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

Monograph

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...

 on tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 in the world, written by Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 writer Lu Yu

Lu Yu

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

 between 760

760

Year 760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 760 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- China :* Emperor Xuanzong is placed under house arrest...

 CE and 780

780

Year 780 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 780 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Constantine VI becomes Byzantine...

 CE during the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

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

.

According to Tea Lore, Lu Yu

Lu Yu

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

 was an orphan of Jinling county (now Tianmen county in Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

 province) who was adopted by a Buddhist monk of the Dragon Cloud Monastery. He refused to take up the monastic robes and was assigned menial jobs by his stepfather. Lu Yu ran away and joined the circus as a clown. At age 14, Lu Yu was discovered by the local governor Li Qiwu who offered Lu Yu the use of his library and the opportunity to study with a teacher. During the An Lushan and Shi Siming rebellion period, Lu Yu retired to Shaoqi (now Wuxing county, Zhejiang). During this period, Lu Yu made friends with many literati, including the calligrapher Yan Zhenqing and the poet Huang Pu Zheng and wrote his magnum opus

Masterpiece

Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....

: Ch'a Ching.

For Lu Yu, tea symbolized the harmony and mysterious unity of the Universe. "He invested the Ch'a Ching with the concept that dominated the religious thought of his age, whether Buddhist

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, Taoist

Taoism

Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...

, or Confucian

Confucianism

Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...

: to see in the particular an expression of the universal" (Shapira, et al., 150).

Huang Fuzeng's poem about Lu Yu

Saw Lu Yu off to Pick Tea

Thousand mountains greeted my departing friend

When spring tea blossoming again

With indepth knowledge in picking tea

Through morning mist or crimson evening clouds

His solitary journey is my envy

Rendezvous in a temple of a remote mountain

We enjoyed picnic by a clear pebble fountain

In this silent night

Lit up a candle light

I knocked a marble bell for chime

While deep in thought for old time.

Content of the Tea Classic

Lu Yu's Tea Classic was the earliest treatise on tea in the world. It could be said the most famous work on tea yet only about 7000 Chinese characters the book is not large. Written in the literary language of the Tang Dynasty, a condensed, refined and poetic styled of Chinese. The "Tea Classic" is made of "Three Scrolls Ten Chapters (三卷十章)", each chapter is briefly explained below.

One: Origin (一之源)

This chapter expounds the mythological

Mythology

The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...

 origins of tea in China. It also contains a horticultural

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

 description of the tea plant and its proper planting as well as some etymological

Etymology

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

 speculation. The ancient giant tea tree in Bashan Xiachuan area. Features and characteristics of tea tree. The Chinese character "chá" and five other Chinese characters for tea. Characteristics of quality tea leaves, soils and topography compared to tea quality. Benefits of good teas and bad teas. The geographical region, harvest seasons and growing methods in relation to tea quality.

Two: Tools (二之具)

This chapter describes fifteen tools for picking, steaming, pressing, drying and storage of tea leaves and cake. Tools for making compressed tea brick, construction and recommended materials, specifications and instructions for these tools.

Three: Making (三之造)

This chapter details the recommended procedures for the production of tea cake. The right time of the day, season and climate for plucking. Drying and storing of collected tea. Texture and features of quality brick tea . Understanding process methods and how to identify quality brick tea.

Four: Utensils (四之器)

This chapter describes twenty eight items used in the brewing and drinking of tea, including specifications and instructions, construction and recommended materials. The effect of these utensils to tea brew.
Lu Yu’s Tea Ware:

• crushing block (砧椎)
• brazier (風爐)
• charcoal basket (炭筥)
• charcoal mallet (炭檛)
• fire chopsticks (火筴)
• cauldron (鍑)
• cauldron stand (交床)
• tea tongs (夾)
• paper wallet (紙囊)
• crushing roller (碾)
• sieve box (羅合)
• tea holder (則)
• water vessel (水方)
• water filter bag (漉水囊)
• gourd scooper (瓢)
• bamboo tongs (竹夾)
• salt container (鹺簋)
• boiled water vessel (熟盂)
• bowl (碗)
• bowl basket (畚)
• brush (劄)
• water basin (滌方)
• spent tea basin (滓方)
• tea cloth (巾)
• utensil table (具列)
• utensil basket (都籃)

Five: Boiling (五之煮)

This chapter enumerates the guidelines for the proper preparation of tea. Methods and steps for baking tea brick before brewing, storage of baked tea brick. Types of water and water quality, things to look out for and timing of boiling water. Steps and methods in preparing tea. The brewing methods are designed for tea of the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

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

.

Six: Drinking (六之飲)

This chapter describes the various properties of tea, the history of tea drinking and the various types of tea known in 8th century China. Reasons for drinking tea, how or when tea drinking started and its progress through the Tang Dynasty. Various types of tea and their drinking methods. Tea should be drunk pure without adding any ingredients to it, good tea brew should begin with careful preparation from cultivation to brewing. Methods of sharing tea with acquaintance.

Seven: History (七之事)

This chapter gives various anecdotes about the history of tea in Chinese records, from Shennong

Shennong

Shennong , which names mean "Divine Farmer", but also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains , was a legendary ruler of China and culture hero reputed to have lived some 5,000 years ago...

 through the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

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

. Begin with an index list of influential individuals related to tea before the Tang Dynasty. A collection of literature and historical records on tea legends and famous people, folklore and customs, tea poems and tea stories, health benefits of tea in recorded medical books, tea as medical herb and tea cure formula, tea usage in cooking and tea recipes.

Eight: Growing Regions (八之出)

This chapter ranks the eight tea producing regions in China. Tea producing areas in Tang China, grading and comparison of tea quality from these areas.

Nine: Simplify (九之略)

This chapter lists those procedures that may be omitted and under what circumstances. Tools and methods that can be excluded in cultivation and processing under abnormal conditions. Tea utensils and brewing methods that can be simplified or improvised under various outdoor and unusual habitat environments.

Ten: Pictorialize (十之圖)

This chapter consists of how to transfer the contents onto placards or large scrolls for hanging

Hanging scroll

A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit Chinese painting and calligraphy. Displaying the art in such way was befitting for public appreciation and appraisal of the aesthetics of the scrolls in its entirety by the audience. The traditional craft involved in...

on the wall for quick references. The silk scrolls that provide an abbreviated version of the previous nine chapters.

External links

• Japanese tea ceremony history - Chinese influences on the Japanese tea ceremony
• Tea and Tiequanyin
• Tea Terms 2010 中英文茶術語