One day, while reading, I recalled a poem I had read in my childhood. “On a moonless night, a fisherman's lamp appears, a solitary glow like a firefly. A gentle breeze stirs the waves, scattering them into stars across the river.” The poem describes the scene as seen by the poet on a boat at night. The lonely fisherman's lamp is like a lone firefly, reflected in the ripples stirred by a light wind, as if countless stars were scattered upon the river. This transition from stillness to movement is depicted with simple language, rich in subtle emotional changes, demonstrating the poet's meticulous powers of observation.
The poet's name was Zha Shenxing (1650–1727), and he was from Haining, Zhejiang Province. What I am reading now is one of his poems about Puer: “A gorilla sits on the ground covered with felt, its red spots as fresh as clarified butter. Puer Tea cakes are boiled repeatedly, specially offered before the horses' hooves.” “Gorilla” refers to a type of animal, which, according to ancient texts, makes sounds like a crying child and can speak human language.
Clarified butter is made from the fat extracted from cow or sheep milk. The line “Puer” describes the military context where numerous people require continuous tea brewing, hence the phrase “boiled repeatedly,” referring to Compressed tea cakes. “Pian ti” means wine pot. The line “before the horses' hooves” highlights the festive military setting. With wine, tea, and animals, everyone naturally has a good time.
At age thirty, Zha Shenxing accompanied his fellow townsman Yang Yongjian to Guiyang for official duties and wrote ten military poems and ten festive military poems, one of which is mentioned above. As an imperial examination candidate, Zha Shenxing had the privilege of serving the emperor. In 1706, he spent several months with Emperor Kangxi, receiving imperial favors and composing “Thanks for the Gift of Puer Tea.” The poem reads: “Washed clean of the smoke from southern plants, the tribute tea tastes fragrant and fresh. Upon opening the bamboo basket sealed with wax paper, both phoenix cake and dragon cake shapes are round. Given as a gift, it divides the moon on the surface of the Cup, first tested with water from a roadside spring. As a courtier, I am not as thirsty as Sima Xiangru; always near me is the dew of the morning.”
According to historical records, in May of that year, there was a drought in the capital region. However, starting from the twenty-first day of May, heavy rain fell for five consecutive days and nights, effectively alleviating the drought. Afterward, Zha Shenxing was gifted Puer tea. “Yanzhou” generally refers to the south and is used here to represent Yunnan. “Fragrant and fresh” indicates that the Puer tea mentioned in the poem is the season's new tea.
It could also be that after the drought, the new rain brought relief, and the tea drinker's mood was no longer as anxious, making the tea taste sweeter and fresher.
The line “bamboo basket” describes how the tribute Puer tea was packaged using wax paper. The line “phoenix cake” describes the shape of the Puer tea, compared to the phoenix cakes and dragon cakes of the Song Dynasty, indicating that these are cake teas. The line “when steeped” mentions using spring water from the roadside to brew Puer tea. Considering Zha Shenxing's itinerary at the time, if he brewed tea en route, the water used would have been from springs in the northwest region.
Sima Xiangru suffered from diabetes and needed to drink large amounts of water. The line “courtier” uses this anecdote to indicate that the Puer tea was an imperial gift not to be casually consumed. Xià lù refers to dew on leaves, suggesting a journey. The line “always” means carrying Puer tea by one's side as a personal item. This poem by Zha Shenxing shows that Puer tea was already a tribute tea during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, rather than being introduced to the royal family only during the Yongzheng era.
Zha Shenxing was favored by Emperor Kangxi, who personally inscribed a plaque reading “Jingye Hall” for him. He also served as a sinner of his time. His name change to Shenxing, with the courtesy name Huie, served as a reminder to be cautious with his words and actions. Among the descendants of the Haining Zha family, the most well-known to the public is Louis Cha, pen name Jin Yong, whose real name is Zha Liangyong. If we read modern poetry, we may also know of Mu Dan, who was a cousin of Jin Yong and whose real name was Zha Liangzheng.
Originally published in the magazine Puer
Author | Li Ming
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