Wangji Neyan
1. The Way of Tea and Taoism
Chinese tea culture has a long history and great depth, and over its long development it has formed a distinctive set of ritual forms.
Taoism exerted an important influence on the development of the way of tea. The Gazetteer of Linhai County, quoting the “Tea Garden” section of the Baopuzi, says: “On Mount Gaizhu there is the tea garden of the Immortal Elder; it has long been said that Ge Yuan planted tea here.” Ge Yuan (Ge Xuan) was the grand-uncle of Ge Hong. Tradition holds that he studied under Zuo Ci and obtained the Elixir Scripture of Grand Clarity (Taiqing Danjing), the Elixir Scripture of the Nine Tripods (Jiuding Danjing), and other texts, and on Mount Gaizhu in Linhai, Zhejiang, he labored at the art of the Golden Elixir and pursued the way of nurturing life; clearing the mountain to plant tea was likewise for the sake of nurturing life. It is further said that Patriarch Lu Xiujing once “talked of tea and chanted poetry” all night until dawn—another mark of esteem for tea culture.
Taoism teaches that “the Tao follows what is so of itself.” Emperor Huizong of the Song wrote in his Treatise on Tea of the Daguan Era (Daguan Cha Lun): “As for tea as a thing, it holds the fine essence of Ou and Min and gathers the numinous endowment of mountains and rivers. It clears the breast and washes away stagnation, brings clarity and leads to harmony—this is not something ordinary people or children can understand. Inwardly calm, leisurely, and pure, its charm is lofty and it brings stillness—this is not something that can be appreciated in hurried times.” Here tea is treated as something rich in numinous power that can wash away the dust of the world, raised to a spiritual level, allowing a person to feel, from within outward, the mysterious realm that stillness brings.
The tea gathering uses tea to discuss the Tao and to nurture one’s nature and cultivate the heart, taking traditional tea culture as a practice in order to inherit and promote the fine traditional culture of the Chinese nation. The presenter of this free public tea class was Zhao Yirui, whose Taoist name is Sanjing. She was steeped in tea culture from childhood; her father is a master tea connoisseur. She studied under Master Liang Lanxi (religious name Luoxi) and studied in the Tea Science Department of Zhejiang University, and has taken part in teaching tea competitions, focusing mainly on boiled tea, simmered tea, and steeped tea. Under her teacher’s guidance and training, she has reached a deeper level in the art and way of tea, and has also taken up the appreciation of tea through smelling its aroma and examining its leaves.
2. Tea Etiquette
1. The Bow with Clasped Hands
This greeting is a traditional courtesy: the right hand covers the left, right hand above and left hand below, and one bows (usually at 45 degrees).
2. Admiring the Tea
Hold the tea lightly in both hands in front of you and sniff it gently (turn your head aside when you breathe out so as not to exhale stale breath onto the leaves).
3. Passing the Tea for Admiring
When passing it from one person to the next, hold it level in both hands in front of the chest and extend it forward, to an appropriate distance.
4. The Gesture of Inviting to Tea
Keep the four fingers together, with the thumb resting naturally against them and slightly bent, and extend the hand at 45 degrees to signal “please” to the other person.
3. How Did the Ancients Drink Tea?
How did people in ancient times drink tea? In different eras tea had different aesthetics: boiled tea before the Sui and Tang, simmered tea in the Tang dynasty, whisked tea in the Song dynasty, and steeped tea from the Yuan and Ming onward.
The choice of a lidded bowl (gaiwan) for steeping tea is especially important. The gaiwan is also called the “Three Powers bowl” or “Three Powers cup”: the lid is heaven, the saucer is earth, and the bowl is humanity, implying the harmony of heaven, earth, and humanity.
The I Ching (Book of Changes) gives a systematic and clear explanation of the way of the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and humanity. Drinking tea is only one part of daily life, yet in it one can feel how traditional culture permeates every aspect of life—in fact, it has long been inseparable from everyday living.
The process is generally divided into three steps—admiring the tea, brewing the tea, and tasting the tea:
1. Greet with a bow, introduce the tea, and admire the tea.
2. Warm the pot and cups, and begin placing the tea.
3. Shaking for aroma: put the tea leaves into the bowl used for brewing, gently shake the bowl five or six times, and then smell the aroma.
4. Smelling the aroma: take the lid of the bowl and hold it to the nose, passing it among the tea guests to smell.
5. Brewing: rinse the tea leaves once, then steep them with boiled water at a temperature suited to the tea.
6. Serving: place the tasting cup on its saucer, lift it with both hands, and set it before the guest, inviting them to taste.
7. Tasting: while drinking tea you may also light an incense you like as an accompaniment, letting the natural fragrance blend with the aroma of the tea so that you become more fully immersed. The scent should not be too strong—light, elegant, and calming is enough. Pair the tea with fine tea snacks to complement its rich, mellow bitterness. You may also play the guqin, relaxing body and mind as you experience the pleasure of drinking tea.
The students took part eagerly in this tea gathering, smelling the aromas and tasting the tea, exchanging impressions with one another, and stepping up to brew tea themselves to feel its charm, delving deeply into the cleansing of body and mind that traditional tea culture brings.
The process of tasting tea is really a process of feeling “stillness” with the heart, which coincides with Taoist themes such as naturalness, clarity and stillness, and calming the heart.