate or transform into other aroma compounds, reducing grassy character. Heavy rolling and bruising initially generate green leaf volatiles, but continued processing quickly shifts the aroma away from fresh green notes. Roasting or high heat finishing further suppresses these compounds, replacing them with warmer, toasted aromas.

Pigments

While pigment molecules do not shape taste, they play an important role in the sensory experience by defining the color of the tea leaves and the liquor, which in turn influences how aroma and flavor are perceived.

In tea, the two most important pigment families are chlorophylls and carotenoids.

Chlorophylls

Chlorophylls give fresh tea leaves their green color and are most abundant in green teas and lightly processed oolongs. These molecules absorb light strongly in the red and blue regions of the visible spectrum, reflecting green wavelengths back to our eyes. During green tea processing, early heating through shaqing 杀青 helps preserve green color by inactivating polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which oxidizes polyphenols and causes browning, preventing brown pigments from masking chlorophyll. Chlorophyll itself is not protected by enzyme inactivation alone, and its stability still depends on careful control of heat. In more heavily processed teas, extended heating and processing allow chlorophyll to gradually degrade, dulling the bright green color and contributing olive or brown tones in the leaf.

Because chlorophyll is not water-soluble, it remains largely in the leaf rather than dissolving into the brew, influencing the color of the leaves far more than the color of the liquor, except in powdered teas such as matcha where the leaf itself is consumed.

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are a second major class of pigments in tea leaves and are responsible for yellow to orange hues. Unlike chlorophylls, carotenoids absorb light mainly in the blue region of the visible spectrum, which allows yellow and orange wavelengths to dominate. In fresh tea leaves, carotenoids are present alongside chlorophyll and contribute subtle warm undertones to leaf color, although their visual impact is often masked by the much higher abundance of chlorophylls.

During tea processing, carotenoids are more chemically fragile than chlorophylls and readily degrade during withering, oxidation, and aging. This breakdown does not strongly affect leaf color on its own, but it plays an important indirect role in aroma formation. As carotenoids decompose, they generate smaller volatile molecules that contribute floral, fruity, and honey-like notes, particularly in oolong and black teas. Like chlorophylls, carotenoids are not water-soluble and remain largely in the leaf, meaning their primary contribution to brewed tea is indirect, linking leaf color and processing history to aromatic potential rather than directly influencing the color of the liquor.

Saponins

Saponins (Latin for soap) are the bubble-making molecules in tea. These molecules act a bit like natural soap, allowing air to be trapped and stabilized when tea is poured, shaken, or whisked.

Their effect becomes most obvious when tea is agitated, and especially in matcha, where the entire leaf is suspended in water and whisked. The fine, persistent foam on a well made bowl of matcha is supported in part by saponins, along with fine leaf particles and proteins.

Saponins have little impact on aroma and only a minor influence on taste, sometimes adding a faint bitterness at higher concentrations. Their contribution is mainly physical and visual, adding a tactile element to the drinking experience and reminding us that tea is perceived through more than just taste and smell.

In Chinese food culture, an ideal dish or drink is often described as 色香味俱全, meaning that it should appeal to the eyes, the nose, and the taste buds. Tea follows the same principle. Its pigments define color, volatile compounds shape aroma, and non-volatile molecules build taste and mouthfeel. Only when all of these elements come together does tea feel whole. What may appear to be a simple cup is, in fact, a carefully balanced expression of chemistry that satisfies all three senses at once.

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In ten chapters, Lu Yu described everything from the origin of the tea plant and the soils where it grows, to the tools, water, brewing methods, and even the moral character of those who drink it. He transformed tea from an everyday drink into a subject of ritual, philosophy, craftsmanship, and self-cultivation, setting the foundation for all later traditions.

The work that follows is my humble attempt to translate The Classic of Tea into English. For each section, I include the original classical text (based on Song edition) in bold, followed by the modern Mandarin interpretation in italics, based on the edition annotated by Liu Yanchun 刘艳春. My English translation appears last, following each section of text, paragraph by paragraph. I also try to do my best to include primary and secondary sources as embedded links to clarify obscure characters, historic figures, phrases, and geographic regions.

I will update this link as I finish each chapter.

May this work bring you some enjoyment, or perhaps inspire your own way of reading, tasting, and practicing tea.

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Table of content

1. Chapter 1 : The Origin (一之源)

2. Chapter 2: The Tools (二之具)

3. Chapter 3: The Making (三之造)

4. Chapter 4: Utensils (四之器)

5. Chapter 5: The Boiling (五之煮)

6. Chapter 6: The Drinking (六之飲)

7. Chapter 7: The History (七之事)

   1. 三皇 Three Sovereigns period (before 4733 BC)

   2. 周 Zhou Dynasty 1046 – 256 BC

   3. 汉 Han Dynasty 202 BC – 220 AD

   4. 三国 Three Kingdoms Period 220 – 280 AD: 　

   5. 晋 Jin Dynasty 266 – 420 AD

   6. 南北朝 Northern and Southern dynasties 420 to 589 AD

   7. 隋朝 Sui dynasty 581 – 618 AD

   8. 唐朝 618 – 907 AD

   9. Miscellaneous

8. Chapter 8: The Growing Regions (八之出)

   1. 山南 Shannan “South of Qinling Mountains”

   2. 淮南 Huainan “South of Huai River”

   3. 浙西 Zhexi “West of Zhe River (Qiantang River)”

   4. 剑南 Jiannan “South of Jianmen Mt”

   5. 浙东 Zhedong “East of Zhe River (Qiantang River)”

   6. 黔中 Qianzhong “Middle of Qian”

   7. 江南 Jiangnan “South of Yangzi River”

   8. 岭南 Lingnan “South of Nanling Mountains”

   9. Others

9. Chapter 9: The Simplification (九之略)

10. Chapter 10: The Pictorialize (十之圖)

Chapter 1 : The Origin (一之源)

茶者，南方之嘉木也。一尺、二尺乃至数十尺；其巴山峡川有两人合抱者，伐而掇之。其树如瓜芦，叶如栀子，花如白蔷薇，实如栟榈，蒂如丁香，根如胡桃。（瓜芦木，出广州，似茶，至苦涩。栟榈，蒲葵之属，其子似茶。胡桃与茶，根皆下孕，兆至瓦砾，苗木上抽。）

茶是(中国)南方出产的一种优良木本植物。树高有一尺、两尺甚至几十尺的。在巴山峡川一带，有主干粗到两人才能合抱的茶树，砍掉枝条，才能采到茶叶。茶树的外形似瓜芦木，叶子似栀子，花似白蔷薇，种子似棕榈，蒂似丁香，根似胡桃树。（瓜芦木，出产在广州一带，叶似茶，泡茶喝味道苦涩。棕榈是蒲葵类植物，种子像茶籽。胡桃树和茶树一样，都是根向土壤深处生长，碰到非常硬的土中瓦砾，才撑裂地面向上生长。） 

Tea is a fine plant native to the South (China). It grows one or two chi tall, and some times reaching several tens of chi tall (1 chi ≈ 30 cm). In the Dabashan Mt. and Three Gorges area, there are tea trees with trunks so thick that two grown men are needed to encircle them, and so tall that their branches must be cut down to reach the leaves. The tea tree’s form resembles that of the gualu tree; its leaves like gardenia, its flowers like white roses, its fruit like palm, its calyx like the clove, and its roots like the walnut trees.

Annotation: Gualu trees are from Guangzhou; the leaves look like tea, but tastes extremely bitter. The palm plant belongs to the Arecaceae family, and its seed resembles tea seed. The walnut and the tea grow alike. They both send roots deep into the earth, and when those roots strike the gravel below, new shoots rise and break through the soil above.

其字，或从草，或从木，或草木并。（从草，当作“茶”，其字出《开元文字音义》；从木，当作“[木茶]”，其字出《本草》。草木并，作“荼”，其字出《尔雅》。）

从字形和部首来说，茶字有归属草部的，有归属木部的，也有同属于草、木两个部首的。（写成“茶”字的，属于草部，唐代《开元文字音义》中收录了此字；写成“[木茶]”的，属于木部，收录在唐代《本草》一书中；同属于草和木部的，是“荼”字，《尔雅》予以收录。）

In its written form, the character for tea may appear with the grass radical (艹), the wood radical (木) or both.

Annotation: When classified under the grass radical, it writes as 茶, recorded in the Tang text Phonetic and Semantic Glosses of the Characters of the Kaiyuan Era (713 – 741 AD). Under wood radical, it writes as [木茶](a single character that is no longer used), first noted in the Great Pharmacopoeia. When carrying both radicals, it writes as 荼, as documented in the ancient dictionary Erya.

其名，一曰茶，二曰槚，三曰蔎，四曰茗，五曰荈。（周公云：“槚，苦荼。” 扬执戟云：“蜀西南人谓荼曰蔎。” 郭弘农云：“早取为荼，晚取为茗，或曰荈耳。”）

茶的名称很多，一为茶，二为槚，三为蔎，四为茗，五为荈。（周公曾说：“槚，指的是苦荼。”西汉的扬雄说：“四川西南部的人们把茶叫作‘蔎’。”东晋的郭璞说：“早采摘的叫茶，晚采摘的叫茗，有的也叫荈。”）

Tea has five names: chá, jiǎ, shè, míng, chuǎn.

Annotation: The Duke of Zhou 1042–1035 BC once said jiǎ refers to bitter tea. Yang Xiong 53 BC – 18 AD observed that in southwest Sichuan, people call tea shè. Guo Pu 267 AD remarked when leaves are picked early, they are called chá; when picked late, míng, or chuǎn.

其地，上者生烂石，中者生栎壤，下者生黄土。凡艺而不实，植而罕茂。法如种瓜。三岁可采。野者上，园者次。阳崖阴林：紫者上，绿者次；笋者上，芽者次；叶卷上，叶舒次。阴山坡谷者，不堪采掇，性凝滞，结瘕疾。

茶树赖以生存的土壤环境，如果是山间碎石堆积的土壤，就会出产上等好茶；如果是砂壤土质，就会出产中等茶；而黄土中只能产下等茶。种茶的时候，凡是种植技术不扎实的，种出来的茶树极少会有生长茂盛的。应该采用种瓜的方法来种茶。通常种植三年即可采摘茶叶。一般来说，野生茶叶的质量最好，园圃里种植的差一些。生长在向阳山坡上有林木遮蔽的茶树：紫色的茶叶品质好，绿色的差一些；芽叶肥硕像竹笋形状的质量好，而新芽展开像牙板形状的差一些；芽叶的周边会反卷的质量好，边缘平展的差一些。生长在背阴山坡或谷地上的茶树，不宜采摘，这样的茶叶性质凝滞，饮用会导致腹胀。

The finest tea grows in soils of weathered rocks. Tea of the middling quality comes from sandy earth, and the poorest from heavy yellow clay. Cultivating tea requires both skill and care, much like planting melons. After three years, the leaves may be harvested. Wild tea is superior to cultivated tea and tea trees thrive on south-facing slopes with gentle shade. Leaves tinged with purple are finer than those of plain green. Shoots plump as bamboo tips are preferred to the shorter, thin buds. Leaves that curl inward are more prized than those that spread wide. Tea from shaded gullies or north-facing slopes should not be gathered at all. Those leaves are stagnant in nature (a concept in Traditional Chinese medicine), and tend to leave the drinkers bloated and uneasy.

茶之为用，味至寒，为饮最宜精行俭德之人，若热渴、凝闷、脑疼、目涩、四支烦、百节不舒，聊四五啜，与醍醐、甘露抗衡也。

茶性寒凉，作为饮品，最适合那些为人精诚、节操高尚而有俭朴美德的人。如果有人燥热口渴，或者胸闷、头疼、眼睛干涩，或者关节不舒展，稍稍喝上四五口茶水，那效果就如饮用醍醐、甘露一般。 

Tea is cool in nature (a concept in Traditional Chinese medicine). As a drink, it best suits those of who live simply and with integrity. When one suffers from overheat and thirst, headaches, dry eyes, restless limbs, or stiff joints, just take four, five sips of tea. It rejuvenates the spirit like Sarpir-manda (purified ghee) or sweet dew does.

采不时，造不精，杂以卉莽，饮之成疾。茶为累也，亦犹人参。上者生上党，中者生百济、新罗，下者生高丽。有生泽州、易州、幽州、檀州者，为药无效，况非此者，设服荠苨，使六疾不瘳。知人参为累，则茶累尽矣。

假如采摘茶叶不按时节，制作茶叶的工艺不够精细，茶里充斥着杂草枯叶，这样的茶喝完后会让人生病。茶可能对人体造成的伤害，和人参是一样的。最好的人参产自上党，中等的产自百济、新罗，最次的产自高丽。而产自泽州、易洲、幽州、檀州等地的人参，根本没有任何药用效果，更何况那些还不如它们的人参。如果误把和人参类似的荠苨吃下去，就会延误病情。知道劣质人参或假人参对身体的危害，也就明白了劣茶对人的危害。

If tea is plucked out of season, processed without care, or mixed with plants and weeds, drinking it could breed illness. Tea, when misused, burdens the body much as ginseng does. The finest ginseng comes from Shangdang (in modern-day Shanxi Province); the next best roots come from Baekje and Silla; followed by those grow in Goguryeo. Roots grow in Zezhou (Jincheng, Shanxi), Yizhou (around Yi county, Hubei), Youzhou (around Beijing), or Tanzhou (in Miyun District, Beijing) have no healing power at all. Let alone those of still poorer quality. The plant qini (Adenophora trachelioides) has roots that look like ginseng. But taking qini roots instead would delay the treatment of various illnesses.

Chapter 2: The Tools (二之具)

籝，一曰篮，一曰笼，一曰筥。以竹织之，受五升，或一斗、二斗、三斗者，茶人负以采茶也。（籝，音盈。《汉书》所谓：“黄金满籝，不如一经。”颜师古云：“籝，竹器也，容四升耳。”）

籝，也叫篮，又称为笼或莒，是一种竹编容器，容积大小分为五升、一斗、两斗、三斗。它是采茶人背着采茶叶用的。（籝，读“盈”音，在《汉书》中有“黄金满籝，不如一经”之说。颜师古曾说：“籝，是一种竹器，容量四升。”）

Tea pickers carry on their back a basket called yíng to hold fresh plucked leaves. The yíng, also known as lán, lóng, or jǔ, is a woven bamboo container. Its size varies. Some ying hold five sheng (≈ 3 L), others others one, two, or three dou (1 dou ≈ 6 L).

Annotation: The word yíng (basket) appears in the Book of Han: “A ying filled with books is worth more than a ying filled with gold.” Tang scholar Yan Shigu has also explained that “Ying is a bamboo vessel with a capacity of about four sheng (≈ 2.4 L).”

Comment: To keep freshly picked tea leaves tender, the container used during harvesting should be well-ventilated and resistant to crushing. Until this day, people use woven baskets from bamboo or rattan with open meshes to let air pass through.

灶，无用突者。釜，用唇口者。

制茶之灶，不要带有烟囱，这样能使火力集中于锅底。釜，要用锅口外翻且有唇边的。

The stove ,zào, for tea brewing should have no chimney, that would dissipate heat away from the cauldron. The cauldron, fǔ, should have a flared lip to rest snugly upon stove’s rim, retaining heat.

甑，或木或瓦，匪腰而泥，篮以箪之，篾以系之。始其蒸也，入乎箪；既其熟也，出乎箪。釜涸，注于甑中。（甑，不带而泥之。）又以榖木枝三亚者制之，散所蒸芽笋并叶，畏流其膏。

甑，用木头或陶土制成，用作蒸茶叶的甑腰部不能突出，并用泥巴封固好。甑内放置竹制隔水箪子，用竹篾系在箪子上，以便取放竹箪。蒸的时候，把茶叶放在竹箪上面，蒸好后就从竹箪上倒出来。锅中的水将耗尽时，可以向甑中加水。（甑，腰部不需用捆绑，而是用泥巴封起来。）还需用三杈的榖木做成木杈，用以挑散蒸好的嫩茶叶，以免茶中精华膏汁流失。

The steam pot, zèng, is made of wood or earthenware. Its waist should not protrude beyond the cauldron (fu), and the gap should be sealed tightly with clay to trap steam. Tea leaves are placed inside a bamboo steamer basket, called dān, which can be lift in and out of the steam pot with the bamboo strips tied to its sides. When the cauldron dries up, add water through the steam pot.

Annotation: Since the steam pot is sealed with clay on the cauldron, it doesn’t need to be tied down.

After steaming, the tender tea buds should be gently loosened with a three-pronged fork made from branches of the paper mulberry to preserve their essence.

Comment: The final action of loosening steamed tea leaves releases the heat trapped within, preventing residual heat from continuing to cook the leaves. The “essence” Lu Yu refers to is in modern terms, the aromatic compounds, amino acid and other soluble substances would otherwise be degraded or squeezed out if the leaves remain bundle and overheated. I discussed the chemistry of steaming (enzyme deactivation) 杀青 in my assay on the evolution of the six major tea types.

杵臼，一曰碓，惟恒用者佳。

杵臼，又叫碓，用于捣茶的杵臼是最好的。

The pestle and mortar, called chǔ and jiù respectively, also known as the pounding mill (duì), are best for crushing steamed tea leaves.

规，一曰模，一曰棬。以铁制之，或圆，或方，或花。承，一曰台，一曰砧。以石为之，不然以槐、桑木半埋地中，遣无所摇动。檐，一曰衣。以油绢或雨衫、单服败者为之，以檐置承上，又以规置檐上，以造茶也。茶成，举而易之。

规，又称模，或称棬。用铁制成，有圆形、方形，还有花一样的形状。承，又称台，或称砧。用石头制成，假如用槐树、桑树来做，就要把树木半埋于土中，使其不能摇动。檐，又称衣，用油绢、坏了的雨衣或单衣做成。将“檐”放在“承”上，“模”放在“檐”上，就可用来制造饼茶。茶饼压成后，拿起来，再换一个继续做。

To press tea cakes, first lay a piece of cloth on the table, set the mold on top, and press the tea leaves within it. The mold used here is called guī, also known as mó or quān. It is made of iron and comes in many forms: round, square, or shaped like a flower. The table chéng, also known as tái or zhēn, is made of stone, or sometimes of locust or mulberry wood. When made of wood, half of the block should be buried in the ground to keep it steady during use. The table cloth yán, also called yī, can be made from silk, rain cloak, or any worn single-layer garment. When one cake is finished, simply lift the mold and move on to the next.

芘莉，一曰嬴子，一曰篣筤。以二小竹，长三尺，躯二尺五寸，柄五寸；以篾织方眼，如圃人土罗，阔二尺，以列茶也。

芘莉，又称籝或篣筤。用三尺长的两根小竹竿，制成全长两尺五寸，手柄长五寸，宽两尺的工具。用竹篾织成，方眼，类似于菜农常用的土筛，宽二尺，用来放置茶饼。

Pressed tea cakes are laid out on a bamboo rack called pílì, also known as yíngzǐ or péngláng. Its frame made with two slender bamboo rods, each about three chi in length (≈ 90 cm). The body measures two chi and five cun long (75 cm), with handles of five cun (≈ 15 cm). The woven surface is made of thin bamboo strips interlaced in a square pattern, much like a farmer’s soil sifter.

棨，一曰锥刀，柄以坚木为之，用穿茶也。

棨，又称锥刀，柄是由坚实的木料做成，给饼茶穿洞用。

Pressed tea cakes are first pierced with a qǐ, a pointed knife with a handle made of hard wood, making stringing them easier (described below).

扑，一曰鞭。以竹为之，穿茶以解茶也。焙，凿地深二尺，阔二尺五寸，长一丈，上作短墙，高二尺，泥之。贯，削竹为之，长二尺五寸，以贯茶焙之。 棚，一曰栈，以木构于焙上，编木两层，高一尺，以焙茶也。茶之半干，升下棚；全干，升上棚。

扑，又称鞭，竹子编成，用来穿茶饼，成串的茶饼方便输送。焙，地上挖深两尺，宽两尺五寸，长一丈的坑。上砌一堵两尺高的矮墙，用泥抹平整。贯，竹子削制而成，长二尺五寸，烘培时用来贯穿茶饼。棚，又称栈，木制而成的架子，放在焙上，分上下两层，相距一尺高，烘焙茶饼用。茶半干时，升到棚的下层；全干后，升到棚的上层。

Once pierced, the tea cakes are threaded onto a cord of woven bamboo strips, called pū, or biān. This string of tea cakes is easier to move around. To dry the tea cakes, a drying pit, bèi, is dug into the ground, two chi and five cun wide, one zhang long and two chi deep (roughly 75 cm by 2.67 m by 60 cm). The pit is lined with a short wall (≈ 60 cm), its surface plastered smooth with clay to retain heat. During drying, the tea cakes are threaded onto skewers called guàn, carved from bamboo about two chi and five cun long (≈ 75 cm) long.

Above the pit sits a two-tiered wooden rack called péng, also known as zhàn. The tiers space one chi apart (≈ 30 cm). The skewered tea cakes first rest on the rim of the clay wall. Half way through drying, they are moved to the lower tier of the rack. Once fully dried, the tea cakes will be transferred to the upper tier.

Comment: While both used to thread through the holes in tea cakes, the difference between pū (used for transport) and guàn (used for drying over the fire pit) lies in their structure: pū is a flexible cord of woven bamboo, while guàn is a rigid skewer set above the pit.

穿，江东、淮南剖竹为之。巴川峡山，纫榖皮为之。江东以一斤为上穿，半斤为中穿，四两、五两为小穿。峡中以一百二十斤为上穿，八十斤为中穿，五十斤为小穿。穿字旧作钗钏之“钏”字，或作贯串，今则不然。如磨、扇、弹、钻、缝五字，文以平声书之，义以去声呼之，其字以穿名之。

穿，江东、淮南用竹篾做成。巴川峡山用韧性好的榖树皮做。江东把贯穿好、一斤重的茶饼叫作“上穿”，半斤叫“中穿”，四两、五两（十六两制）叫“小穿”。峡中将一百二十斤贯穿好的茶饼称为“上穿”，八十斤为“中穿”，五十斤为“小穿”。“穿”古代作钗钏的“钏”，或作贯串。而现在“穿”和磨、扇、弹、钻、缝五字一样，文章中写的是平声，作动词，表示名词时，则要读去声，意思按去声来讲，但字形要写成“穿”。

Ultimately, tea cakes are transported on a different cord called chuān. In Jiangdong (south bank of the Yangtze River) and Huainan (south bank of the Huai River), this cord is made from split bamboo. In Dabashan Mt and Three Gorges area, tea makers use the bark of the paper mulberry for its flexibility.

Chuàn also serves as a counting unit for tea cakes. In Jiangdong, a string of tea cakes weighing one jin (≈ 600 g) is called a ‘top chuan’; a half-jin (≈300 grams) string is a ‘middle chuan’, and those of four or five liang (≈ 120-150 grams), a ‘small chuan’. The Three Gorges area saw much heavier bundles: a 120-jin (≈72 kg!) string is a ‘top chuan’, an 80-jin (string ‘middle chuan’ and a 50-jin string ‘small chuan’.)

The character chuan 穿 used to be written as 钏, the word for bracelet, or sometimes as guàn chuàn (to string together). As for pronunciation: like grind, fan, pluck, bore and sew, when chuan is used as a verb meaning to thread, it takes the first tone (chuān); when used as a noun meaning a string of, it reads in the fourth tone (chuàn).

育，以木制之，以竹编之，以纸糊之，中有隔，上有覆，下有床，旁有门，掩一扇，中置一器，贮煻煨火，令煴煴然，江南梅雨时，焚之以火。（育者，以其藏养为名。）

育，用木制框架，用竹篾编外围，再糊一层纸，中有间隔，上有盖，下有托盘，旁开一扇门，中间放一器皿，盛有火灰，使有火无焰。江南梅雨季节，加火除湿。（育，对茶有很好的保藏养益功能，故此得名。）

Finally, the tea cellar, Yù. Yu is made with a wooden frame, its sides woven from bamboo strips and then covered with paper. Inside the chest are partitions: a lid on top, a tray below, and a small door on the side. At the center sits a vessel filled with charcoal ash, giving off a steady, flameless warmth. During the rainy season in Jiangnan (the region south of the lower Yangtze River), a small fire may be kindled within the tea cellar to drive away moisture.

Annotation: Yù takes its name from its function: to nurture and preserve.

Comment: This is a fairly rare utility in modern tea preparation. Storage conditions in ancient times are fairly limited. People built such enclosures with gently heated chambers to keep goods dry, books and fabrics included. The Yu discussed here, however, is purpose-built specifically for tea.

Chapter 3: The Making (三之造)

凡采茶，在二月、三月、四月之间。茶之笋者，生烂石沃土，长四五寸，若薇蕨始抽，凌露采焉。茶之牙者，发于丛薄之上，有三枝、四枝、五枝者，选其中枝颖拔者采焉。其日有雨不采，晴有云不采，晴，采之。蒸之，捣之，拍之，焙之，穿之，封之，茶之干矣。

农历二、三、四月份，正是采摘茶叶的时节。肥大、健壮如春笋般的嫩芽，生长在肥沃的风化碎石土壤中，长四、五寸，当它们破土而出如薇、蕨嫩芽时，趁着清晨的露水开始采摘。草木夹杂的茶树枝上生长着次一等的芽叶，有的老枝上长出三到四枝，选择长势好、挺拔的采摘，下雨天不采，晴天有云也不采。晴天无云便可采茶，将采摘的芽叶倒入甑中蒸熟，熟后倒出用杵臼捣碎，然后再放到模型里用手压成一定的形状，后焙干，穿成串，密封好，茶叶就制好了。

Tea is harvested between the second and fourth lunar months (roughly March to May). The finest leaves are called sǔn (shoots), plump single-bud tips resembling bamboo shoots. They grow in fertile soils of weathered rock, reaching four or five cun (≈ 12–15 cm) in height. The tender buds are as delicate as the first leaves of bracken or fern, and should be plucked early in the morning while still moist with dew.

The next best leaves are called yá (buds). They are thin, small, and sprout from the bushier part of the tea plant, where three, four, or five new sprigs may grow from an old branch. Only the upright ones should be plucked. Tea should be gathered only on clear, sunny days, and never on rainy or even cloudy days. After picking, the leaves are steamed, pounded, pressed into cakes, dried, strung together, and wrapped up, and thus the tea is made.

Comment: In Chapter 1, Lu Yu described how the bamboo shoots are prized higher than the buds (笋者上，芽者次). In modern tea tasting, these roughly correspond to the single bud shoots and the bud-with-leaf shoots.

茶有千万状，卤莽而言，如胡人靴者，蹙缩然（京锥文也）；犎牛臆者，廉襜然；浮云出山者，轮囷然；轻飙拂水者，涵澹然；有如陶家之子罗，膏土以水澄泚之（谓澄泥也）；又如新治地者，遇暴雨流潦之所经，此皆茶之精腴。有如竹箨者，枝干坚实，艰于蒸捣，故其形籭簁然（上离下师）。有如霜荷者，茎叶凋沮，易其状貌，故厥状委悴然。此皆茶之瘠老者也。

茶饼有千姿百态的形状，粗略地说，有的像褶皱很多的胡人靴子（箭矢刻着的纹理）；有的像只有细微褶痕的野牛胸部；有的像浮云盘曲聚拢出山的样子；有的像微风掠过河面激起一道道的涟漪；有的像陶匠筛出细土，再用水淘洗、沉淀出的泥膏那么细腻光滑（陶匠淘洗的泥土称为澄泥）；还有的像刚修整过的土地，突遇暴雨急流，被冲刷得凹凸不平。这些都是茶中的精品，属上等茶。有的茶叶像笋壳，枝梗坚硬，不易蒸捣，所以制成的茶饼形状如坑坑洼洼的箩筛；有的像经霜的荷叶，茎叶稀疏，而且改变了原来的相貌，所以制成的茶干枯萎缩，这些茶被称为坏茶、老茶。

Tea cakes come in countless forms. Roughly speaking, some resemble the wrinkled boots of northern tribesmen. (Annotation: Marked with carved arrow-line patterns.) Some look like the smooth, firm chest of a wild ox, with undulating folds. Others resemble clouds rolling out from the mountains, or ripples stirred by a light breeze brushing over water. Some are as fine and smooth as the purified clay, washed and settled in water (Annotation: this clay is called chengni.) Some resemble freshly leveled earth after a heavy rain, ridged and furrowed where torrents have passed. These are all hallmarks of fine teas.

At times, the tea leaves have tough stems like bamboo sheaths, that makes it hard to steam and pound. The finished cakes therefore appear coarse and uneven, like the mesh of a wicker sieve. (Phonetic annotation lí and shī for the word ‘sieve’.) Others are like lotus leaves after frost, withered and drooping, their appearance altered and lifeless. This is poor, old tea.

自采至于封，七经目。自胡靴至于霜荷，八等。或以光黑平正言嘉者，斯鉴之下也；以皱黄坳垤言佳者，鉴之次也。若皆言嘉及皆言不嘉者，鉴之上也。何者？出膏者光，含膏者皱；宿制者则黑，日成者则黄；蒸压则平正，纵之则坳垤。此茶与草木叶一也。茶之否臧，存于口诀。

从茶的采摘到封装制好，共需七道工序。从胡人靴子般的皱缩状到经霜荷叶般的衰萎状，分八个等级。下等的鉴别方法是把光亮、黑色、平整作为好茶的标志；次等的鉴别方法是把皱缩、黄色、凸凹不平作为好茶的特征；最好的鉴别方法是既能指出茶的妙处，又能道出不好之处。为什么这么说呢？因为压出了茶汁的表面就光润，含着茶汁的则皱缩；隔夜制成的色黑，当天制成的色黄；平整是因蒸后压得紧，凸凹是任其自然，压得不紧。这是茶和草木叶子的共同特点。关于茶好坏的鉴定，还有一套口口相传的秘诀。

The making of tea takes seven steps from harvest to packing. From the finest tea resembling wrinkled boots to the poorest tea suffered from frost, tea is divided into eight grades. The poorest appraisers think bright, black, and smooth tea cakes are the best. A middling approach is to look for wrinkled, yellow and uneven cakes. But the true connoisseur can recognize both the beauty and the flaws in a tea. Why do I say that? A glossy surface shows that the tea’s juices have been pressed out, while a wrinkled tea cake still holds its essence within. Freshly processed tea is yellow in color. When left out overnight, it turns black. A flat tea cakes comes from heavy steaming and pressing, while one left to settle naturally takes on an uneven surface. In a way, tea is just like any other leaves. The true art of tea appraisal lies in a secret lore passed down by word of mouth.

Comment: Described in the paragraph above, tea was classified into eight types: the wrinkled boots, the ox chest, the floating cloud, the wind over water, the purified clay, the rain washed earth, the bamboo sheath, and then the frosted lotus. The wrinkled boots and the ox chest are the best and the bamboo sheath and frosted locus are the worst.

Chapter 4: Utensils (四之器)

风炉（灰承): 风炉以铜铁铸之，如古鼎形，厚三分，缘阔九分，令六分虚中，致其杇墁。凡三足，古文书二十一字，一足云“坎上巽下离于中”，一足云“体均五行去百疾”，一足云“圣唐灭胡明年铸”。其三足之间设三窗，底一窗，以为通飙漏烬之所，上并古文书六字：一窗之上书“伊公”二字，一窗之上书“羹陆”二字，一窗之上书“氏茶”二字，所谓“伊公羹，陆氏茶”也。置 臬于其内，设三格：其一格有翟焉，翟者，火禽也，画一卦曰离；其一格有彪焉，彪者，风兽也，画一卦曰巽；其一格有鱼焉，鱼者，水虫也，画一卦曰坎。巽主风，离主火，坎主水。风能兴火，火能熟水，故备其三卦焉。其饰，以连葩、垂蔓、曲水、方文之类。其炉，或锻铁为之，或运泥为之，其灰承，作三足铁柈台之。

风炉，用铜或铁铸成，形似古代的鼎，壁厚三分，炉口上的边缘九分宽，炉内多出六分，其下虚空，抹以泥土。炉的下方有三只脚，铸上籀文，共二十一个字。一只脚上写“坎上巽下离于中”，一只脚上写“体均五行去百疾”，一只脚上写“圣唐灭胡明年铸”。在三只脚间开三个窗口。炉底下一个洞用来通风漏灰。三个窗口上书六个字的籀文，一个窗口上写“伊公”二字，一个窗口上写“羹陆”二字，一个窗口上写“氏茶”二字，意思是“伊公羹，陆氏茶”。炉上设置支撑锅子用的垛，其间分三格。一格上有只野鸡图形。野鸡是火禽，画一离卦。一格上有只彪的图形，彪是风兽，画一巽卦。一格上有条鱼的图形，鱼是水虫，画一坎卦。“巽”表示风，“离”表示火，“坎”表示水。风能使火烧旺，火能把水煮开，所以要有这三卦。炉身用花卉、流水、方形花纹等图案来装饰。风炉也有用熟铁打的，也有用泥巴做的。灰承（接收炉灰的器具），是一个有三只脚的铁盘，托住炉子。

The wind stove (and ash tray): Cast from copper or iron, the wind stove is shaped like an ancient ding (See Row 1 in Figure of 24 Utensils). The walls of the stove are three fen (≈ 0.9 cm) thick. The stove mouth has a thick lip of nine fen (≈ 2.7 cm), with six fen of that hangs inward over the cavity, that’s lined with clay. The stove stands on three legs, each inscribed with ancient scriptures of twenty-one characters. One leg reads “Kan above, Xun below, Li at the center” (from I Ching 易经, says water above, wind below, fire in the middle). Another “Balanced in the five elements, it dispels all ailments”. The third “Cast in the year after the Tang pacified the foreign rebels” (Referring to the Lushan rebellion that ended in 763 AD).

Between the three legs are three openings, with another hole at the bottom to let air in and ashes fall through. Above the three windows are another set scripts of six characters in total: “Yi Gong”, “Geng Lu” and. “Shi Cha”, together meaning “Yi Gong‘s soup, Lu Yu‘s tea”. Inside the stove, tea kettle sits on top of a grating, that is divided into three sections. One bears a pheasant bird, a bird of fire, represented by the bagua trigram Li ☲. One bears a fierce beast called biao, a beast of wind, thus marked with the trigram Xun ☴. The last section is a fish, a creature of water, thus marked with the trigram Kan ☵. Xun governs wind, Li governs fire and Kan governs water: wind stirs the fire, fire heats the water and thus all three must be present. The stove is adorned with designs of flowers, vines, flowing water, and geometric motifs. Some are forged of wrought iron, others molded from clay. The ash tray below is a three-legged iron tray that supports the stove.

Comment: Tea drinking is a spiritual enjoyment. The utensils must be meticulously made and they have to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. One of the earliest depictions of the wind stove discussed above appears in this paining below by Yan Liben (600 – 673 AD, Shaanxi). The scene shows two attendants brewing the tea beside a three-legged stove.

筥，以竹织之，高一尺二寸，径阔七寸。或用藤作木楦（古箱字），如筥形织之，六出圆眼，其底盖若利箧口，铄之。

筥，竹子编制而成，一尺两寸高，直径七寸。有的先做个筥形的木箱，再用藤编外围，而且还要编出六角形的圆眼。筥形木箱的底和盖要像箱子的口一样，削得光滑、平整。

Jǔ: ju is a woven bamboo basket (See Row 1 in Figure of 24 Utensils) that’s seven cun (≈ 21 cm) in diameter and one chi and two cun (≈ 36 cm) tall. Some baskets are made by first shaping a wooden mold in the form of a basket, then weaving bamboo stripes around it with hexagon weaves. The base and the lid are trimmed smooth and even like the mouth of a finely crafted chest.

炭[木过]，以铁六棱制之，长一尺，锐上丰中，执细头系一小[钅展]，以饰[木过]也。若今之河陇军人木吾也。或作锤，或作斧，随其便也。

炭[木过](生僻字如图），用六棱形的铁棒做成，长一尺，头部尖，中间粗，手握处细，在握的那头套一个形似灯盘的 作为装饰，就像现在河陇地带的军人常用的木棒。有的把铁棒做成锤形，有的则做成斧形，各随其便。 

Tàn ? (obsolete character see original text above) refers to a charcoal poker made from a hexagonal iron rod about one chi long (≈ 30 cm). It tapers from a pointed top and a thicker middle to a slender handle, which is fitted with a small metal disk for ornament. It resembles the wooden clubs once carried by soldiers from the Helong region (in modern day Gansu and Shaanxi province). Some versions are shaped like a hammer or an axe, according to personal preference.

火䇲，一名筯，若常用者，圆直一尺三寸，顶平截，无葱台勾锁之属，以铁或熟铜制之。

火䇲，又称箸，就是平常使用的火钳，圆直形，长一尺三寸，顶端平且齐，并没有像葱台、勾锁那样烦琐的装饰，用铁、熟铜制作。

The fire tongs, huǒ cè, also known as zhù, are the common tongs. They are made of straight, round rods (like chopsticks) about one chi and three cun long (≈ 39 cm). The tips are flat and even. Unlike ornate tools decorated with knobs or hooks, these are plain in design, made simply of iron or wrought copper.

鍑（音辅，或作斧，或作鬴），以生铁为之，今人有业冶者，所谓急铁。其铁以耕刀之趄，炼而铸之，内摸土而外摸沙。土滑于内，易其摩涤；沙涩于外，吸其炎焰。方其耳，以正令也；广其缘，以务远也；长其脐，以守中也。脐长则沸中，沸中则末易扬，末易扬则其味淳也。洪州以瓷为之，莱州以石为之，瓷与石皆雅器也，性非坚实，难可持久。用银为之，至洁，但涉于侈丽。雅则雅矣，洁亦洁矣，若用之恒，而卒归于铁也。

鍑 (读斧，或鬴），用生铁做成。“生铁”就是现在冶铁人常说的“急铁”，铸茶锅用的铁是以用坏了的农具炼铸成的。铸造茶锅时，在锅的内侧抹泥，外侧抹沙。内侧抹泥，锅面光滑，容易磨洗；外侧抹沙，锅底粗糙，容易吸热。锅耳做成方的，让其端正。锅边要宽，好伸展开。锅脐要长，且在中心。脐长，水就在锅中心沸腾；在中心沸腾，水沫易于上升；水沫易于上升，水味就淳美。洪州用瓷做锅，莱州用石做锅，瓷锅和石锅都是雅致好看的器皿，但不坚固，不耐用。用银做锅，非常清洁，但不免过于奢侈，雅致固然雅致，清洁确实清洁，但从耐久实用说，还是铁好。

The steaming vessel (Phonetic annotation as fǔ) is made of raw cast iron, known today among ironworkers as quick iron. The iron used comes from melted and recast farming tools. The metal is smelted from worn-out farming tools and recast. In casting the pot, clay is applied to the inside and sand to the outside: the clay gives the interior a smooth surface that’s easy to clean, while the sand leaves the exterior rough, helping it absorb heat. The handles are made square, for steadiness and proper balance. The rim is made broad, to allow for spreading. The belly, or “navel,” is made deep and centered, so that the water boils from the middle. This is key to pure and mellow water as when boiling begins at the center, the froth rises more easily. In Hongzhou (around modern day Nanchang, Jiangxi Province), steaming vessels are made of porcelain; in Laizhou (Shandong Province), stones. Both materials produce elegant vessels, yet they lack strength and do not endure. Silver pots are perfectly clean, but overly luxurious. While they are refined and pure, iron remains the most practical and lasting choice.

交床，以十字交之，剜中令虚，以支鍑也。

交床，将十字交叉的木架，中间挖空，用来放置煮茶用的锅。

The cross stand (jiāochuáng) consists of two crossed wooden beams supporting a flat board with a circular opening in the center, made to hold the steaming vessel securely above the fire. (See the last item in Row 1 in Figure of 24 Utensils.)

夹，以小青竹为之，长一尺二寸。令一寸有节，节已上剖之，以炙茶也。彼竹之筱，津润于火，假其香洁以益茶味，恐非林谷间莫之致。或用精铁、熟铜之类，取其久也。

夹，小青竹制成的器具，长一尺两寸。选一头有一寸长的竹节，把节以上部位剖成两半，然后夹着茶饼放在火上烤炙。这样小青竹洁净的竹液和香气就会从竹子表面溢出，从而增加茶的香气。如果不在山林间炙茶，恐怕很难弄到这种青竹。有的则用经久耐用的上好铁或熟铜来炙茶。

Tea tongs (different from the fire tongs) are made from young bamboo, about one chi and two cun long (≈ 36 cm). (See Row 2 in Figure of 24 Utensils.) Simply find a segment of bamboo with a node, cut one cun above the node (≈ 3 cm), and split below the node. This tong can then be used to roast tea cakes over fire. When heated, fresh bamboo releases a clean, subtle fragrance that enhances the aroma of the tea. Such bamboo can only be found in forested valleys. Some instead use finely wrought iron or copper, which last longer.

纸囊，以剡藤纸白厚者夹缝之，以贮所炙茶，使不泄其香也。

纸囊，用两层白且厚的剡藤纸做成，用来贮放烤好的茶，使香气不散失。

The paper pouch is made from two layers of thick, white Shan-teng paper, sealed along the edges to store the roasted tea and preserve its fragrance.

Note: Shan-teng paper is a traditional handmade paper with techniques originated in Three Kingdoms period 220 – 280 AD. It was produced form wild rattan vines native to Shan Creek valley (in modern day Zhejiang province. The paper is prized for its thin yet durable texture, its soft whiteness, and its smooth, supple feel. As bamboo paper rose to prominence and rattan resources dwindled, the craft was lost by the Ming dynasty. Modern artisans revived the technique in 2016, and the paper is now used in calligraphy, painting, cultural preservation, and restoration of ancient books.

碾（拂末）：碾，以橘木为之，次以梨、桑、桐、柘为之，内圆而外方。内圆备于运行也，外方制其倾危也。内容堕而外无余木，堕，形如车轮，不辐而轴焉，长九寸，阔一寸七分，堕径三寸八分，中厚一寸，边厚半寸，轴中方而执圆。其拂末以鸟羽制之。

碾槽（拂末）碾槽，橘木做的最好，其次是梨木、桑木、桐木、柘木。碾槽内圆外方。内圆易运转，外方不易翻倒。槽内正好能放一个碾磙，再无空隙，堕，是木制碾磙，形似车轮，只是没有车辐，中心安一根轴。轴长九寸，宽一寸七分，直径三寸八分，当中厚一寸，边缘厚半寸。轴中间是方的，手握的地方是圆的。拂末，是用鸟的羽毛做成的。

Grinder and feather brush: The grinder, called niǎn, is best made from mandarin trees, though pear, mulberry, empress tree, or Mandarin melon berry wood may also be used. Its trough is round on the inside and square on the outside: the round interior allows smooth movement, while the square exterior prevents tipping. Inside fits a wooden roller called duo, shaped like a spokeless wheel mounted on an axle. The axe is nine cun long (≈ 27 cm), one cun seven fen wide (≈ 5 cm). It is square in the middle for stability but round at the ends. The roller, duo, is three cun eight fen (≈ 11 cm) in diameter. In the middle, the roller is one cun thick (≈ 3 cm), and at the edge, only half a cun (≈ 1.5 cm). A powder sweep, fú mò, is a brush made from bird feather. It is used to sweep up the powdered tea after grinding.

Comment: During the Tang dynasty, fu mo was made from bird feathers. This practice later spread to Jpan along with Chinese tea culture, and is still preserved today in Japanese tea ceremony. After the Song dynasty, palm fiber brushes gradually replaced feathers in China.

罗合：罗末以合盖贮之，以则置合中，用巨竹剖而屈之，以纱绢衣之。其合以竹节为之，或屈杉以漆之。高三寸，盖一寸，底二寸，口径四寸。

罗合：将筛好的茶末放在盒中密封贮藏，把“则”（量器）也放在盒中。将大竹剖开弯曲成圆形茶罗，再在罗底安上纱或绢。盒用竹节部分制成，或将杉树片弯曲成圆形，涂上油漆制成。三寸高的盒，一寸高的盖，二寸底盒，四寸直径。

Lidded sifting box, luó hé: The sifted tea powder is stored in a box, together with a small measuring spoon called a ze. The tea sieve (luo) is made by splitting a large piece of bamboo and bending it into a circular frame, over which fine silk or gauze is stretched. The box is made from a bamboo node, or from thin cypress wood bent and lacquered. The box stands three cun high (≈ 9 cm) in total with a one cun (≈ 3 cm) lid, and wo cun (≈ 6 cm) base, and its mouth measures four cun (≈ 12 cm) across.

则，以海贝、蛎蛤之属，或以铜铁、竹匕、策之类。则者，量也，准也，度也。凡煮水一升，用末方寸匕。若好薄者减之，嗜浓者增之，故云则也。

则，用生活在海洋沿岸的海贝或蛤蜊等生物的壳制成的匙、策，或用铜、铁、竹制成。计量是依“则”为标准的。一般来说，烧一升的水，用正方一寸的匙匕来量取茶末。若喜欢味道淡的茶，就量取少量的茶末；若喜欢浓茶，就多量取些茶末，故此取名为“则”。

The ze, measuring spoon, can be made from sea shells of conch or clam, or from copper, iron, or bamboo. The word ze means measure, standard, or scale. For brewing, one sheng (≈ 200 ml) of water takes a spoonful of powdered tea that is roundly one cun (≈ 3 cm) across. Adjust the amount of the tea to taste.

水方，以椆木、槐、楸、梓等合之，其里并外缝漆之，受一斗。

水方，用椆、槐、楸、梓等木料制作，内侧和外侧的缝隙都用油漆涂抹，能盛一斗的物体。

The water chest,  shuǐ fāng (water cube) is made from planks of elm, locust, catalpa, or zelkova wood. Both the inside and outside seams are sealed with lacquer. It holds one dou (≈ 10 liters) of water. (See Row 2 in Figure of 24 Utensils.)

漉水囊，若常用者，其格以生铜铸之，以备水湿，无有苔秽腥涩意，以熟铜苔秽，铁腥涩也。林栖谷隐者，或用之竹木。木与竹非持久涉远之具，故用之生铜。其囊织青竹以卷之，裁碧缣以缝之，纽翠钿以缀之。又作绿油囊以贮之。圆径五寸，柄一寸五分。

漉水囊，和平常用的一样，用生铜铸造框架，以免沾水后会附着铜绿和污垢，使水染上腥涩味道。因为熟铜易氧化，会生成铜绿和污垢；用铁会生成铁锈，使水变得腥涩。隐居在山林中的人，也有用竹或木制作。但竹木制品都不耐用，不便携带远行，所以用生铜做。滤水的袋子，用青篾丝编织，卷曲成圆筒形，再裁剪碧绿绢缝制，缀上翠钿作装饰。再用绿色涂有油的绢子做成一种可防水的袋子，用来存放漉水囊。漉水囊的直径五寸，柄长一寸五分。

The water filter bag (lù shuǐ náng), like those in common use, has a frame cast from raw copper. This material resists tarnish and prevents the growth of green oxidized copper or the absorption of foul, metallic odors. Refined copper tends to get oxidized, while iron leaves a fishy, astringent taste in the water. Hermits living deep in the mountains sometimes make theirs from bamboo or wood. However, they are not durable and unsuitable for travel, hence the preference for raw copper. Woven bamboo strips are rolled into pouch, which is then lined and sewn with fine green silk. It is decorated with small jade-green ornaments, and finally stored in an oiled green silk bag. The filter bag measures five cun in diameter (≈ 15 cm), with a handle one cun and five fen long (≈ 4.5 cm).

瓢，一曰牺杓，剖瓠为之，或刊木为之。晋舍人杜育《荈赋》云：“酌之以瓠。”瓠，瓢也，口阔，胫薄，柄短。永嘉中，余姚人虞洪入瀑布山采茗，遇一道士云：“吾丹丘子，祈子他日瓯牺之余，乞相遗也。”牺，木杓也，今常用以梨木为之。

瓢，又称杯勺。有的将葫芦剖开制成，有的则用树木挖成。晋朝杜育在《荈赋》里说：“用瓠舀取”。瓠，就是用葫芦制成的瓢。口阔、身薄、柄短。晋代永嘉年间，余姚人虞洪到瀑布山采茶，遇见一道士对他说：“我是丹丘子，希望你改天把瓯、牺中多出的茶送给我喝。”牺，就是木勺。现在常用的以梨木挖成。

The ladle (piáo), also known as xī sháo, is made by splitting a gourd or hollowing out wood. Du Yu of the Jin dynasty (266 – 420 AD) wrote in his Rhapsody on Tea “Scooped with a gourd”. Hù is such a ladle. It has a wide mouth, thin shell and a short handle. During the Yongjia era of the Jin dynasty, a man named Yu Hong from Yuyao (in Zhejiang Province) went to Mount Waterfall to gather tea. There he met a Daoist who said, “I am Dan Qiuzi (see note below). Someday, when you have tea left over in your cup (ou) or ladle (xi), I hope you will save some with me.” The xi refers to a wooden ladle, which today is commonly carved from pear wood.

Note: Dan Qiuzi (丹丘子) is not a historical person but a literary and Daoist epithet for an immortal or reclusive sage, first appearing in Chu Ci to symbolize a transcendental tea-drinking hermit.

竹筴，或以桃、柳、蒲葵木为之，或以柿心木为之，长一尺，银裹两头。

竹筴，有用桃木做的，也有用柳木、蒲葵木或柿心木做的。长一尺，两头用银包裹。

The zhú jiā, bamboo tongs, are often fashioned from peach wood, willow, palm wood, or persimmon heartwood. They are one chi long (≈ 30 cm), with both tips sheathed in silver.

鹾簋 (揭): 鹾簋, 以瓷为之，圆径四寸。若合形，或瓶或罍，贮盐花也。其揭竹制，长四寸一分，阔九分。揭，策也。

鹾簋(揭): 鹾簋, 用瓷做成，圆形，直径四寸，与盒子相似，也有的作瓶形，小口坛形，用来盛放盐。揭，用竹制成，长四寸一分，宽九分。揭，片状工具，用来取盐。

Salt container (spatula): Cuó guǐ is a container to store salt. The salt vessel is made of porcelain, round in shape, about four cun in diameter (≈ 12 cm). Some resemble small boxes, others take the form of bottles or jars (lei), used for storing fine salt. The bamboo spatula (jie) is four cun and one fen long and nine fen wide (≈ 12.3 by 2.7 cm). The jie is a thin, flat utensil used for scooping salt.

Comment: Yes, people took their tea with salt in Tang dynasty!

熟盂以贮熟水，或瓷，或沙，受二升。

熟盂，用来盛开水，有瓷制成的，也有陶制成的，容量二升。

The shú yú is used to hold heated or boiled water (differs from the water chest described earlier). It may be made of porcelain or clay and has a capacity of about two sheng (≈ 400 ml).

碗，越州上，鼎州次，婺州次；岳州上，寿州、洪州次。或者以邢州处越州上，殊为不然。若邢瓷类银，越瓷类玉，邢不如越一也；若邢瓷类雪，则越瓷类冰，邢不如越二也；邢瓷白而茶色丹，越瓷青而茶色绿，邢不如越三也。晋杜育《荈赋》所谓“器择陶拣，出自东瓯”。瓯，越也。瓯，越州上，口唇不卷，底卷而浅，受半升已下。越州瓷、岳瓷皆青，青则益茶，茶作白红之色。邢州瓷白，茶色红；寿州瓷黄，茶色紫；洪州瓷褐，茶色黑，悉不宜茶。

碗，越州产的品质最好，鼎州、婺州的差些，又岳州的好，寿州、洪州的差些。有人说邢州产的比越州好，我不这样认为。如果说邢州瓷质地像银，那么越州瓷就像玉，这是邢瓷不如越瓷的第一点。如果说邢瓷像雪，那么越瓷就像冰，这是邢瓷不如越瓷的第二点。邢瓷白而使茶汤呈红色，越瓷青而使茶汤呈绿色，这是邢瓷不如越瓷的第三点。晋代杜育在《荈赋》中说“器择陶拣，出自东瓯”（挑拣陶瓷器皿，好的出自东瓯）。瓯（地名），就是越州。瓯（容器名，形似瓦盆），越州产的最好，口不卷边，底卷边而浅，容积不超过半升。越州瓷、岳州瓷都是青色，能增进茶的水色，使茶汤现出白红色，邢州瓷白，茶汤是红色；寿州瓷黄，茶汤呈紫色；洪州瓷褐，茶汤呈黑色，都不适合盛茶。

The tea bowls from Yuezhou (in Zhejiang) is the finest in quality, followed by those from Dingzhou (in Henan) and Wuzhou (in Zhejiang). Next come those from Yuezhou (in Hunan), with Shouzhou (in Shandong) and Hongzhou (in Jiangxi) somehwhat inferior. Some claim that Xingzhou (in Hebei) ware surpasses that of Yuezhou (Zhejiang), but I disagree. Xingzhou (Hebei) ware to Yuezhou (Zhejiang) ware is like silver to jade and snow to ice. Jade and ice are finer and purer. Xingzhou bowls, being white, bring out the red tones of tea. Yuezhou bowls, with their blueish-green glaze, further enhances tea’s fresh green color. Once again, Yuezhou ware prevails. As Du Yu (Jin dynasty) wrote in his Rhapsody on Tea “Among ceramic vessels, the finest come from Dong’ou.” Ou refers to Yuezhou (Zhejiang). The ou-type bowl produced there has an unrolled rim, a slightly curved shallow base, and holds less than half a sheng (≈ 100 ml). The porcelain of Yuezhou (Zhejiang) and Yuezhou (Hunan) is bluish green, which brings out the color of tea leaves, making tea (water) appear pale white with a hint of red. Xingzhou (Hebei) ware is white in color, bringing out the red tone in tea; Shouzhou (Shandong)’s porcelain is yellow, turning the tea purplish; Hongzhou ware is brown, making the tea dark and blackish. Therefore, none of them are suitable for serving tea.

畚，以白蒲卷而编之，可贮碗十枚。或用筥，其纸帊以剡纸夹缝令方，亦十之也。

畚，又叫草笼，用白蒲草编成，可放十只碗。也有的用竹筥代替草笼来使用。纸帊，用两层剡纸，缝制成方形，也可以放十个碗。

Běn (the basket) is woven from white bulrush and can hold ten bowls inside. Sometimes, people use a bamboo basket (jǔ) lined with paper wrap, made of shan-teng paper. It can also hold ten bowls.

札，缉栟榈皮以茱萸木夹而缚之，或截竹束而管之，若巨笔形。

札，把剥下的棕榈皮搓成线，再用茱萸木夹上棕榈皮，捆紧。或用一段竹子，扎上棕榈纤维，做成大毛笔的样子。

zhá is a tea brush made by twisting fibers of palm bark into cords. These are then clamped between pieces of cornel wood and bound tightly. Sometimes a piece of bamboo is used instead, with palm fibers tied around it, forming a shape like a giant ink brush.

Comment: While the purpose of this tea brush isn’t explicitly mentioned in this text, today it is used to gently clean tea wares.

涤方，以贮涤洗之余，用楸木合之，制如水方，受八升。

涤方，用来盛放洗涤后的水。用楸木制成，制法和水方一样，最多能盛水八升。

The dí fāng (translates into rinse cube) is a rinse chest used to collect the water left from washing. It is made of catalpa wood, the same way as one would make the water chest. The rinse chest holds up to eight sheng (≈ 1.6 liters) of water.

滓方，以集诸滓，制如涤方，处五升。巾，以絁为之，长二尺，作二枚互用之，以洁诸器。

滓方，用来盛茶渣。制作的方法和涤方相似，最多能盛物五升。

The zǐfāng (translates into waste cube) is a waste chest used to collect tea dregs. It is made in the same manner and holds up to five sheng (≈ 1 liter).

巾，以絁为之，长二尺，作二枚互用之，以洁诸器。

巾，用粗厚似布的绸子制成，长二尺，分做两块，可互替使用，用来清洁擦拭各种茶具。

The tea cloth is made of thick silk, two chi long (≈ 60 cm). It is cut into two pieces for alternating use. It wipes and cleans all the tea utensils.

具列，或作床，或作架，或纯木、纯竹而制之，或木、或竹，黄黑可扃而漆者，长三尺，阔二尺，高六寸，具列者，悉敛诸器物，悉以陈列也。

具列，有床形的，有架形的，有木制的，有竹制的，也有木、竹兼用制成的，再用漆涂成黄黑色，并且可以从外上闩。长三尺，宽二尺，高六寸。之所以叫它具列，是因为可以贮放陈列全部器物。

The display stand (jù liè) comes in different forms: some shaped like a low table, others like a rack. It may be made of wood, bamboo, or a combination of both. The stand is lacquered in yellow and black, and fitted with a latch to close from the outside. The stand is three chi in length, two chi in width, and six cun in height (≈ 90 cm by 60 cm by 18 cm). The two characters in ju lie literally mean ‘all’ and ‘display’, because all the tea utensils can be stored within and neatly displayed upon it.

都篮，以悉设诸器而名之。以竹篾，内作三角方眼，外以双篾阔者经之，以单篾纤者缚之，递压双经，作方眼，使玲珑。高一尺五寸，底阔一尺，高二寸，长二尺四寸，阔二尺。

都篮，能装下所有器具，故此得名。用竹篾将里面编成三角形或方形的眼，外面用两道宽篾作经线，一道窄篾作纬线，交替编压在作经线的两道宽篾上，编成方眼，使它精巧玲珑，外形美观。都篮一尺五寸高，两尺四寸长，两尺宽，篮底宽一尺，高两寸。

The basket (dōu lán) is named for its capacity to hold all the tea implements together. It is woven from bamboo strips with triangular or square mesh patterns. The exterior is reinforced with two wide bamboo strips running lengthwise and one narrow strip crosswise, interwoven in alternating layers to create a lattice pattern that is delicate and elegant. The basket stands one chi five cun high, two chi four cun long, and two chi wide (≈45 cm by 72 cm by 60 cm), with a narrower base that is one chi wide (≈ 30 cm) and two cun high (≈ 6 cm).

Chapter 5: The Boiling (五之煮)

凡炙茶，慎勿于风烬间炙，熛焰如钻，使炎凉不均。持以逼火，屡其翻正，候炮出培 ，状虾蟆背，然后去火五寸。卷而舒，则本其始又炙之。若火干者，以气熟止；日干者，以柔止。

烤茶饼时，千万不要放在通风的余火上烤炙，因为飘忽不定的火苗像钻子一样，会使茶饼受热不均。应将茶饼靠近火焰，不停地翻动，待到表面出现像蛤蟆背一样的小疙瘩，然后移到离火五寸远的地方。当卷曲的茶饼伸展开后，再照先前的方法烤炙一次。

Never roast tea cakes over a flickering or drafty fire. The unsteady flames are like darting drills, heating the tea unevenly. Hold the cake close to the fire, turning it frequently. When its surface begins to blister like the back of a toad, move it five cun (≈ 15 cm) away from the flame. Once the curled edges loosen and flatten again, roast it once more as before. If the tea is fire-dried, stop when the tea gives off heat. If it’s sun-dried, stop while the texture is still soft.

其始，若茶之至嫩者，蒸罢热捣，叶烂而芽笋存焉。假以力者，持千钧杵亦不之烂。如漆科珠，壮士接之，不能驻其指。及就，则似无穰骨也。炙之，则其节若倪倪如婴儿之臂耳。既而承热用纸囊贮之，精华之气无所散越，候寒末之。（末之上者，其屑如细米；末之下者，其屑如菱角。）

在开始制茶的时候，把那些柔嫩的茶叶，蒸后趁热捣杵，叶捣烂了，茶梗还是完整的，即使用蛮力，用很重的杵杆也捣不烂它。这就如同圆滑的漆树籽粒，虽然轻而小，壮士反而捏不住它。捣好后，达到一条梗子也没有的程度再拿去烤，就变得如婴儿的手臂一样柔软了。烤好了，趁热用纸袋装起来，使它的香气不致散失，等冷却后再碾成末。（好的茶末，形如细米；差的就像菱角）

At the beginning of tea preparation, the tenderest leaves are steamed and then pounded while still hot. The leaves are crushed first, yet the buds and shoots remain. If one merely relies on brute strength, even a pestle weighing a thousand jin (extremely heavy) would fail to crush them. It is like trying to grasp small lacquer tree seeds. No matter how strong the man, they slip away. Once roasted, the tea’s texture becomes soft, like a baby’s arm. While still warm, it is sealed in paper bags so that none of its fragrance and essence escape. As it cools, the tea is ground into powder.

Annotation: The finest powder is as even as grains of rice; the inferior kind is coarse, like pieces of water chestnuts.

其火，用炭，次用劲薪。（谓桑、槐、桐、枥之类也。）其炭经燔炙，为膻腻所及，及膏木、败器，不用之。（膏木为柏、桂、桧也，败器，谓杇废器也。）古人有劳薪之味，信哉！

烤饼茶的火，最好用木炭，其次用火力强的柴（如桑、槐、桐、枥之类）。但是曾经烤过肉，染上了腥膻油腻气味的炭，或有油烟的柴（如柏、桂、桧树）以及朽坏的木器（废弃的瘸朽木器），都不能用。古人说，“用朽坏的木制器具烧煮食物，会有陈旧木材的味道”，确实是这样。

For roasting tea cakes, charcoal is best; next is strong, dry firewood. (Annotation: such as mulberry, locust, paulownia, or chestnut.) Charcoal that has been used for roasting meat, or wood tainted with grease and smoke, must never be used. Nor should decayed or discarded wooden utensils.(Annotation: Oily woods include cypress, cassia, or juniper; discarded plasterers’ trowels fall into the latter category.) The ancients spoke has long spoken about the fuel wood spoiling the flavors. It is indeed true.

其水，用山水上，江水中，井水下。（《荈赋》所谓：“水则岷方之注，挹彼清流。”）其山水，拣乳泉、石池漫流者上；其瀑涌湍濑勿食之，久食令人有颈疾。又多别流于山谷者，澄浸不泄，自火天至霜郊以前，或潜龙蓄毒于其间。饮者可决之，以流其恶，使新泉涓涓然，酌之。其江水，取去人远者；井水，取汲多者。

煮茶的水，用山水最好，江河水次之，井水最差。（《荈赋》中说：取水就取岷江中的清水。）所以，山水最好选取乳泉、石池漫流的水；奔涌湍急的水不要饮用，常喝这种水会使人颈部生病。几处溪流汇合，停蓄于山谷的水，虽澄清，但不流动。从炎夏到霜降前，可能会有虫子潜伏其中，使水质污染，产生毒素。要喝这种水应先挖开缺口，把污秽的水放走，使新的泉水涓涓流入，然后饮用。江河的水，应到离人远的地方去取，井水要从经常汲水的井中汲取。

For making tea, mountain spring water is the best, rivers water ranks second, and well water is least desirable. (Annotation: As the Rhapsody on Tea says “Draw from the pure streams that flow from Mount Min.”)

Among mountain springs, choose those that flow gently or spread over stone pools. Avoid torrents or rushing cascades, for drinking such water over time may cause illness of the neck. One should not use still water that gathers in the valleys, even if it appears clear. From midsummer to prior to shuangjiang (frost descent, see Chinese solar terms), hidden creatures that dwell within can contaminate the water. If such water must be sourced, first open a channel to drain the stagnent water and let fresh springs replenish it. For river water, source it from places far away from human habitation; for well water, take it from frequently drawn wells.

Comment: Only in 1670 did Robert Hooke and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first discover microorganisms under a microscope. Nearly a millennium earlier (around 760 – 762), tea drinkers had already learned through trial and error that water could harbor unseen agents of illness. How clever indeed!

其沸，如鱼目，微有声，为一沸；边缘如涌泉连珠，为二沸；腾波鼓浪，为三沸。已上水老，不可食也。初沸，则水合量调之以盐味，谓弃其啜余。（啜，尝也，市税反，又市悦反。）无乃“[卤舀]”“[卤监]”而钟其一味乎？（ [卤舀]，古暂反；[卤监]，吐滥反。无味也。）第二沸出水一瓢，以竹夹环激汤心，则量末当中心而下。有顷，势若奔涛溅沫，以所出水止之，而育其华也。

水煮沸了，冒出像鱼眼睛的小气泡，有轻微的响声，称作“一沸”；锅的边缘有连珠般的泡往上冒，称作“二沸”；水波翻腾，称作“三沸”。再继续煮，水老了，味不好，就不宜饮用了。开始沸腾时，按照水量放适当的盐调味，尝过之后把剩下的水倒掉。（啜，尝的意思，市税反，又市悦反）切莫因没有味道而过分加盐，否则，不就成了独有盐味而无其他味道了吗？（ [卤舀]，古暂反； [卤监]，吐滥反。没有味道的意思）第二沸时，舀出一瓢水，再用竹夹在沸水中转圈搅动，用“则”量茶末沿旋涡中心倒下。过一会，待水大开，波涛翻滚，水沫飞溅，把刚才舀出的水掺入，使水不再沸腾，以保养水面生成的“华”。

The boiling of water for tea has three stages. The first boil is when small bubbles appear like fish eyes, accompanied by a faint murmur. As it grows hotter, the second boil reaches as streams of bubbles cling to the rim and rise like strings of pearls. The third boil is reached when the whole surface begin to surge and rolls in waves, striking against the side of the pot. Beyond the third boil, water is too hot to make tea as it tastes stale.

When the water first begin to boil, season the water with appropriate amount of salt. Sip and taste it. (Annotation: Chuo, means taste. it is pronounced chuò or shuò in another reading.) Don’t make it too salty, as over seasoning drowns all subtlety, leaving only a single monotonous flavor. (Annotation: the two obsolete characters used here describes bland.)

At the second boil, ladle out a scoop of water and set it aside. Stir the water with bamboo tongs in a circular motion to create a whirlpool. Measure tea powder with the ze (tea scoop), and pour the powder straight down into the center of the whirlpool. Shortly after, when the water surges and splashes with foam, pour the reserved water back in to calm the boil. This process preserves and nurtures the delicate hua on the surface.

Comment: Hua is the light froth regarded as the very essence of the tea (see below).

凡酌，置诸碗，令沫饽均。（《字书》并《本草》：饽，茗沫也。蒲笏反。）沫饽，汤之华也。华之薄者曰沫，厚者曰饽，细轻者曰花。如枣花漂漂然于环池之上，又如回潭曲渚青萍之始生，又如晴天爽朗有浮云鳞然。其沫者，若绿钱浮于水湄，又如菊英堕于樽俎之中。饽者，以滓煮之，及沸，则重华累沫，皤皤然若积雪耳，《荈赋》所谓：“焕如积雪，烨若春蔜”有之。

喝茶的时候，将茶汤舀入碗里，应让“沫饽”均匀。（《字书》和《本草》说：饽是茶汤的沫。饽，蒲笏反。）“沫饽”是茶汤的精华。薄的叫“沫”，厚的叫“饽”，细轻的叫“花”。“花”的形状，像圆形池塘上浮动的枣花，又像回环曲折的潭水、绿洲间新生的浮萍，还像晴朗天空中的鳞状浮云。那“沫”，好似青苔浮在水边，又如菊花落入杯中。那“饽”，煮茶的渣滓在水沸腾时，浮于表面的一层厚厚的白色泡沫，像积雪一样白洁。《荈赋》中说“明亮似积雪，光彩如春花”，真是这样。

When drinking the tea, pour it into the bowls so that the mò bō, the froth, spreads evenly. (Annotation: The Dictionary of Characters and the Materia Medica explain that bo refers to the froth of tea.) The mo bo is the very essence of the tea. The thin layer is called mo, the thick layer bo, and the light, fine froth are called flower. The shape of the essence resembles jujube blossoms floating upon a round pond; and the first green duckweed emerging among winding pools and islet; and scales of cloud scattered across a clear, bright sky. The thin froth is like moss floating by the river banks, or chrysanthemum petals fallen into a cup. The thick froth forms when tea dregs are boiled. As water bubbles vigorously, a thick layer of white froth gathers, pure as freshly fallen snow. As The Rhapsody on Tea says “Bright as piled snow, radiant as the blossoms of spring.” It is indeed the case.

第一煮水沸，而弃其沫，之上有水膜，如黑云母，饮之则其味不正。其第一者为隽永，（徐县，全县二反。至美者曰隽永。隽，味也。永，长也。味长曰隽永。《汉书》：蒯通著《隽永》二十篇也。）或留熟盂以贮之，以备育华救沸之用。诸第一与第二、第三碗次之，第四、第五碗外，非渴甚莫之饮。凡煮水一升，酌分五碗，（碗数少至三，多至五。若人多至十，加两炉。）乘热连饮之，以重浊凝其下，精英浮其上。如冷，则精英随气而竭，饮啜不消亦然矣。

第一次煮开的水，应把沫上一层黑云母样的膜状物去掉，因其味道不佳。之后，从锅里舀出的第一道水，味美味长，称之为“隽永”，（徐县、全县二反。“隽永”是茶味至美之意。隽指滋味。永指长久。《汉书》：蒯通曾著《隽永》二十篇。）这道水通常贮藏起来，放在“熟盂”里，以作育华止沸之用。以下第一、第二、第三碗，味道略差。第四、第五碗后，若不是渴得厉害，就不值得喝了。通常烧一升水，可以分成五碗，（少的三碗，多到五碗，如多到十人，应煮两炉。）应趁热喝完。因为重浊不清的物质凝聚在下，精华浮在上，茶一冷，精华就随着热气散发出去了，但喝得太多也不好。

When the water first comes to a boil, remember to skim off the froth and remove the thin film on the surface. This film glimmers like black mica and would spoil the taste of tea. The first pour of tea is the finest brew, described as “juan yong”. (Annotation ‘Juan’ means flavor, while ‘yong’ means lasting. Together, they describe supremely fine flavor. As recorded in the Book of Han, Kuai Tong wrote a work titled “Juanyong”.) This first pour is sometimes stored in a shú yú (See Chapter 2) for later use, to preserve the frothy essence or to calm the boil of later cups of tea.

The first, second, and third pour each diminish slightly in quality. Unless one is very thirsty, there’s no point drinking beyond the fourth and fifth pours. One sheng ( ≈ 600 mL) of water is usually enough for dive pours (Annotation: sometimes as few as three, sometimes as many as five. If there are many guests, even up to ten, two kettles should be used.) The tea must be drunk while still hot. When hot, the heavier, murky particles settle below while the pure essence floats on the surface. Once cooled, its essence fades with the steam; when drinking too slowly, the same happens.

茶性俭，不宜广，广则其味黯澹。且如一满碗，啜半而味寡，况其广乎！其色缃也。其馨“ [生僻字:必土欠]”（香至美曰“[生僻字:必土欠] ”，“ [生僻字:必土欠]”音备。）也。其味甘，槚也；不甘而苦，荈也；啜苦咽甘，茶也。（《本草》云：其味苦而不甘，槚也；甘而不苦，荈也。）

茶的性质“俭”，水不宜多放，多了，味道就很淡薄。就像满满一碗茶，喝了一半，味道就觉得差了些，何况水加多了呢！茶汤的颜色浅黄，香气四溢（[生僻字:必土+欠] ，音备，香气至美的意思。）茶中味道甜的是槚，苦的是荈；入口时有苦味，咽下去又有余甘的是真正的好茶。（《本草》说：味苦而不甜的是“槚”；甜而不苦的是“荈”。）

Tea by nature is restrained; it does not favor excess. When made with too much water, its flavor turns dull and faint. Just as a full bowl of tea loses its taste halfway through, how much more so when diluted. Its color is pale yellow (xiang). Its fragrance is rich and all-pervading. The ancients called it finest kind of aroma (Annotation: the aroma is an obsolete character, pronounced as bèi). When it tastes sweet, it’s called jia; only bitter, then chuan. When the first sip is bitter and the after taste is sweet, it is then called tea. The real deal.

Annotation: as recorded in the Materia Medica “When the taste is bitter and not sweet, it is called jia; when sweet and not bitter, chuan.”

Chapter 6: The Drinking (六之飲)

翼而飞，毛而走，呿而言，此三者俱生于天地间。饮啄以活，饮之时义远矣哉！至若救渴，饮之以浆；蠲忧忿，饮之以酒；荡昏寐，饮之以茶。

飞禽、走兽和人类都生活在天地之间，依靠饮食维持生命活动，这体现出的现实意义多么深远啊！如果要解渴，就得饮水；要消愁，就得饮酒；要消睡醒神，就得喝茶。

Birds in the sky, beast on the ground, and human who speak all live between heaven and earth. All lives are sustained by eating and drinking. How deep and far-reaching is the meaning behind the simple act of drinking! To quench thirst, one drinks water; to ease sorrow, one drinks alcoholic; to dispel drowsiness and clear the mind, one drinks tea.

茶之为饮，发乎神农氏，间于鲁周公，齐有晏婴，汉有扬雄、司马相如，吴有韦曜，晋有刘琨、张载、远祖纳、谢安、左思之徒，皆饮焉。滂时浸俗，盛于国朝，两都并荆俞间，以为比屋之饮。

茶作为饮品，开始于神农氏。鲁周公时代，已为人所知。春秋时期齐国的晏婴，汉代的扬雄、司马相如，吴国的韦曜，晋代的刘琨、张载、陆纳、谢安、左思等人都爱好饮茶。流传广了，便形成风俗，到了唐代，饮茶之风已非常盛行，在东西两都——长安和洛阳以及今湖北、四川一带，家家户户都饮茶了。

Tea as a drink began with the Shennong (a pre-historic Chinese ruler). By the time of the Duke of Zhou (1042 – 1035 BC)of the state of Lu (Northern Shandong), tea was already well known. In the Spring and Autumn period (770 – 481 BC), there was Yan Ying of the state of Qi (in Southern Shandong); in the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), Yang Xiong and Sima Xiangru; in the state of Wu (Three Kingdoms period 220 – 280 AD), Wei Yao; and in the Jin dynasty (266 – 420 AD), Liu Kun, Zhang Zai, my ancestor Lu Na, Xie An, and Zuo Si, all of whom drank tea. Over time, the custom of tea drinking spread ever more widely, and by our own Tang dynasty (618 – 907 AD) it flourished. In both capitals, Chang’an and Luoyang, as well as throughout the regions of Jing and Yu (modern Hubei and Sichuan), tea has become a drink enjoyed in every household.

Note: Most of these figures were among China’s foremost philosophers, poets, statesmen, and musicians, whose appreciation of tea intertwined with their pursuit of refinement and intellect.

饮有觕茶、散茶、末茶、饼茶者，乃斫，乃熬，乃炀，乃舂，贮于瓶缶之中，以汤沃焉，谓之痷茶。或用葱、姜、枣、橘皮、茱萸、薄荷之属，煮之百沸，或扬令滑，或煮去沫，斯沟渠间弃水耳，而习俗不已，于戏！

饮用的茶有粗茶、散茶、末茶和饼茶，分别用斫开、煎熬、烤炙、捣碎的方法加以处理后存放入瓶罐内。用沸滚的水冲泡，这叫浸泡的茶；或加入葱、姜、枣、橘皮、茱萸、薄荷等，一起煮沸，或扬起汤来使之柔滑，或煮的时候把沫滤掉，这无异于使茶汤变成了沟渠里的废水一般，可这种习俗流传不已，真可惜啊！

For one, there are various forms of teas such as coarse, loose, crushed and pressed tea cakes that are cut, boiled, roasted or pounded before storing in jars. Then, boiling water is poured over, which makes it stepped tea. Even worse, someone people would boiled tea with scallions, ginger, jujubes, tangerine peel, dogwood berries, or mint. They either boil the mixture a hundred times over, or lift and pour the brew back and forth to make it smooth, or skim off the froth while it boils. Such tea is essentially waste water in a ditch. Unfortunately, this practice just can’t seem to stop. What a shame.

天育万物，皆有至妙。人之所工，但猎浅易。所庇者屋，屋精极；所着者衣，衣精极；所饱者饮食，食与酒皆精极之。茶有九难：一曰造，二曰别，三曰器，四曰火，五曰水，六曰炙，七曰末，八曰煮，九曰饮。阴采夜焙，非造也；嚼味嗅香，非别也；膻鼎腥瓯，非器也；膏薪庖炭，非火也；飞湍壅潦，非水也；外熟内生，非炙也；碧粉缥尘，非末也；操艰搅遽，非煮也；夏兴冬废，非饮也。

天生万物都有妙用，而人所讲求的，只是一般的生活。用来避风雨的是房屋，房屋就建造得极精致；用来御寒的是衣服，衣服就做得很讲究；用来充饥的是饮食，食物和酒也制作得非常精美。茶有九难：一是制造，二是鉴别，三是器具，四是火力，五是水质，六是炙烤，七是碾末，八是烹煮，九是品饮。阴天采摘，夜间焙制，则制造不出好茶；凭口嚼辨味，鼻闻辨香，不是鉴别的好办法；风炉和碗沾了膻腥气味，不能用作煮饮茶叶的器具；柴有油烟，炭沾染了油腥气味，不宜用作煮茶的燃料；急流水和死水，都不宜用于调煮茶汤；烤得外熟内生，是烤炙不当；捣得太细，成了青绿色的粉末和青白色的茶灰，是捣碎不当；操作不熟练，搅动过快，就煮不出好茶汤；只在夏天饮茶，不在冬天饮茶，不能说是饮茶。

Heaven creates all things with uniqueness and perfection. People, on the other hand, are skillful in crafting the simple things. Shelters, clothings, food and drinks are produced with the utmost care to perfection. Tea has challenges in nine aspects: the production, the appraisal, the utensils, the management fire and heat, the choice of water, the roasting, the grinding, the boiling, and finally the drinking. Picking tea on cloudy days and baking it at night, isn’t right. Judging a tea by chewing or smelling alone, isn’t right. Using stove or bowls with remnant odor of fish or meat, isn’t right. Using greasy firewood or tainted charcoal, isn’t right. Using water from rushing torrents or stagnant pools, isn’t right. Roasting only the outside layer of tea cakes and leaving the inside raw, isn’t right. Grinding tea too fine into greenish pale dust, isn’t right. Stirring the pot hastily and without skills, isn’t right. Drinking tea only in the summer but neglects it in the winter, isn’t right.

夫珍鲜馥烈者，其碗数三。次之者，碗数五。若坐客数至五，行三碗；至七，行五碗；若六人已下，不约碗数，但阙一人而已，其隽永补所阙人。

鲜美馨香的茶，一般（一炉）只煮三碗，较次的是煮五碗。假如坐客为五人，只煮三碗分饮；坐客为七人时，则以五碗匀分；坐客在六人以下（实际是说坐客有六个人），可不必计算碗数（意谓照五人那样舀三碗），只要按缺一个人计算，用原先留出的好茶汤来补所缺的人就可以了。

In Tang tea gatherings, the number of bowls corresponded to both quality and proportion. Tea of the finest fragrance and flavor yields three bowls per brew. Tea of the next grade needs to be made into five bowls. When guests were many, tea was shared evenly so each received the essence. One may serve three bowls of tea across five guests, or five bowls across seven guests. For groups of six or smaller, there’s doesn’t have to be a fixed number of bowls. If any portion is missing, simply replenish with the concentrated first pour “juan yong“. (See Chapter 5: Boiling.)

Chapter 7: The History (七之事)

Important note: This chapter collects early mentions of tea across the written records. From lexicons, gazetteers, and pharmacopoeias to poems, anecdotes, and court documents, these sources show tea as medicine, daily drink, tribute, gift, and even a stand-in for wine. The mentions span mythic beginnings to the Tang, and range across China, revealing how tea moved from remedy to ritual to culture. Notably, this is the only chapter where the order does not exactly follow Lu Yu’s original text. Because the first appearance of a person’s name is not always immediately followed by their cited work or story, I have grouped related references together and arranged them as closely to chronological order as possible.

三皇 Three Sovereigns period (before 4733 BC)

炎帝神农氏。《神农食经》：“荼茗久服，令人有力，悦志。”

神农氏又称“炎帝”，被称为三皇之一。据《神农食经》记载：“坚持长时间饮茶，能让人精神饱满、心情愉悦。”

Shennong, the Yan (Flame) Emperor, is one of the legendary Three Sovereigns of ancient China.

The Shennong Classic of Food records “Long-term tea consumption strengthens the body and invigorate the spirit.

Note: The Shennong Classic of Food is an ancient text generally believed to have been written by a Confucian scholar of the Western Han period, who attributed it to the legendary Shennong. The text concerned topics of food, diet, and medicinal nourishment. The book is now lost, with the earliest known citation appearing in The Classic of Tea (this very book you are reading)!

周 Zhou Dynasty 1046 – 256 BC

鲁周公旦，齐相晏婴。周公《尔雅》：“槚，苦荼。” 《晏子春秋》：“婴相齐景公时，食脱粟之饭，炙三弋、五卵，茗菜而已。”

周时有鲁国的周公（名“旦”），和曾任齐国国相的晏婴。周公写的《尔雅》中记载：“槚，就是苦荼。”《晏子春秋》里记载：“晏婴作齐景公的国相时，吃的是粗粮饭，还有三五样烧烤的禽鸟、蛋类，除过这些，只是吃些茶和蔬菜罢了。” 

Duke of Zhou (named ‘Dan’) 1042–1035 BC of from state of Lu and the Prime Minister of the state of Qi, named Yan Ying 578–500 BC.

The Erya (first surviving Chinese dictionary) by Duke of Zhou states “Jia refers to bitter tea.” Yanzi Annals recorded “when Yan Ying served as the Prime Minister, he ate unpolished grain rice, along with a few roasted fowls and eggs. Other than those, he only had vegetables and tea.

Note: Bitterness is a unique flavor in Yunnan cuisine, and in tea alike. The Wa people (ethnic minority) living Yunnan Province have a bitter tea tradition, passed down for generations. The bitterness comes from a strong brew, so intense that outsiders rarely dare to try it.

汉 Han Dynasty 202 BC – 220 AD

仙人丹丘之子，黄山君；司马文园令相如，扬执戟雄。

汉代仙人丹丘子和黄山君，汉文帝陵的陵园令司马相如，给事黄门侍郎（执戟）扬雄。 

The Immortal Danqiuzi, the Lord of Mount Huang, Sima Xiangru 179 – 117 BC, the officer of the imperial mausoleum, and Yang Xiong 53 BCE – 18 AD, the attendant of the imperial court.

司马相如《凡将篇》：“鸟喙、桔梗、芫华、款冬、贝母、木檗、蒌、苓草、芍药、桂、漏芦、蜚廉、萑菌、荈诧、白敛、白芷、菖蒲、芒消、莞椒、茱萸。

汉司马相如《凡将篇》，其中药物类篇章中记载有：“鸟嘴、桔梗、芫花、款冬花、贝母、黄柏、山蒌、茱苓草、芍药、肉桂、漏芦、飞廉、萑菌、荈茶、白蔹、白芷、菖蒲、芒硝、花椒、茱萸。”

In the medicinal section of Sima Xiangru’s Fanjiang Pian (character text book), he listed “Bird’s beak, platycodon, Dephne flower, coltsfoot, fritillary, Amur cork tree, piper hancei, Gentiana apiata, Chinese peony, cinnamon, Rhaponticum uniflorum, Feilian (mythical creature), fungus (a special kind that grows by the reed), chuan tea (coarse tea), Ampelopsis japonica (a kind of peppervine), Dahurian angelica, sweet flag, mirabilite, Sichuan pepper, dogwood.”

Comment: Only thirty-eight characters from Sima Xiangru’s Fanjiang Pian survive today, preserved thanks to Lu Yu’s citation in the Classic of Tea. It provides one of the earliest known written references to tea, under the ancient name chuan, and showed that tea was treated as a medicinal herb.

《方言》：“蜀西南人谓荼曰蔎。”

汉朝扬雄所著《方言》里记载：“蜀西南一带的人们，将茶叶叫作蔎。”

Scholar Yang Xiong wrote in the earliest known comparative dictionary of dialects, Fangyan, “People in the southwestern regions of Shu (modern day Sichuan) refer to tea as shè.”

《桐君录》：“西阳、武昌、庐江、晋陵好茗，皆东人作清茗。茗有饽，饮之宜人。凡可饮之物，皆多取其叶，天门冬、拔葜取根，皆益人。又巴东别有真茗茶，煎饮令人不眠。俗中多煮檀叶并大皂李作茶，并冷。又南方有瓜芦木，亦似茗，至苦涩，取为屑茶饮，亦可通夜不眠。煮盐人但资此饮，而交、广最重，客来先设，乃加以香芼辈。”

《桐君录》里记载：“西阳、武昌、庐江、晋陵等地的人爱好饮茶，皆为主人家为客人提供的。茶里面含有汤花的精华，饮用了对人有益处。只要可用来做茶的植物，大部分是用它的叶，而天门冬、菝葜却是用根茎，一样对人有益处。巴东产好茶，煮来饮用令人不能入睡。当地人还喜欢把檀叶和大皂李叶煮来作茶，两者的性质都冷。此外，南方有瓜芦树，它的叶子有些大，也类似茶，但非常苦涩，制作成末，像茶叶那样饮用，也可以让人彻夜无眠。（熬夜）煮盐的人大都依赖喝这种茶来提神，交州和广州一带的人很重视这类茶，客人来了，先用它来款待，还添入一些香料。”

In the Record of Tongjun (written by the end of 220 AD), it says “In the regions of Xiyang, Wuchang , Lujiang, and Jinling, people enjoy drinking tea. In the east, it’s customary to prepare clear tea (without ginger, scallion, etc). The tea forms a light froth on top, that is healthy to drink. Typically, people would brew plants leaves. When it comes to Chinese asparagus and China root, their stem and roots are also good for the body. Badong (in modern day Wanxian, Sichuan) produces fine teas. When boiled, it keeps one awake through the night. Locals also boil sandalwood leaves together with pods of the Chinese honey locust to make tea, both are of cooling nature. Down South, there is a plant called gualu (mentioned in Chapter 1). Its leaves resemble tea leaves but are extremely bitter and astringent. Ground it into powder and brewed it like tea. It can keep one wide awake all night. Salt makers depend on this drink to stay alert. In Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, this beverage is well regarded. When hosting guests, this tea is first served along with some herbs and spices for additional flavoring.

三国 Three Kingdoms Period 220 – 280 AD: 　

《广雅》云：“荆、巴间采叶作饼，叶老者，饼成以米膏出之。欲煮茗饮，先炙令赤色，捣末置瓷器中，以汤浇覆之，用葱、姜、桔子芼之。其饮醒酒，令人不眠。”

依照《广雅》记述，“荆州、巴州地区，采摘茶叶来作成茶饼，那些芽叶较老的，做茶饼时要添加米糊搅拌才行。假如要煮茶饮用，应先将茶饼炙烤成红色，然后捣碎置于陶瓷器皿中，再加入沸水泡制。或者是把葱、姜、橘子放在一起搅拌浸泡。饮用这样来做的茶，可以醒酒，让人精神振奋不思睡眠。”

According to the dictionary Guangya (written during 227 – 232 AD), in the regions of Jing and Ba (area across modern Hubei, Hunan, and Sichuan), people pick tea leaves and press them into cakes. When the leaves are old, rice paste is added to help bind them. To prepare tea for drinking, the cakes are first roasted until reddish, then pounded into powder. The powdered tea was placed in a ceramic vessel, over which boiling water was poured, together with scallions, ginger, and tangerine peel. This drink was said to dispel the effects of wine and keep one awake.

归命侯，韦太傅弘嗣。《吴志·韦曜传》：“孙皓每飨宴，坐席无不悉以七胜为限，虽不尽入口，皆浇灌取尽。曜饮酒不过二升，皓初礼异，密赐荼荈以代酒。”

吴国的最后一位皇帝孙皓归降后被魏武帝封为归命侯。东吴时的韦曜，字弘嗣，担任太傅之职。三国《吴志·韦曜传》中记载：“孙皓每回设宴，都规定每人要喝足七升酒才行，就算不全部喝下去，也一定要酌取完毕。韦曜的酒量超不过二升。孙皓那时非常尊重他，就暗地赐他茶来代替酒。”

Sun Hao (the last emperor of Eastern Wu), after surrendering to the Jin dynasty, was granted the title Marquis Guiming (Submission); Wei Yao, style name Hongsi, served as Grand Tutor. In the Book of Wu under Records of the Three Kingdoms 280 AD, there is a story about them. “Whenever Sun Hao held a banquet, all guests were required to drink seven sheng (≈ 4 L) of wine. The cup must be emptied. Wei Yao’s tolerance was no more than two sheng (≈ 1.2 L). Out of respect the scholar, Sun Hao discreetly served him tea instead of wine.”

Comment: This passage recounts what is likely the earliest recorded instance of tea being used as a substitute for alcohol in formal settings. This act of letting tea take the place of wine at formal gatherings, became known as yi cha dai jiu (以茶代酒), later evolved into a refined custom in Chinese etiquette.

华佗《食论》：“苦荼久食，益意思。”

华佗《食论》记载：“坚持长期饮茶，有益思考。”

Huatuo (legendary Chinese physician from 140 – 208 AD) wrote in Treatise on Food “Regularly drinking bitter tea sharpens the mind.”

晋 Jin Dynasty 266 – 420 AD

惠帝，刘司空琨，琨兄子兖州刺史演，张黄门孟阳，傅司隶咸，江洗马统，孙参军楚，左记室太冲，陆吴兴纳，纳兄子会稽内史俶，谢冠军安石，郭弘农璞，桓扬州温，杜舍人毓，武康小山寺释法瑶，沛国夏侯恺，余姚虞洪，北地傅巽，丹阳弘君举，乐安任育长，宣城秦精，敦煌单道开，剡县陈务妻，广陵老姥，河内山谦之。

晋惠帝司马衷的司空刘琨，刘琨的侄子衮州刺史刘演，黄门伺郎张孟阳，司隶校尉傅咸，太子洗马江统，参军孙楚，记室督左太冲，吴兴人陆纳，陆纳的侄子会稽内史陆俶，冠军谢安石，弘农太守郭璞，扬州牧桓温，舍人杜育，武康小山寺的和尚法瑶，沛国人夏侯恺，余姚人虞洪，北地人傅巽，丹阳人弘君举，乐安人任瞻，宣城人秦精，敦煌僧人单道开，剡县陈务之妻，广陵的一名老婆婆，河内人山谦之。

Tea drinking spread widely among scholars, officials, and monks. Emperor Hui of Jin (Sima Zhong) [1]; His Minister of Infrastructure Liu Kun; Liu Kun’s nephew Liu Yan, Inspector of Yan Province [2]; the scholar Zhang Mengyang [3]; Fu Xian, who served as colonel-director of retainers [4]; Jiang Tong, Attendant to the Crown Prince [5]; and Sun Chu, a military consultant [6]. Others included Zuo Taichong, Secretary of Records; Lu Na of Wuxing and his nephew Lu Shu, administrator of Kuaiji [7]; Xie An, Champion General; Guo Pu, administrator of Hongnong [8]; and Huan Wen, governor of Yangzhou [9]. Du Yu, palace attendant; the monk Fayao of Xiaoshan Temple in Wukang [10]; Xiahou Kai of state of Pei [11]; Yuhong from Yuyao, Zhejiang [12]; Fu Xun of Beidi county (modern day Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu) [13]; Hong Junju of Danyang (in modern day Jiangsu) [14]; Ren Zhan (styled Yuchang) of Le’an (in modern day Shandong); Qin Jing of Xuancheng (Anhui) [15]; the monk Shan Daokai of Dunhuang (Gansu) [16]; Chen Wu’s wife from Shan County (Zhejiang) [17]; an old woman from Guangling (Jiangsu) [18]; and Shan Qianzhi of Henei (in modern day Henan) [19].

[1]《晋四王起事》：“惠帝蒙尘还洛阳，黄门以瓦盂盛茶上至尊。”

《晋四王起事》中记载：晋朝的四王叛乱期间，晋惠帝逃难在外，返回洛阳的时候，黄门拿陶钵盛了茶奉于他饮用。

In The Uprising of the Four Princes of Jin, it is recorded: During the rebellion of the Four princes, Emperor Hui of Jin fled. Later he returned to Luoyang, a palace attendant presented tea to His Majesty in an earthen bowl.

[2] 刘琨《与兄子南兖州史演书》云：“前得安州干姜一斤，桂一斤，黄芩一斤，皆所须也。吾体中愦闷，常仰真茶，汝可致之。”

刘琨在《与兄子南兖州史演书》中说道：“先前时候收到安州的干姜一斤、桂一斤、黄芩一斤，皆是我想要的。我心情烦闷，精神不振，常常需要茶来提气解闷，你可以多采购一些给我。”

In a letter to his nephew, Liu Kun wrote: “Earlier I received, from Anzhou (in modern day Guizhou), dried ginger, cinnamon, and scutellaria root of one jin (≈ 600 g) each . I love all of them. My mind has been clouded and weary, and I often rely on fine tea to lift my spirits. Please send me more of it.”

[3] 张孟阳《登成都楼诗》云：“借问扬子舍，想见长卿庐。程卓累千金，骄侈拟五侯。门有连骑客，翠带腰吴钩。鼎食随时进，百和妙且殊。披林采秋橘，临江钓春鱼。黑子过龙醢，果馔逾蟹蝑。芳荼冠六清，溢味播九区。人生苟安乐，兹土聊可娱。”

张孟阳在《登成都白菟楼》这首诗中说：想问一下先前扬雄的住处在何方，司马相如的旧时住所又是什么模样。往昔程郑、卓王孙两大富豪，骄奢淫逸，比得上任何王侯之家。他们的门前往往是车水马龙，宾客盈门，腰里飘扬着绿色的缎带，佩饰着名贵的宝刀。家中山珍海味，应有尽有，精妙绝伦。实在是声名远扬，极尽富贵！向楼外远眺，富庶的山川一眼望不到边。秋天里，人们在橘林中收获着丰收的柑橘；春天里，人们在江边持竿而钓。果品远胜佳肴，鱼肉极为细嫩。四川的香茶在所有饮品中称得起第一，它的美味在天下都极富盛名。假如一辈子只是苟且地追求安逸，成都倒还是个能供人们尽情享乐的去处。

In poem Ascending the Tower in Chengdu, Zhang Mengyang wrote: “I wonder where Yang Xiong once lived and what Sima Xiangru‘s residence used to look like. In the old days, the wealthy clans of Cheng and Zhuo amassed fortunes worth a thousand gold; their pride and extravagance rivaled that of dukes. Guests on horseback crowded their gates, all wearing jade-green sashes and prized swords by their waist. Rare delicacies were served at every meal, a hundred flavors artfully blended. Looking out the window, I see people gathering oranges in the groves in autumn; in spring, people fish by the river. Fruits outshine meat; fish surpassed crab sauce. The fine tea of Sichuan tastes better than all other beverages (potentially referring to water, porridge, sweet wine, light wine, plum juice, and sugar water, from Rites of Zhou); its aroma spreads across the nation. If one seeks nothing but comfort and delight in life, this (Sichuan) is the place to be.”

[4] 傅咸《司隶教》曰：“闻南方有蜀妪作茶粥卖，为廉事打破其器具，后又卖饼于市，而禁茶粥以蜀妪，何哉？”

傅咸的《司隶教》里记载：“听闻剑南蜀郡那里有一位老婆婆，煮茶来卖，廉事把她的器皿打破了。后来她又在市上卖饼。为什么要作难四川老妇，禁止她卖茶粥呢？”

Fu Xian’s Edict as Imperial Inspector documented a story “I have heard that in Sichuan, an old woman made and sold tea porridge. After a local law enforcement smashed her utensils, she turned to selling cakes in the marketplace. Why forbid a woman from selling tea porridge simply because she is from Sichuan?”

Comment: Tea porridge has long been a beloved everyday dish across China and even inspired Japan’s Nara chagayu. In ancient Wuyue dialects, tea and porridge were pronounced the same. In hot summer days, people still brewed tea, simmered it with rice and sugar, and savored its light, fragrant taste that seemed to wash away the heat.

[5] 宋《江氏家传》：“江统，字应元，迁愍怀太子洗马，尝上疏谏云：‘今西园卖醯、面、蓝子、菜、茶之属，亏败国体。”

宋朝的《江氏家传》里说：“江统，字应元。提升为愍怀太子洗马。曾经上疏谏道：‘现在西园卖醋、面、篮子、菜、茶之类的物品，有损国家体面。’”

In Family Records of the Jiang Clan from the Liu Song dynasty, it is written “Jiang tong, style name Yingyuan, was promoted to serve as attendant to the Crown Prince Minhuai. He once petitioned that ‘The Western Garden nowadays sells common goods such as vinegar, flour, baskets, vegetables and tea. This undermines the dignity of the the imperial palace and thus the State.'”

[6] 孙楚《歌》：“茱萸出芳树颠，鲤鱼出洛水泉。白盐出河东，美豉出鲁渊。姜、桂、荼荈出巴蜀，椒、橘、木兰出高山。蓼、苏出沟渠，精、稗出中田。”

孙楚在《歌》中记载：“茱萸生长树颠上，鲤鱼出自洛水中。白盐出产河东，美豉产自鲁渊。姜、桂、茶来自巴蜀，椒、橘、木兰生长在高山。蓼苏出自沟渠，水稻、稗子生长田中。”

Sun Chu‘s Song goes “Dogwood grows atop fragrant trees; carp spring from the clear Luo River. White salt comes from south of the Yellow River; fine fermented soy from the land of Lu State (modern day Qufu, Shandong). Ginger, cinnamon, tea (chá, chuǎn both refer to tea here) from Bashu (modern day Chongqing and Sichuan); pepper, orange and magnolia from the lofty hills. Smartweed and perilla grow in ditches; rice and barnyard grass thrive in the fields.”

[7]《晋中兴书》：陆纳为吴兴太守时，卫将军谢安尝欲诣纳。（《晋书》云：纳为吏部尚书。）纳兄子俶，怪纳无所备，不敢问之，乃私蓄十数人馔。安既至，所设唯茶果而已。俶遂陈盛馔，珍羞毕具。及安去，纳杖俶四十，云：’汝既不能光益叔父，奈何秽吾素业‘。

《晋中兴书》记载：陆纳做吴兴太守时，卫将军谢安想拜访他。（据《晋书》记载，陆纳当时任吏部尚书一职。）纳的侄子俶怪他没什么准备，但又不敢问他，便私自准备了十多人的肴馔。谢安来后，陆纳仅摆出茶和果品招待，陆俶则摆上丰盛的肴馔，各种山珍海味，样样俱全。等到谢安走后，陆纳打了陆俶四十大板，说：“你既不能使你叔父增加光彩，为什么破坏我廉洁的名声呢？”

According to the book of Jin Zhong Xin Shu by He Fasheng, When Lu Na served as Governor of Wuxing (in modern Zhejiang), general Xie An visited him. (Annotation: According to the book of Jin, Lu Na served as Minister of Personnel.) Lu Na’s nephew, Lu Chu, noticed that his uncle made no preparation for the guest but was scared to question him. So Lu Chu secretly arranged a grand banquet fit for more than ten people. When Xie An arrived, Lu Na served merely tea and fruits. However, Lu Chu presented the elaborate meal he had prepared, ladened with delicacies from both land and sea. After Xie An departed, Lu Na ordered Lu Chu to be beaten forth strokes as a punishment, saying “Since you cannot bring honor to your uncle, why must you tarnish my reputation of simple living?”

[8] 郭璞《尔雅注》云：“树小似栀子，冬生叶，可煮羹饮。今呼早取为茶，晚取为茗，或一曰荈，蜀人名之苦茶。”

郭璞在《尔雅注》说：“茶树矮小如同栀子。冬季不落叶，叶子能够煮羹汤饮用。如今把早上摘的叫‘荼’，晚上摘的叫‘茗’，亦有称其为‘荈’，蜀地的人称其为‘苦茶’。”

Guo Pu wrote in his Annotations to the Erya “Tea trees are small like gardenia. Its leaves remain in winter, can be brewed into beverages. Nowadays, the leaves picked early in the day are called tu, those picked later in the day are called ming. What some would call chuan is referred to as bitter tea in Shu (Sichuan).”

[9] 《晋书》：“桓温为扬州牧，性俭，每宴饮，唯下七奠拌茶果而已。”

《晋书》里记载：“桓温担任扬州太守时，性格上崇尚节俭，每次举办宴会，仅仅设七个盘子的茶食、果馔而已。”

From the Book of Jin: When Huan Wen served as Governor of Yangzhou, he was known for his frugality. At every banquet, he prepared only seven platters of simple refreshments, tea and fruits, and nothing more.

Comment: By the Jin dynasty, serving tea and fruit had already become a respectable and even virtuous form of hospitality.

[10] 释道说《续名僧传》：“宋释法瑶，姓杨氏，河东人。元嘉中过江，遇沈台真君武康小山寺，年垂悬车，饭所饮茶。大明中，敕吴兴礼致上京，年七十九。”

释道说的《续名僧传》里记载：“南朝宋时的和尚法瑶，本姓杨，河东人氏，元嘉年间过江，在武康小山寺见到了沈台真清真君。那时法瑶年事已很高了，以饮茶代饭。南朝齐代永明年间，皇上命令吴兴官吏隆重地把他送进京城，那时他年龄已七十九。”

Shi daoshui documented in his Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks “During Liu Song dynasty, there was a monk named Fayao. His original family name was Yang and he was from Hedong. During the Yuanjia era (424 – 453 AD), Fayao crossed the river and met Daoist master Shen Taizhen at Mount Xiaoshan Temple in Wukang (in modern day Hangzhou). At that time, Fayao was already an elderly and lived on tea in place of food. During the Daming era 457 – 464 AD, the emperor ordered officials of Wuxing (in modern day Hangzhou) to ceremoniously escort him to the capital. At that time, he was seventy-nine years old.

[11] 《搜神记》：“夏侯恺因疾死，宗人字苟奴，察见鬼神，见恺来收马，并病其妻。著平上帻、单衣，入坐生时西壁大床，就人觅茶饮。”

《搜神记》里记载：“夏侯恺因病而死，有位同族之人的儿子苟奴，看到了他的鬼魂。他见夏侯恺来取马匹，还把他的妻子也弄生病了。苟奴看见他头上佩戴着平上帻，身穿一件单衣，进屋后坐到在世时常坐的靠西壁的床位上，向人讨茶来喝。”

From In Search of the Supernatural: Xiahou Kai died from illness. A clansman’s son named Gou Nu, who had the gift of seeing spirits, caught sight of his ghost. He saw Xiahou Kai coming to claim his horse and caused his wife to fall ill too. The ghost wore a flat-topped headscarf (worn by officials) and a thin robe. Entering the house, Xiahou Kai sat down on the large bed by the west wall, his usual seat when alive, and asked the living for a cup of tea.

[12] 《神异记》：“余姚人虞洪，入山采茗，遇一道士，牵三青牛，引洪至瀑布山，曰：‘予，丹丘子也。闻子善具饮，常思见惠。山中有大茗，可以相给，祈子他日有瓯牺之余，乞相遗也。’因立奠祀。后常令家人入山，获大茗焉。”

《神异记》里记载：“余姚人虞洪到山里采茶叶，遇到了一位道士，手里牵着三条青牛。他作为向导领着虞洪来到瀑布山，说：‘我是丹丘子，听闻你擅长煮茶喝，常想借一下你的光。山中有棵大茶树，能够让你采摘。但愿你往后把那喝不完的茶，送一点让我喝。’虞洪于是设奠祭祀，后来他命家人进山，果然找到了那棵大茶树。”

The Records of Divine Marvels (Shen Yi Ji) recounts “A man from Yuyao (in Zhejiang) named Yu Hong went into the mountains to pick tea leaves and met a Daoist priest leading three blue oxen. The priest guided him to a place called Waterfall Mountain and said, ‘I am Danqiuzi. I have heard you are skilled in preparing tea and have long wished to try some. There are great tea trees in these mountains that you may harvest from. In return, when you have leftover tea in your cup, please spare me a portion.’ Thereupon, Yu Hong established an altar for offerings and worship. When his family went into the mountains, they indeed found the great tea trees.”

[13] 傅巽《七诲》：“蒲桃、宛柰，齐柿、燕栗，恒阳黄梨，巫山朱橘，南中茶子，西极石蜜。”

傅巽《七诲》里说：“蒲地的桃子，宛地的沙果，齐地的柿子，燕地的板栗，恒阳的黄梨，巫山的红橘，南中的茶子，西极的石蜜。”

In Fu Xun‘s The Admonition in the Seven Style, it is written:” Peaches from Pu, crabapples from Wan, persimmons from Qi, chestnuts from Yan, yellow pears from Hengyang, red tangerines from Mount Wu, tea seeds from Nanzhong, and rock honey from the far western regions.”

[14] 弘君举《食檄》：“寒温既毕，应下霜华之茗。三爵而终，应下诸蔗、木瓜、元李、杨梅、五味、橄榄、悬豹、葵羹各一杯。”

弘君举的《食檄》中说：“见面问候之后，先请饮用浮着白沫的三杯好茶。再捧出甘蔗、木瓜、元李、杨梅、五味、橄榄、悬豹、葵羹各一杯。”

Hong Junju wrote in Treatise on Food “After exchanging pleasantries, one should first serve three cups of fine tea crowned with froth. Then present cups of sugarcane, papaya, plum, bayberry, five-flavor fruit, olive, raspberry, and okra soup.”

[15]《续搜神记》：“晋武帝时，宣城市人秦精，常入武昌山采茗，遇一毛人，长丈余，引精至山下，示以丛茗而去。俄而复还，乃探怀中橘以遗精。精怖，负茗而归。”

《续搜神记》中写道：“晋武帝的时候，宣城人氏秦精，时常到武昌山采茶。有一回遇见一个毛人，身高一丈多，带领秦精到山下，把一片片茶树丛指给他看了才离开，等了片刻又返回来，由怀中取了橘子送给秦精。秦精很害怕，急忙背了茶叶回家。”

From Continued Records of the Search for the Supernatural (by Tao Yuanming): During the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, a man named Qin Jing from Xuancheng often went into Mount Wuchang to gather tea leaves. One day he encountered a hairy being, standing over one zhang (~2.5 meters) tall. The hairy being led Qin Jing to the foothill, pointed out the tea bushes and went away. Shortly after, the creature returned with oranges and offered them to Qin Jing. Frightened, Qin Jing carried tea on his back and hurried home.

[16]《艺术传》：“敦煌人单道开，不畏寒暑，常服小石子，所服药有松、桂、蜜之气，所饮茶苏而已。”

《艺术传》里说：“敦煌人氏单道开，冬天不畏冷，夏天不惧热，时常吃些小石子，所吃的药有松、桂、蜜的香气，除此只吃茶叶、紫苏而已。” 

Biographies of Masters of the Arts (from the Book of Jin compiled by Fang Xuanling) says ” Shan Daokai from Dunhuang (in Gansu Province) feared neither cold nor heat. He regularly consumed powdered minerals, and the medicine he took carried essence of pine, cinnamon and honey. Apart from these, he lived on tea and perilla.

[17] 《异荈》：“剡县陈务妻，少与二子寡居，好饮茶茗。以宅中有古冢，每饮，辄先祀之。儿子患之，曰：‘古冢何知？徒以劳意！’欲掘去之，母苦禁而止。其夜梦一人云：‘吾止此冢三百余年，卿二子恒欲见毁，赖相保护，又享吾佳茗，虽泉壤朽骨，岂忘翳桑之报！’及晓，于庭中获钱十万，似久埋者，但贯新耳。母告二子惭之，从是祷馈愈甚。”

《异荈》中说：“剡县陈务的妻子，青年时带着两个儿子守寡，喜爱喝茶。由于住处有一古墓，因此每每饮茶总先奉祭一碗。两个儿子不喜欢她的这个做法，说：‘一个古墓，它明白什么？白浪费力气！’想把它挖掉。母亲苦苦相劝，坚决不允许。那天夜晚，她梦见一人说：‘我住在这墓里三百来年了，你的两个儿子总要铲了它，幸好得到你保护，又用好茶祭拜我，我虽然是地下枯骨，但怎么能不报答恩情呢？’天亮后，陈妻在院子里看到十万串钱，像是埋了很长时间的，仅仅穿钱的绳子是新的。母亲把这件事告诉儿子们，两个儿子都很羞愧。自此祭祷更加经常和用心。”

In Strange Tales of Tea by Liu Jingshu, it is recorded: In Shan County (in modern day Zhejiang), the wife of Chen Wu was widowed young. She raised two sons on her own. The woman is fond of tea. Since there was an ancient tomb within her courtyard, she would always offer a bowl of tea in sacrifice before taking the drink herself. Her sons argued “How could an old tomb possibly appreciate tea? You are wasting your time.” They wanted to remove the tomb but their mother firmly forbade them. That night, she had a dream. In her dream, a man said to her “I have lived in this tomb for over three hundred years. Your sons want to destroy the tomb. But thanks to your protection and your offering of fine tea, my decayed bones beneath the earth would be forever in your debt.” At dawn, the woman found ten thousands strings of coins, that look ancient in appearance but newly strung together. When she told her sons, they felt deeply ashamed of themselves. Since then, they prayed and made offerings sincerely.

[18] 《广陵耆老传》：“晋元帝时，有老妪每旦独提一器茗，往市鬻之。市人竞买，自旦至夕，其器不减。所得钱散路旁孤贫乞人，人或异之。州法曹絷之狱中。至夜，老妪执所鬻茗器，从狱牖中飞出。”

《广陵耆老传》中说：“晋元帝时期，有一位老太婆，每天一大早就提着一罐茶到市上去售卖。市上的人争着买来喝。从早到晚，那器具里的茶从不减少。她把赚到的钱施舍给路旁的孤儿、穷人和乞丐。有人把她当成怪人，向官府告发，州府的官吏把她捆起来，关进了监狱。到了夜晚，老太婆提着卖茶的器具，从监狱的窗口飞出去了。”

Records of the Elders of Guangling (modern day Yangzhou) says ” During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Jin, there was an old woman who carried a jar of tea to sell on the market each morning. People flocked to her stall for tea. However, from dawn to dusk, the tea in her jar never seemed to diminish. She donate her profit to orphans, the poor, and beggars along the way. Some people found her suspicious and reported her to the local authority who threw her into the prison. At night, the old women took her tea jar and flew out through the prison window.

[19] 山谦之《吴兴记》：“乌程县西二十里，有温山，出御荈。”

山谦之的《吴兴记》中记载：“吴兴县以西二十里处有温山，提供进贡给朝廷的茶。”

In Records of Wuxing by Shan Qianzhi it is written: “Mount Wen produces tribute tea for the imperial court. The mountain lies about twenty li (10 km) west of Wucheng County (modern day Huzhou, Zhejiang).”

左思《娇女诗》：“吾家有娇女，皎皎颇白皙。小字为纨素，口齿自清历。有姊字蕙芳，眉目灿如画。驰骛翔园林，果下皆生摘。贪华风雨中，倏忽数百适。心为荼荈剧，吹嘘对鼎?。”

西晋左思的《娇女诗》中说：“我家有个乖巧的女儿，长得非常白皙，小名叫纨素，口齿极为伶俐。姐姐叫蕙芳，眉目美如画。在园林里蹦蹦跳跳，果子未成熟就摘下来。爱花哪里顾得上风和雨，跑着进进出出百余次。看到煮茶心里就兴奋，对着茶炉往里面吹气。”

In The Poem of My Lovely Daughters by Zuo Si 250 – 305 AD, it is written “I have a charming little daughter, fair and bright of complexion. Her nickname is Wansu. Her speech is clear and lively. Her elder sister, Huifang, has features as radiant as a painting. They dart and skip about the garden, plucking fruits before they ripen. Chasing blossoms through wind and rain, they rush back and forth a hundred times. They are excited as the tea being brewed, and they lean over the kettle, blowing gently at the fire.”

南北朝 Northern and Southern dynasties 420 to 589 AD

后魏 琅琊王肃。《后魏录》：“琅琊王肃，仕南朝，好茗饮、莼羹。及还北地，又好羊肉、酪浆。人或问之：‘茗何如酪？’肃曰：‘茗不堪与酪为奴。”

后魏时期琅琊人王肃。《后魏录》里记载：“琅琊王肃在南朝做官，爱好饮茶，喝莼羹。待返回到北方，又爱好吃羊肉，饮羊奶。有人问他：‘茶和奶相比，如何呀？’肃说：‘茶连给奶做奴仆的资格都没有。”

During Northern Wei period 386- 535 AD, Wang Su from Langya (modern day Linyi Shandong).

In the Records of the Northern Wei, it is written that “Wang Su of Langya served in the court of Southern dynasties. He was fond of tea and watershield soup. After returning to the north, he came to enjoy mutton and sheep milk. Someone once asked him, ‘How does tea compare to milk?’ Wang Su replied, ‘Tea is not even worthy enough to be milk’s servant.'”

宋 新安王子鸾，鸾兄豫章王子尚，鲍昭妹令晖，八公山沙门昙济。

南北朝时宋新安王刘子鸾，子鸾之兄豫章王刘子尚 ，鲍照之妹鲍令晖 ，八公山的和尚昙济 。

Liu Song Dynasty 420 – 479 AD (Northern and Southern dynasties): Liu Ziluan, Prince of Xin’an; his elder brother Liu Zishang, Prince of Yuzhang [1]; Bao Linghui, sister of the poet Bao Zhao [2]; and the monk Tanji of Mount Bagong (in Anhui) [1].

[1]《宋录》：“新安王子鸾、豫章王子尚，诣昙济道人于八公山。道人设荼茗，子尚味之，曰：‘此甘露也，何言茶茗？”

《宋录》里说：“新安王子鸾、豫章王子尚到八公山拜访昙济道人，道人设茶款待他们。子尚品了品茶说：‘这是甘露啊，为什么要称为茶呢？”

In Records of the Song Dynasty, it is written “Prince Ziluan from Xin’an and Prince Zishang from Yuzhang went Mount Bagong (in Anhui) to visited a Daoist monk, Tanji. The monk served them tea. After tasting it, Prince Zishang exclaimed, ‘This is nectar! How could it be named merely tea?'”

[2] 鲍昭妹令晖著《香茗赋》。

鲍照之妹令晖曾写了一篇《香茗赋》。 

Baozhao‘s younger sister, Bao Linghui, once composed Ode to the Fragrant Tea.

王微《杂诗》：“寂寂掩高阁，寥寥空广厦。待君竟不归，收领今就槚。”

王微在《杂诗》中说：“静悄悄，闭上高阁的门；冷清清，大厦空悠悠。盼您啊，您却迟迟不归来；伤心啊，暂去饮茶遣愁思。”

In Miscellaneous Poems, Wang Wei 414 – 453 AD wrote “Silent and still, I closed the lofty chambers; empty and vast, the great hall lies cold. I have waited for you, yet you do not return; I turn to tea to ease my sorrow and longing.”

《世说》：”任瞻，字育长，少时有令名，自过江失志。既下饮，问人云：‘此为荼？为茗？’觉人有怪色，乃自申明云：‘向问饮为热为冷耳。“

《世说新语》中说：“任瞻，字育长，从青年起便有不错的名声，自打过江以后就变糊涂了。有一次到主人家做客，主人端上茶，他问道：‘这是茶，还是茗？’觉察到旁人有疑惑不解的表情，就替自已辩解说：‘方才是问茶是热的，还是凉的。”

In A New Account of Tales of the World 403 – 444 AD, it is recorded that “Ren Zhan, style name Yuchang, was well regarded in his youth. But after crossing the river to the south, he had grown dazed in spirit. Once, as a guest, he asked if he was served tu or ming. Noticing the puzzled looks on those around him, he quickly corrected that he meant to ask if the tea was hot or cold.”

齐 世祖武帝。南齐世祖武皇帝《遗诏》：“我灵座上，慎勿以牲为祭，但设饼果、茶饮、干饭、酒脯而已。”

南朝时期齐世祖武帝萧赜。南齐世祖武皇帝在其遗诏里说：“我死后，灵座上切记勿用杀牲作祭品，只须放点饼果、茶饮、干饭、酒肉即可。”

Southern Qi 479 – 502 AD: Emperor Wu, the Shizong Emperor Xiao Ze.

In his will, Emperor Wu of Southern Qi asked that “At my altar, do not offer animal sacrifices. Simply set out cakes, fruits, tea, rice, wine and meat.”

梁 刘廷尉，陶先生弘景。

南朝时期梁朝廷尉刘孝绰，贞白先生陶弘景。

Liang Dynasty 502 – 557 AD: Liu Xiaochuo, the Minister of Justice Master [1]; Master, Tao Hongjing [2].

[1] 梁刘孝绰《谢晋安王饷米等启》：“传诏李孟孙宣教旨，垂赐米、酒、瓜、笋、菹、脯、酢、茗八种。气苾新城，味芳云松。江潭抽节，迈昌荇之珍。疆埸擢翘，越葺精之美。羞非纯束野麋，裛似雪之鲈；鲊异陶瓶河鲤，操如琼之粲。茗同食粲，酢类望柑。免千里宿舂，省三月粮聚。小人怀惠，大懿难忘。”

梁刘孝绰呈献给上级的《谢晋安王饷米等启》中说：“李孟孙君捎来了您的告谕，您赐我的米、酒、瓜、笋、腌菜、肉干、醋、茗八类食物。酒气馨香，味道淳厚，可与新城、云松的佳酿相媲美。那河溪边生长的新鲜竹笋，比菖蒲和荇菜还要美味可口。那田里肥硕的瓜菜，比平时的瓜好了不止几倍。那用白茅捆扎的野鹿肉虽然好，但何及您赐我的肉脯精美？陶罐所装的黄河大鲤鱼虽好，哪及您赠予的鲊鱼？大米如美玉一般晶莹光亮，茶也与大米一样好。您赠我的醋，看起来就让人想起柑橘般的酸爽可口。您所赐我的食品如此丰盛，就算出行千里，也不用再去准备干粮。我会牢记您给我的恩惠，您的恩德我永记不忘。” 

In his note Thanks to Prince Jian’an for the Gift of Rice and Others, Liu Xiaochuo wrote “Li Mengsun delivered Your Majesty’s gracious decree along with eight gifts: rice, wine, melons, bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, cured meat, vinegar and tea. Their fragrance and flavors rival the finest harvest from Xincheng and Yunsong (in modern day Hangzhou). The fresh bamboo shoots drawn from river shallows surpass even the rare delicacy of changpu and xingcai herbs. The melon and greens from the field is finer than most produce. These aren’t common deer meat wrapped in white rush, but perch as pure as snow; no jarred river carp, but rice bright as carved jade. The tea matches the quality of the gleaming rice, and the vinegar has the tart sweetness of rice mandarins. Your generous gifts spare me the need to prepare provisions for a long journey, or to store grain for three months. Your humble servant cherishes the favor; your great benevolence will be remembered forever.”

Comment: the letter contains allusions to famous delicacies described in Classic of Poetry, as well as to the Zhuang Zhou story of traveler who must prepare food for a long journey.

[2] 陶弘景《杂录》：“苦茶，轻身换骨，昔丹丘子、黄山君服之。”

陶弘景的《杂录》里说：“苦茶可以令人轻身换骨，早时候的丹丘子、黄山君就喝它。”

Tao Hongjing (456 – 536 AD) wrote in his Miscellaneous Records “Bitter tea lightens the body and transforms the bones. In ancient times, the immortals Dan Qiuzi and Master Huangshan both drank tea.”

隋朝 Sui dynasty 581 – 618 AD

《永嘉图经》：“永嘉县东三百里有白茶山。”

《永嘉图经》里记载：“永嘉县以东三百里处，有山名曰白茶山。”

Yongjia (modern day Wenzhou, Zhejiang) Gazetteer (compiled during the Sui dynasty, now lost) says: “Three hundred li (≈ 150 km) east of Yongjia county, lies Mount White Tea.”

唐朝 618 – 907 AD

皇朝 徐英公勣。

唐朝的英国公徐勣。 

The imperial dynasty (current dynasty): Xu Ji 594 – 669 AD, Duke of the Heroic State.

Comment: He compiled the first government-issued pharmacopoeia, New Bencao (Revised Materia Medica), which is also the earliest official pharmacopoeia in the world. The canon was first published in 659 AD, predating the Europe’s first pharmacopoeia, Nuremberg pharmacopoeia, by over 800 years. During the Tang dynasty, the imperial government made it a required text for medical students, shaping the development of Chinese pharmacology for more than three centuries to come. The two excerpts below are from this text.

《本草·木部》：“茗，苦茶。味甘苦，微寒，无毒。主瘘疮，利小便，去痰渴热，令人少睡。秋采之苦，主下气消食。注云：‘春采之。’”

《本草·木部》里记载：“茗，亦称为苦荼。味甘苦，性微寒，没有毒性。主要治疗瘘疮，利尿，除痰，解渴，散热，让人睡眠减少。秋天采摘带苦味，可以下气，有助消化。原注里说：‘要在春天采它。”

In Section on Trees of the New Bencao, it was recorded that “Ming is bitter tea. It has a sweet-bitter taste, is slightly cold in nature, and it is non-toxic. It treats anal disorders, is diuretic, clears phlegm, quenches thirst, dispels heat and makes people less drowsy. When picked in autumn, tea becomes more bitter, which helps regulate qi (body’s vital force) and aid digestion. Xu Ji noted “Tea should be harvested in spring.”

《本草·菜部》：“苦菜，一名荼，一名选，一名游冬，生益州川谷山陵道旁，凌冬不死。三月三日采干。”注云：疑此即是今茶，一名荼，令人不眠。《本草注》：按，《诗》云“谁谓荼苦”，又云“堇荼如饴”，皆苦菜也，陶谓之苦茶，木类，非菜流。茗春采，谓之苦[木茶]。

《本草·菜部》里记载：“苦菜，亦称为荼或选、游冬，生长于四川西部的河谷、山陵和路旁，哪怕在凌冰高挂屋檐的寒冬腊月里也挨得住冻，不会枯死。（人们）在每年三月三日采下，晒干。”（陶弘景）注：这应该就是现在人们说的茶，或叫荼，饮用后令人无法入眠。《本草》注说：《诗经》里说“谁说荼苦”，又写道“堇菜、苦荼如糖那般甜”，都指苦菜。陶弘景提的苦茶，应当指一种木本植物茶，而不是菜类。茗，春季时采下，称为苦[木茶]。

In Sections on Vegetables of the New Bencao, it was recorded that “The bitter herb is called tu, xuan, or you-dong. It grows in the river valleys, hills, and roadsides of Yizhou (in modern day Sichuan). This herb can survive through the harshest winter. Each year, people harvest the leaves on the third of March (lunar calendar), and dry the leaves. In Tao Hongjing‘s Annotation to Shennong Bencao, he referred to this section as “the thing people nowadays call tea, or tu, which keeps the mind alert”. Xu Ji commented here saying that in Classic of Poetry one can find the verses “Who says the tu is bitter?” and “The jin and tu both taste as sweet as sugar (both of which actually refer to bitter herb). What Tao Hongjing called bitter tea must have been a woody plant as opposed to a vegetable. The leaves picked in the spring is called ming, or bitter tree tea.”

Comment: It would seems as though people often confuse tea with other bitter herbs.

《坤元录》：“辰州溆浦县西北三百五十里无射山，云蛮俗当吉庆之时，亲族集会歌舞于山上。山多茶树。”

《坤元录》里说：“辰州溆浦县西北三百五十里的地方，有一座无射山，据说当地土人的风俗是遇到吉庆的节日，会亲友聚集一起，在山上载歌载舞。山上有不少的茶树。” 

The Records Earthly Principles (a now lost geographical treatise attributed to Prince Li Tai, son of Emperor Taizong) mentioned “Three hundred and fifty li (≈ 175km) northwest of Xupu county in Chenzhou lies Mount Wushe. Amongst the local tribes, it’s said that families and clans would gather on the mountain to sing and dance in celebration of auspicious occasions. The mountain is covered with tea trees.”

《括地图》：“临蒸县东一百四十里有茶溪。”

《括地图》里说：“在距离临蒸县往东一百四十里的地方，有一条茶溪。”

The Comprehensive Gazetteer (by Prince Li Tai) wrote: “One hundred and forty li (≈ 70 km) east of Linzheng County lies a stream called Tea Brook.”

Miscellaneous

《枕中方》：“疗积年瘘，苦荼、蜈蚣并炙，令香熟，等分，捣筛，煮甘草汤洗，以末敷之。”

《枕中方》里记载：“治疗顽固的瘘疾，将茶与蜈蚣置于火上烤熟，等挥发了香气，均分为两份，捣碎后筛出细末，一份加入甘草煮水洗，一份拿来做外敷。”

Prescriptions under the Pillow mentioned “To treat chronic anal disorders, roast bitter tea leaves together with centipedes over fire until fragrant and fully cooked. Grind them into fine powder and split into two equal portions. Use one to boil with licorice, and the decoction can be used to wash affected areas. The other portion can be applied externally as paste.

《孺子方》：“疗小儿无故惊蹶，以苦茶、葱须煮服之。”

《孺子方》中写道：“治疗小儿不明原因的惊厥，可以用苦茶、葱须共同煎水让患儿服用。”

Pediatric Formula mentioned “To treat unexplained seizures in children, boil bitter tea leaves together with scallion roots and serve the patient.

《夷陵图经》：“黄牛、荆门、女观、望州等山，茶茗出焉。”

《夷陵图经》中记载：“黄牛、荆门、女观、望州诸山之上，生产茶叶。”

Yiling (modern day Yichang, Hubei) Gazetteer documented “The mountains in Huangniu, Jingmen, Nüguan, and Wangzhou all produce tea.” (All near by modern day Yichang.)

《淮阴图经》：“山阳县南二十里有茶坡。”

《淮阴图经》里记载：“山阳县以南二十里处，有个茶坡。”

Huaiyin (modern day Huai’an, Jiangsu) Gazetteer documented “Twenty li (≈ 10 km) south of Shanyang County lies a Tea Slope.”

《茶陵图经》：“茶陵者，所谓陵谷生茶茗焉。”

《茶陵图经》里记载：“茶陵，即陵谷中生长着茶树的意思。”

Chaling Gazetteer records: “Chaling ‘tea hills’ was so named because tea plants grow naturally in its hills and valleys.”

壶居士《食忌》：“苦荼久食，羽化。与韭同食，令人体重。”

壶居士在《食忌》中说：“经常饮茶，身轻体健，就如同飘飘欲仙；茶和韭菜一起食用，可以增加身体的重量。” 

The gourd immortal (Daoist immortal) documented in Dietary Taboos “Frequent drinking of bitter tea lightens the body, as though one might ascend like an immortal. When taken with leeks, it restore bodily substance and vitality.

Chapter 8: The Growing Regions (八之出)

山南 Shannan “South of Qinling Mountains”

山南：以峡州上，（峡州生远安、宜都、夷陵三县山谷。）襄州、荆州次，（襄州，生南漳县山谷；荆州，生江陵县山谷。）衡州下，（生衡山、茶陵二县山谷。）金州、梁州又下。（金州，生西城、安康二县山谷；梁州，生褒城、金牛二县山谷。）

山南地区的茶以峡州产的为极品，（峡州的茶产于远安、宜都、夷陵三县山谷。）襄州、荆州产的又逊一等，（襄州的茶产于南漳县的山谷中，荆州的茶产于江陵县的山谷中。）衡州产的茶又要次一等，（衡州的茶产于衡山、茶陵二县的山谷里。）金州、梁州的又次一些。（金州的茶产于西城和安康二县的山谷中。梁州的茶产于褒城和金牛二县的山谷中。）

The finest tea in this region is from Xiazhou (modern day Yichang, Hubei).

Annotation: In Xiazhou, tea grows in the mountain valleys of Yuan’an, Yidu and Yiling county.

Ranking second is tea from Xiangzhou and Jingzhou.

Annotation: Their tea comes from the mountain valleys of Nanzhang County and Jiangling County, respectively.

Ranking third is tea from Hengzhou (modern day Hengyang, Hunan), where leaves come from the mountain valleys of Hengshan (Hengyang) and Chaling counties.

Finally, tea from Jinzhou (Ankang, Sha’anxi) and Liangzhou (Hanzhong, Sha’anxi) are of even lower quality.

Annotation: Jinzhou’s tea are mainly from the mountain valleys of Xicheng and Ankang counties, whereas Liangzhou’s tea Baocheng and Jinniu counties.

淮南 Huainan “South of Huai River“

淮南，以光州上，（生光山县黄头港者，与峡州同。）义阳郡、舒州次，（生义阳县钟山者，与襄州同。舒州，生太湖县潜山者，与荆州同。）寿州下，（盛唐县生霍山者，与衡山同也。）蕲州、黄州又下。（蕲州，生黄梅县山谷；黄州，生麻城县山谷，并与金州、梁州同也。）

淮南地区的茶，以光州出产的为最好，（光山县的黄头港出产的茶与峡州的一样。）义阳郡、舒州出产的稍次，（义阳县钟山产的茶和襄州的一样。舒州的太湖县潜山生产的茶与荆州的一样。）寿州出产的又次，（盛唐县的霍山出产的茶与衡山的一样。）蕲州、黄州出产的更次一点。（蕲州的茶产于黄梅县山谷，黄州的茶产于麻城县山谷，其与金州、梁州的类似。）

The finest tea in this region comes from Guangzhou.

Annotation: Tea from Huangtougang in Guangshan county is on par with tea produced in Xiazhou menioned in paragraph above.

Ranking second is team from Yiyang Commandery (modern day Xinyang and Luoshan county, Henan) and Shuzhou (in modern day Anhui)

Annotation: Tea from Mt. Zhongshan in Yiyang matches the quality of Xiangzhou. In Shuzhou, tea from Qianshan in Taihui county matches that from Jingzhou.

Tea from Shouzhou would rank the third tier.

Annotation: Mt. Huo in Shengtang county produces similar tea as ‘Hengyang‘ does. )

Tea from Qizhou (in modern day Qichun, Hubei) and Huangzhou (near modern day Huanggang, Hubei) are of lower quality still.

Annotation:Qizhou produces tea from the mountain valleys of Huangmei County; Huangzhou from Macheng County. Both are on par with tea from Jinzhou (Ankang, Sha’anxi) and Liangzhou (Hanzhong, Sha’anxi).

浙西 Zhexi “West of Zhe River (Qiantang River)”

浙西，以湖州上，（湖州，生长城县顾渚山谷，与峡州、光州同；生山桑、儒师二坞，白茅山悬脚岭，与襄州、荆州、义阳郡同；生凤亭山伏翼阁、飞云、曲水二寺，啄木岭，与寿州同。生安吉、武康二县山谷，与金州、梁州同。）常州次，（常州义兴县，生君山悬脚岭北峰下，与荆州、义阳郡同；生圈岭善权寺，石亭山，与舒州同。）宣州、杭州、睦州、歙州下，（宣州，生宣城县雅山，与蕲州同；太平县生上睦、临睦，与黄州同。杭州，临安、于潜二县生天目山，与舒州同。钱塘生天竺、灵隐二寺；睦州生桐庐县山谷；歙州生婺源山谷；与衡州同。）润州、苏州又下。（润州，江宁县生傲山；苏州，长洲县生洞庭山，与金州、蕲州、梁州同。）

浙西一带出产的茶，以湖州的为极品，（湖州长城县顾渚山谷产的茶与峡州、光州出产的茶类似；山桑、儒师二坞、白茅山悬脚岭产的茶与襄州、荆州、义阳郡的类似；凤亭山伏翼阁、飞云寺、曲水寺、啄木岭产的茶和寿州的类似。安吉县和武康县出产的茶与金州、梁州的类似。）常州产出的品质差些，（常州义兴县君山悬脚岭北峰下产的茶和荆州、义阳郡类似；圈岭善权寺、石亭山出产的茶和舒州的类似。）宣州、杭州、睦州、歙州产出的次一些，（宣州宣城县雅山出的茶和蕲州的类似；太平县上睦、临睦出的茶与黄州的类似；杭州临安县、于潜县天目山出的茶与舒州的类似。钱塘天竺寺、灵隐寺、睦州桐庐县山谷、歙州婺源山谷出的茶和衡州的类似。）润州、苏州出的又次一些。（润州江宁县傲山，苏州长洲县洞庭山出的茶和金州、蕲州、梁州的类似。）

The finest tea in this region comes from Huzhou area.

Annotation: Tea from Guzhu Mountain, Changcheng county (modern day Changxing) is on par with those from Xiazhou and Guangzhou, discussed above; tea from the two villages of Shansang and Rushi, as well as Baimao Mt’s ridge pass, rival tea found in Xiangzhou, Jingzhou and Yiyang Commandery; tea from Fengting Mountain by Fuyi “Bat” Pavillion, Feiyun “Flying cloud” temple, Qushui “Meandering river” temple, and Zhuomuling “woodpecker hills” are of the same quality as that from Shouzhou; Anji and Wukang county produces tea similar to that found in Jinzhou and Liangzhou.

Ranking second in this region is tea from Changzhou (around modern day Changzhou, Jiangsu).

Annotation: In Yixing county, tea picked from the north slope below Mt. Jun’s ridge pass equals tea from Jingzhou and Yiyang Commandery; Shanquan Temple in Quanling and Shiting Mt. produces tea like that from Shuzhou.

Ranking the third is tea from Xuanzhou, Hangzhou, Muzhou and Shezhou.

Annotation: Mt. Ya in Xuancheng county, Xuanzhou, produces tea similar to that in Qizhou; tea from Shangmu and Linmu in Taiping county rivals tea from Huangzhou; in Hangzhou, Lin’an and Tianmu Mountain, Yuqian county produce tea like that from Shuzhou; tea picked from Tianzhu Temple and Lingyin temple by Qiantang River, valleys in Tonglu county, and the mountain valleys of Wuyuan, Shezhou is on the level of tea from Hengzhou.

Finally, Runzhou and Suzhou produce tea of even worse quality.

Annotation: Mt. Ao in Jiangning county, Runzhou and Dongting Mt. in Changzhou County, Suzhou produce tea similar to that from Jinzhou, Qizhou and Liangzhou.

剑南 Jiannan “South of Jianmen Mt”

剑南，以彭州上，（生九陇县马鞍山至德寺、棚口，与襄州同。）绵州、蜀州次，（绵州龙安县生松岭关，与荆州同，其西昌、昌明、神泉县西山者并佳；有过松岭者，不堪采。蜀州青城县生丈人山，与绵州同。青城县有散茶、末茶。）邛州次，雅州、泸州下，（雅州百丈山、名山，泸州泸川者，与金州同也。）眉州、汉州又下。（眉州丹棱县生铁山者，汉州绵竹县生竹山者，与润州同。）

剑南一带的茶，以彭州出的为极品，（九陇县马鞍山、至德寺、棚口出的茶与襄州的一样。）绵州、蜀州产的茶差点，（绵州龙安县松岭关出的茶同荆州的一样；西昌、昌明和神泉县西山产的茶品质相当；松岭以外的茶就犯不上采摘了。蜀州青城县丈人山出的茶与绵州的一样。青城县出散茶、末茶。）邛州产的茶次点，雅州、泸州的要再次些，（雅州百丈山、名山以及泸州泸川出的茶与金州的一样。）眉州、汉州的更次一些。（眉州丹棱县铁山和汉州绵竹县竹山所出的茶与润州一样。）

Pengzhou (near Chengdu Sichuan) produces the best tea in this region.

Annotation: Ma’an Mountain in Jiulong county, Zhide Temple, and Pengkou produce tea rivals that from Xiangzhou.

Ranking the second is tea from Mianzhou (area between modern day Jiangyou and Mianyang) and Shuzhou (area around Chongzhou and Xinjin).

Annotation: In Mianzhou, tea from Songling Pass in Long’an county matches that from Jingzhou; similar is the tea from the western hills of Xichang, Changming and Shenquan; Anything beyond Songling Pass isn’t worth picking. In Shuzhou, tea from Zhangren Mountain in Qingcheng county is similar to tea from Mianzhou. The county produces both loose-leaf and powdered tea.

Qiongzhou (around modern day Qionglai) tea rank the third tier and Yazhou (around modern day Ya’an) and Luzhou the fourth.

Annotation: Tea from Mt Baizhang and Mt Ming in Yazhou as well as Luchuan in Luzhou are on par with tea from Jinzhou.

The lowest quality of tea here come from Meizhou (around modern day Meishan) and Hanzhou (around modern day Deyang).

Annotation: Mt Iron in Danling county, Meizhou and Mt. Bamboo in Mianzhu county, Hanzhou produce tea that are of similar quality as that from Runzhou.

浙东 Zhedong “East of Zhe River (Qiantang River)”

浙东，以越州上，（余姚县生瀑布泉岭，曰仙茗，大者殊异，小者与襄州同。）明州、婺州次，（明州， 县生榆荚村；婺州，东阳县东白山，与荆州同。）台州下。（台州，丰县生赤城者，与歙州同。）

浙东地区的茶，以越州出的为极品，（余姚县瀑布泉岭出的茶被称作仙茗，叶大的茶很是特别，叶小的茶与襄州的类同。）明州、婺州出的差些，（明州 县榆荚村和婺州东阳县东白山出的茶，与荆州的类似。）台州产的次一点。（台州丰县赤城出的茶，和歙州的类似。）

Yuezhou (area around Shaoxing) produces the top grade tea.

Annotation: Yuyao County, tea from Pubuquan Ridge is called Xianming “Immortal Tea”; the large-leaf kind is especially distinctive, while the small-leaf kind is on a par with tea produced in Xiangzhou.

Mingzhou (around modern day Ningbo) and Wuzhou (around modern day Jinhua) produce the next best tea.

Annotation: Yujia Village in Ningbo and Mt. Dongbai in Dongyang county, Wuzhou produce tea like Jingzhou.

Tea from Taizhou is ranked lowest.

Chicheng “Red Town” in Feng county produces similar tea as Shezhou.

黔中 Qianzhong “Middle of Qian”

黔中，生思州、播州、费州、夷州。

黔中茶，出产于思州、播州、费州、夷州等地。 

Tea is produced in Sizhou (centered on today’s Guizhou Yanhe Tujia autonomous county, Wuchuan Gelao and Miao autonomous county, Yinjiang Tujia and Miao autonomous county, and Youyang Tujia and Miao autonomous county), Bozhou (around modern Zunyi and Tongzi), Feizhou (around modern Dejiang and Sinan), and Yizhou (around modern Fenggang, Suiyang, and Meitan).

Comment: Qianzhong cover parts of today’s upper Qingjiang River in Hubei, upper Yuan River in Hunan, eastern Guizhou from Bijie through Tongzi, Jinsha, and Qinglong, plus portions of Chongqing and Guangxi.

江南 Jiangnan “South of Yangzi River“

江南，生鄂州、袁州、吉州。

江南的茶，出产地为鄂州、袁州、吉州地区。

Tea is produced in Ezhou (around modern day Wuhan, Hubei), Yuanzhou (Roughly the Yuanshui River basin west of modern Pingxiang and Xinyu in Jiangxi) and Jizhou (in the Gan River basin between modern Xingan and Taihe, including Anfu and Yongxin in Jiangxi)

岭南 Lingnan “South of Nanling Mountains”

岭南，生福州、建州、韶州、象州。（福州，生闽县方山之阴。）

岭南一带，出产地是福州、建州、韶州、象州等地。（福州的茶，产自闽县境内方山之北地区。）Tea in this region is produced in Fuzhou (and modern day Putian), Jianzhou (Jianyang, Fujian), Shaozhou (around modern Qujiang, Wengyuan, and Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County in Guangdong) and Xiangzhou (and Wuxuan in Guangxi).

Others

其思、播、费、夷、鄂、袁、吉、福、建、韶、象十一州未详，往往得之，其味极佳。

我对思、播、费、夷、鄂、袁、吉、福、建、韶、象这十一州所产的茶，尚不是很了解，但有幸时常得到一些，也多数品尝过，感觉味道非常不错。 

I wasn’t able to find details records of tea from these eleven prefectures: Si (modern day Wuchuan, Yanhe, Yingjiang in Guizhou as well as youyang and Xiushan in Chongqing, which are populated by ethnic minorities), Bo (in modern day Lanzhou), Fei (modern day Fuchuan and Fuyang, Guizhou), Yi (modern day Taiwan), E (modern day Wuchang district in Wuhan), Yuan (around modern day Yichun, Pingxiang, Xinyu in Jiangxi), Ji (around modern Luling County, Jiangxi), Fu (Fuzhou, Fujian), Jian (northern Fujian, populated by several ethnic groups), Shao (Shaoguan, Guandong), and Xiang (around Guilin, Guangxi). Although I have tried some of them and their flavor was exceptionally fine as well.

Chapter 9: The Simplification (九之略)

其造具，若方春禁火之时，于野寺山园，丛手而掇，乃蒸、乃舂，乃复以火干之，则又棨、扑、焙、贯、棚、穿、育等七事皆废。

有关制作茶叶的器具，如果当时是春季寒食节前后，在野外寺院或山林茶园，大家一起动手采摘茶叶，马上蒸熟，捣碎，用火烘烤干燥，就能够直接饮用。如此一来，制茶用的棨、扑、焙、贯、棚、穿、育等七种工具就都可以不用了。

Simplification of tea-making tools: around the time of Cold Food Festival (fire ban) in the spring, groups could meet at a countryside temple or mountain gardens. As a group, they can pluck tea leaves, then steam, pound, dry the leaves over heat. In this case, one will not have to use the seven tools (discussed in Chapter 2): qi, pu, bei, guan, peng, chuan and yu.

其煮器，若松间石上可坐，则具列废。用槁薪、?[生僻字]之属，则风炉、灰承、檛、火䇲、交床等废。若瞰泉临涧，则水方、涤方、漉水囊废。若五人以下，茶可末而精者，则罗合废。若援藟跻岩，引絙入洞，于山口灸而末之，或纸包、盒贮，则碾、拂末等废。既瓢、碗、䇲、札、熟盂、鹾簋悉以一筥盛之，则都篮废。

有关煮茶的器具，假如在山间松林，茶具可以放置在石头上，这样一来摆放茶具时用的床或架可以不用。假如用干柴、枯叶、?[生僻字]来烧水，那么，风炉、灰承、檛、火䇲、交床等也都用不着了。假如在泉水溪边，那么水方、涤方、漉水囊也可以不用。假如出游喝茶的人少于五人，则茶可以碾得非常细，罗筛可以弃用。假如要攀藤登山，或顺着粗大绳索进入山洞，就要在山口事先把茶烤好捣细，用纸或盒装好，这种情况下，碾和拂末也可弃用。假如瓢、碗、䇲 、札、熟盂、盐能够同时放在筥中，都篮便可以省去不用。 

Simplification of tea–boiling utensils: If you are in a pine grove, you may set the tea ware on a flat rock and skip the display stand and trays. If you can find dry wood and fallen leaves for fuel and boil water in a tripod cauldron, you can do without the wind stove, ash tray, stirring pestle, fire tongs and the cross stand. If you are near a spring or a stream, you won’t need the water chest, washing chest, or filtering bag. With fewer than five in your group, the tea can be ground very fine, such that sifting strainer is unnecessary. If you must climb over cliffs on vines or pull a thick rope to enter a cave, then you should roast and grind tea at the foothill in advance. That way, you can wrap the tea powder in paper and store it in a box and not have to bring grinding stone and a brush. You can also leave the large carrying basket behind by packing the ladle, bowls, bamboo tongs, spatula, water bowl and salt together into a small hamper.

Comment: Tea seems to have been an essential part of “glamping” over a thousand years ago.

但城邑之中，王公之门，二十四器阙一，则茶废矣。

都市里的王孙贵族家中，假如缺少二十四种器具中的任何一样，那就不能称为真正的饮茶。 

However, in the cities, at the households of nobles, a proper tea service can not proceed, if even just one of the twenty-four implements is missing.

Chapter 10: The Pictorialize (十之圖)

以绢素或四幅或六幅，分布写之，陈诸座隅，则茶之源、之具、之造、之器、之煮、之饮、之事、之出、之略，目击而存，于是《茶经》之始终备焉。

将《茶经》内容分别写在四幅或六幅的白色丝绢上，然后悬挂于座位旁边。如此一来，茶之起源、采摘制作工具、制茶之法、煮茶方法、饮茶方式、关于茶事的记载、产地以及茶具、茶器的使用方式等内容，时时刻刻都可以看到，从头至尾关于《茶经》的叙述就完备了。

Prepare four or six panels of white silk, and write down the content of this book. Display the silk panels by your sitting area. This way you can easily look up and recall the origin of tea, the tools needed to prepare tea, how to make tea, how to boil tea, how to drink tea, as well as the history of tea, regions of the best teas, and a guide on how to simplify tea making at any time.

This is it. From the beginning to the end of my Classic of Tea.

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Green

Whether loose leaves or ground powder, records suggest that tea was at first green. In The Classic of Tea (茶经 760) by Lu Yu 陆羽 is the earliest known text to describe how tea was made. In Book Three: Making Tea, he outlined steps such as steaming, crushing, pressing, and drying the leaves.

When growing on the tree, tea leaves are green because they are rich in a molecule called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a pigment that captures sunlight for photosynthesis, in most leafy plants. Much like fruits you buy from the market, tea leaves begin to brown once they are picked off the tree. This browning is caused by an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). When the leaf dies, the enzyme is released, allowing it to use oxygen to oxidize the polyphenols and turn them into brown pigments. Wait a minute, you may ask, what are polyphenols? Polyphenols are a family of natural compounds that contain multiple phenol groups. In tea, the main ones are flavonoids, especially catechins, and phenolic acids. When the enzyme PPO comes into contact with polyphenols in the presence of air, it catalyzes a series of oxidation reactions that turn the once-colorless polyphenols into pigments. Catechins, for example, transform into golden theaflavins and reddish-brown thearubigins.

By the time it reaches the cup, tea manages to stay green through heat. When freshly picked leaves are exposed to high temperatures (steaming, pan-firing, or roasting), the heat quickly deactivates the enzyme PPO that causes browning through oxidation. This process, known as “arrest the green” (杀青), stops browning before it begins and locks in the leaf’s natural color, aroma, and fresh taste. Are early Chinese tea makers chemists too?

During the Ming dynasty (14th–17th centuries), tea makers discovered that heating leaves in a dry pan produced brighter color and richer aroma than steaming. The earliest record of this shift appears in Cha Pu (茶谱, ca. 1440), written by Zhu Quan 朱权, the seventeenth son of the Hongwu Emperor. He described pan-fried teas as having a “clear fragrance and bright color,” and noted that they stored better than the steamed kinds. From that point on, frying gradually replaced steaming as the standard way to keep tea green.

Many of China’s most famous green teas were born from this tradition: the Dragon Well (龙井茶) from Hangzhou, Zhejiang; Bi luo chun (碧螺春) from Suzhou, Jiangsu; and Mao Feng (毛峰) from Huangshan, Anhui. Each uses heat to arrest oxidation, but the subtle differences in temperature, timing, and leaf handling give each tea its distinct aroma and texture.

White

Some tea makers, however, took a gentler path. The term “white tea” 白茶 first appeared in the Song dynasty, when Emperor Huizong 徽宗 in his Treatise on Tea 大观茶论 (1107 CE) praised a rare tribute tea whose buds were “the most refined, like silver needles.” Back then, “white tea” referred only to the pale color of tea leaves, and not a specific way to preparation.

Centuries later, in the coastal mountains of Fujian, tea makers learned that tender spring buds could be dried in the sun without any heating at all. The Records of Fujian Products 闽产录异 (1568) first described this process and the Sequel to the Classic of Tea 茶续经 (1734) later called them “sun-dried white tea.” The result was pale and sweet, the fine white hairs on the buds giving the brew a silvery sheen while slow, natural oxidation softened the grassy notes of green tea into gentle hints of honey and hay.

Today you can find Baihao Yinzhen (白毫银针), Bai Mudan (白牡丹), Gong Mei (贡眉) and Shou Mei (寿眉) from Fujian Province; and Moonlight White (月光白) from Yunnan. Variations in leaf age, sunlight, and drying time give every tea its own balance of sweetness, body, and fragrance.

Yellow

Now, all tea makers make mistakes.

In a book Cha Shu (茶疏, 1597) by Xu Cishu 许次纾, he criticized local tea makers for over-firing their leaves so that “before they even came out of the wok, they were already scorched and withered.” Little did he know that what he saw as a bug, green tea turning yellow, would later become a feature.

Yellow teas began to appear in the late Ming (1600s), when tea makers discovered that gently reheating pan-fried leaves in a warm, humid cloth produced a mellower aroma and golden brew. The earliest surviving reference to a process resembling this is often attributed to Gu Yuanqing’s Cha Shuo (茶说, ca. 1590–1600 CE). Later, the technique gained its official name “sealing to yellow”  (闷黄), appearing in the book Sequel to the Classic of Tea (茶续经, 1734) by Lu Tingcan 陆廷灿. In essence, the green pigment chlorophyll slowly faded, and the tea becomes softer, sweeter, and less grassy.

Many delicate yellow teas trace their origin to this discovery: Junshan Yinzhen (君山银针) from Dongting Lake, Hunan; Huoshan Huangya (霍山黄芽) from Anhui, Hunan; and Mengding Huangya (蒙顶黄芽) from Sichuan. Differences in leaf tenderness, heat, and wrapping time give every tea a unique own shade of gold and gentle sweetness.

Dark

In Sichuan, green tea had to take a new direction. Merchants traveling the ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道) soon realized that green tea’s delicate fragrance and flavor couldn’t survive the long, humid journey across the mountains to Tibet and then central Asia. Dark tea (黑茶) appears in the Veritable Records of the Ming (明实录) as early as 1524. In Chinese, the term 黑茶 literally means ‘black tea,’ but to distinguish it from 红茶 (red tea, known in the West as black tea), it is now translated to dark tea. The official Ming records Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty (明会典, 1587) described that “border tea” was steamed and then pressed into cakes for transport. Although the records did not explicitly mention drying, the bricks must have been heated to prevent spoilage. That repeated drying likely deepened both color and aroma through browning reactions between the leaf’s sugars and amino acids. For anyone who enjoys baking bread or searing steak, this is the famous Maillard reaction.

The idea of darkened, durable tea must have spread east. In Hunan, tea makers refined the process further. By mid-18th century, brick teas from Anhua County had developed a new step called wet-piling (渥堆). We now know this process as fermentation, a slow transformation driven by naturally occurring microbes that thrive in the warm, humid piles of tea leaves. As they break down polyphenols and other compounds, the leaves darken, their bitterness softens, and a mellow, earthy aroma emerges.

Many of China’s most famous dark teas uses the same techniques: Fuzhuan tea (伏砖茶) from Anhua, Hunan; Liubao tea (六堡茶) from Wuzhou, Guangxi; and Shou Pu’er (熟普洱) from Yunnan. The microbes, moisture, and aging conditions unique to each region give them their distinct flavor and aroma.

Oolong

As dark teas evolved inland across Sichuan and Hunan, another experiment was unfolding on the southeastern coast. In the rugged Wuyi Mountains 武夷山 of Fujian Province (Yes, the same birth place of white teas), tea makers began to master the art of partial oxidation. Wuyi tea was first praised in writing in 1034 CE, when the statesman Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹 composed his Wuyi Tea Song (武夷茶歌): “By the stream grows a wondrous tea, the finest under heaven, long tended by the immortals of Wuyi”.

Instead of pan-firing leaves immediately after picking, Fujian tea makers allowed them to rest and gently shook them (摇青) in bamboo baskets, bruising the edges while keeping the centers green. The Longxi County Gazetteer (龙溪县志, 1732) seems to be the first record to mention this style of tea as Oolong tea (乌龙茶). The process of shaking and bruising allowed oxygen to reach the enzyme PPO inside the leaf, starting controlled oxidation of polyphenols, just as we discussed in the beginning. Fujian’s Da Hong Pao (大红袍) and Tie Guan Yin (铁观音) are some of the most famous oolongs descend from this tradition enjoyed until today.

By the mid-nineteenth century, Fujian’s oolong tradition had crossed the Taiwan Strait. Immigrants brought their tea bushes and craft to northern Taiwan, where the island’s misty hills gave rise to new classics such as Dong Ding (冻顶乌龙).

Black

Another turning point for tea took place deep in the Wuyi Mountains. In Tongmu Village 桐木关, tea makers began letting freshly picked leaves oxidize completely without heating them first. When the leaves were finally dried, the result was a smooth, copper-red brew. The earliest written evidence of black tea appears in Cha Kao (茶考, 1717) by Xu Cishu 许次纾, who described certain Wuyi teas as “red and fragrant in the cup” (汤色红而香). This brief line marks the first time a tea’s red color and aroma were highlighted as defining qualities. Black tea (Red in Chinese) was born.

While no record I could find clearly describes when this method first began, chemically it marked the far end of the oxidation spectrum. Without the initial “arrest the green” (杀青) step used in green tea production, the enzyme PPO continued to act on the leaf’s polyphenols, transforming them into brown and red pigments. The result was an amber liquor with a mellow, malty aroma.

In Wang Yinchang’s Cha Shuo (茶说, 1815), another key step was described: after withering, the leaves were hand-rolled to release their juices before oxidation. This rolling helped the enzymes and polyphenols mix evenly throughout the leaf, deepening the red color and enhancing the tea’s aroma.

Between 1848 and 1851, the botanist Robert Fortune, officially hired by the British East India Company (EIC), covertly gathered tea seeds, young plants, and processing tools from Fujian and Anhui, along with skilled Chinese tea workers. These were shipped to Kolkata and planted in the cool hills of Darjeeling and Assam. There, the Chinese black tea formed the foundation of India’s tea industry, marking the beginning of large-scale tea cultivation beyond China.

Today, the legacy of China’s red tea lives on in every region: Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (正山小种) from Tongmu, Fujian, still carries its gentle pine aroma; Keemun (祁门红茶) from Anhui offers a winey fragrance and smooth body; and Dianhong (滇红茶) from Yunnan glows with golden buds and honeyed sweetness. The leaf variety, altitude, and drying method give each its own shade of red and character of taste.

From green to white, yellow to dark, oolong to black, this is how six kinds of tea took shape. Each emerged not from sudden invention but from centuries of small experiments, adjusting heat, humidity, and time, to master the chemistry of a single leaf. What began as one plant became a spectrum of taste and color, its transformations guided by curiosity, patience, and craft.

What is your favorite cup of tea?

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The word te originated in the Min Nan dialect (闽南语) spoken in Fujian (福建), a coastal province in southeastern China. In the early 1600s, Dutch traders sailing from Fujian’s ports learned the word te from Chinese merchants. They carried both the leaves and the name across the seas. Through the Dutch thee, it became tea in English, thé in French, and tee in German. Closer by in Southeast Asia, Min Nan traders exchanged tea with merchants in the area that is modern-day Malaysia and Indonesia, giving rise to the local word teh.

While te sailed the seas, cha traveled mostly over land. The sound cha came from Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese (茶) and moved westward along the Silk Road. While the Silk Road opened during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), the earliest evidence of tea trade along its routes did not appear until the Tang dynasty (618 – 907 CE), when caravans carried tea bricks westward through the Tibetan Plateau toward Central Asia. Persians called it چای (chay), which spread as чай (chai) in Russian and شاي (shai) in Arabic. In India, the same word became चाय (chai), carried through Persian and Urdu into the subcontinent’s many languages. Ironically, the tea itself arrived India much later. In the 19th century, British agents smuggled tea seeds and cultivation knowledge out of China to establish plantations in Assam and Darjeeling. Centuries earlier, in the opposite direction, the word cha had already taken root across East Asia. It entered Korea during the Silla dynasty (7th – 9th centuries) as 차 (cha) and reached Japan during the Heian period (8th – 9th centuries) as お茶 (ocha), with the respectful “o” added before cha.

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. When it comes to tea, all leaves trace back to China.

What many people don’t realize is that nearly all tea, whether green, white, yellow, oolong, black, or dark, comes from the exact same species of plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences come only from how the leaves are prepared (topic for another time).

Scientists have sequenced tea plants, Camellia sinensis, from all over the world and found that the greatest genetic diversity occurs in Yunnan, China. In genetics, this observation tells a story of origin. Imagine you have a deck of cards, each representing a different gene. The plant’s original home holds the full deck. When humans carry tea plants to new places, only part of that deck travels with them. Over time, those distant populations keep playing with fewer cards, resulting in a less diverse genetic profile. This is why scientists believe that Yunnan is the most likely birthplace of tea and tea cultivation.

Chinese legend credits the discovery of tea to Emperor Shennong, the “Divine Farmer,” who lived nearly five thousand years ago. One day, as the story goes, a few wild leaves drifted into his pot of boiling water, releasing a fragrance so pleasant that he decided to taste it, and tea was born. While the tale is beloved, archaeology offers a more tangible record of the early days of tea consumption. In 2016, scientists analyzing remains from the tomb of Emperor Jing of Han (141 BCE) near Xi’an, China identified tea leaves containing caffeine, theanine, and catechins, a combination of chemicals unique to Camellia sinensis. If you aren’t familiar with China’s geography, Xi’an lies more than a thousand miles from tea’s homeland in Yunnan. How the leaves traveled such a distance so early is still a mystery today, but what is clear is that by the 2nd century BCE, tea had already entered the world of the royal courts of China.

You might have noticed my choice of words “tea consumption”, and not “tea drinking”. The truth is, we don’t actually know how tea was used at first, but it was certainly unlike how we drink it today. The earliest Chinese documents that mention tea describe it being boiled and not steeped. In 59 CE, the scholar Wang Bao 王褒 wrote his Contract for a Servant<僮约>, which records a servant’s duty to “boil tea and serve the cups”, the earliest known mention of tea preparation in daily life. A century later, physician Hua Tuo (华佗, 145–208 CE) noted that drinking bitter tea could “clear the head and ease digestion,” describing tea’s medicinal value long before it became a common beverage. By the 4th to early 7th centuries, tea appears frequently in poetry and historical texts under the term jian cha (煎茶), meaning “boiled tea”.

This tradition reached new refinement in the Tang dynasty, when Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea (Cha Jing, 760 CE), the world’s first comprehensive treatise on tea. Lu Yu described roasting compressed tea cakes, crushing them into powder, and boiling the powder in water. This powdered tea method continued to evolve in the Song dynasty (10th – 13th centuries). Instead of boiling the powder, people began whisking it in hot water using a bamboo whisk (cha xian, 茶筅), creating a bright green froth. Song scholars and emperors praised this style, known as Whisked Tea (点茶), as the height of refinement. Cai Xiang’s Record of Tea <茶录>, 1051) and Emperor Huizong’s Treatise on Tea <大观茶论>, 1107) both describe this whisked tea in detail. In 1191 CE, a Japanese Buddhist monk named Eisai 栄西 introduced this technique of tea whisking from China to Japan, where it became known as matcha.

Ironically, the practice of whisking powdered tea soon began its decline. By the Southern Song period (1127–1279), people outside the imperial courts were already favoring simpler infusions made from loose tea leaves. Later under Mongol rule (1271–1368), the literati circles that had sustained refined tea culture were displaced. Steeping loose leaves in hot water quietly became the new norm. What finally ended the tradition came in 1391, when the Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋), who rose from a peasant background, issued an edict banning compressed and powdered teas from imperial tribute. He viewed the elaborate tea rituals of earlier dynasties as decadent and wasteful, and sought to return tea to a simpler, humbler form. Funny enough, his son Emperor Zhu Di (朱棣) went on and built out the Forbidden City. Decadence, right? The reform effectively ended the dian cha practice in China and cemented the loose-leaf brewing tradition that defines Chinese tea today.

So this is the early story of tea, traced through its genes, its words, and its history. Which part of this journey fascinates you the most?

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In the traditional Chinese tea ceremony, each mindful brew depend on this set of six implements:

1. Tea Scoop 茶则 (chá zé)

The tea scoop, 茶则, one of the earliest named implements in Han Chinese tea ware, already held a defined place by the Tang dynasty. In Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea (茶经·四之器) written circa 760–780 CE, he recorded: “则，以海贝、蛎蛤之属，或以铜、铁、竹、匕、策之类。”
“The scoop (zé) may be made from seashells, clams, copper, iron, bamboo, or similar materials.”

The purpose of the tea scoop is simple yet refined: it lifts tea leaves from the container and pours them neatly into the teapot. The tea scoop embodies the Confucian sense of quiet discipline and order that guide each movement in the art of tea.

2. Tea Spoon (茶匙, chá chí)

The tea spoon 茶匙, also known as 茶扒 (chá pá), is shaped like a small soup spoon with a flat end. It is used to push dry tea leaves from the tea holder or tea scoop into the teapot with precision and grace. In daily use, it can also remove spent leaves after brewing. Practitioners traditionally keep separate spoons for dry and wet use to maintain cleanliness and respect for the tea.

3. Tea Funnel (茶漏, chá lòu)

The tea funnel 茶漏 is placed on top of the teapot to guide tea leaves neatly into the narrow opening, preventing spills and waste. It should not be confused with the modern tea strainer, which is used to filter out the tea leaves when pouring tea. The tea funnel assists in precision and grace during preparation and reminds us that the refinement of tea begins with care in every detail.

4. Tea Tong (茶夹, chá jiā)

also known as tea chopsticks (茶筷), the tea tongs 茶夹 are used to handle teacups during washing and serving, avoiding direct hand contact and maintaining both cleanliness and decorum. One may also use tea tongs to remove tea leaves or residue from the teapot.

Tea Tong embodies the Confucian virtue of respect, reminding the practitioner that every movement in tea should be guided by mindfulness and courtesy.

5. Tea Needle (茶针, chá zhēn)

The tea needle 茶针, also known as 茶通 (chá tōng), is a slender tool used to clear the teapot’s inner mesh or spout when tea leaves obstruct the flow of water. It may also be used to gently adjust the position of leaves inside the pot, allowing whole leaves to remain on top and broken ones to settle below for a balanced infusion. In modern practice, the tea needle can also be used to pry apart compressed teas, such as Pu’er (普洱茶) cakes or bricks, without crushing the leaves.

6. Tea Vase (茶筒, chá tǒng)

The tea vase 茶筒, also known as 茶道瓶, serves as the container that holds and organizes the other five implements discussed above. Traditionally made of bamboo or wood, and in later times of ceramic, metal, or lacquered materials, the tea tube keeps the tools upright, clean, and ready for use. Though often forgotten, the tea vase represents the principle of harmony through structure, again bring home the sense of discipline, care and graceful organization.

Though modest in form, each of the Six Gentlemen (六君子) reflects the harmony, respect, and mindfulness that define the art of Chinese tea. They remind us that even the smallest tools can embody great beauty and meaning when used with intention.

Thank you for reading and please do share your own tool box that brings you joy!

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