The Marvel of Tea and the Three Beauties of Tea – The Aesthetics of Chinese Tea Drinking Lifestyle

by Liu Yue-di

When we talk about the ways of tea and its beauty, let's start with a famous and interesting “tea poem.” Tea poems have long been a specific category in Chinese poetry, perhaps a fusion of “poetry and tea.” After tasting some new tea, the Tang Dynasty poet Yuan Zhen wrote a poem in an innovative form called “One to Seven Character Poem – Tea”:

Tea,

Fragrant leaves, tender shoots.

Admired by poets, loved by monks.

Pounded into white jade, sifted through red gauze.

The kettle boils the yellow stamens, the bowl swirls the dust-like flower.

Invited to accompany the moon at night, commanded to face the dawn in the morning.

Washing away the weariness of people throughout history, realizing that drunkenness is not worth boasting about.

This poem is remarkable as each line gradually increases in length from one to seven characters, forming a pyramid shape. It uses the title (tea) as the rhyme, achieving exquisite craftsmanship in form. The content of the poem closely aligns with its theme: starting with the character for tea, it expands on the fragrant and tender qualities of the leaves, linking tea to “people” (poets and monks), the “form” (white and red) and “color” (jade and gauze) of tea, and meticulously describes the process of making and brewing tea before and after. It then elevates to the cultural level of tea appreciation, with evenings spent with the moon and mornings facing the dawn. Ultimately, it enters the historical stream, where tea “washes away the weariness of people throughout history,” an aesthetic pleasure that has been enjoyed by the Chinese for generations. What a beautiful affair this is!

Thus, tea not only helps the Chinese cleanse their “worldly minds,” but also advances the refinement of Chinese “lifestyle aesthetics.” Tea is merely a beverage for the Chinese, but even this simple act of “drinking tea” has been transformed into an art of living by the Chinese. The word “sip” here is particularly wonderful, suggesting that tea should be savored mouthful by mouthful.

The so-called taste of tea refers to how the taste of tea relates to the Dao; it is not just the physiological flavor of tea, but more importantly, the taste of life itself!

Tea always presents itself in everyday life, suitable for solitary drinking or entertaining friends. According to Japan's “Kōjien,” “the way of tea is the path of cultivating the spirit through tea soup and exploring the Etiquette of social interaction.” Originally called “teasoup” in Japan, it was only during the early Edo period that it began to be referred to as “the way of tea.” “Teasoup” simply refers to “drinking,” while “the way of tea” carries the meaning of communication. This tradition continues to this day, and Lin Yutang humorously observed that the Chinese “love to drink tea”: they drink at home and in teahouses, during meetings and discussions, before breakfast and after dinner. With a “pot of clear tea,” they can find peace wherever they go.

The Tang Dynasty poet Qian Qi wrote a poem titled “Tea Banquet with Zhao Ju”: “Under the bamboo, we silently savor purple tea, far better than Daoists drunk on flowing clouds. The worldly mind is cleansed, yet the joy remains, amidst the chirping of cicadas and the slanted shadow of a tree.” In a “tea banquet,” tea replaces alcohol as the beverage for guests. Judging from the lines “under the bamboo, silent” and “the chirping of cicadas,” Zhao Ju's tea banquet probably took place in a lush forest during mid-summer. At the banquet, the purple tea consumed was considered top quality in the Tang Dynasty tea-drinking culture, as Lu Yu mentioned in his “Classic of Tea” that “purple tea is best, green tea is second.” Amidst the gentle breeze and swaying shadows, a few good friends sit and chat, offering a different flavor compared to the drunken outbursts of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.” While the literati of the Wei and Jin Dynasties sought madness through drugs and alcohol, the scholars of the Tang and Song Dynasties favored the elegance of tea appreciation.

In the poem, “feather guest” refers to a Daoist practitioner, and “flowing clouds” is a legendary elixir of the Daoist tradition, said to stave off hunger for months after a single cup. As early as the Southern Dynasties, drinking tea had already moved beyond the pursuit of transcendence and focused on using tea to calm the mind and reduce agitation. The line “far better than Daoists drunk on flowing clouds” further emphasizes that the joy of ordinary life and the secular world is more valuable than those beautiful yet illusory legends. This is the realm of “lifestyle aesthetics.”

[From the Taste of Drinking to the Dao of Tea]

How can we make ordinary life vibrant and fill our daily lives with interest?

There are many ways, and drinking tea is one of them, especially transitioning from the “taste” of drinking to the “Dao” of tea. “The worldly mind is cleansed, yet the joy remains!” This phrase captures the essence of the most subtle and profound aspect of the ancient tea Dao – cleansing the worldly mind, which means ridding oneself of the mundane utilitarian purposes that disturb the mind and shackle freedom. What remains is the innocence of heart that values life and loves life itself, which the poet refers to as “joy.” With such joy and genuine disposition, one can experience the beauty of tea and intuitively understand the realm of Dao!

A particularly insightful passage from Chen Jinzhao's “Observations from the Room of Contemplation” states: “The color of tea should be valued for its whiteness, which is not difficult to achieve. Clear spring water and clean pots, boiled and sipped immediately, will naturally result in a white color. If extremely tender green tea is brewed with rainwater over a low flame and stored in the pot for a long time, its color will be like jade. Even in winter, it remains a tender green, sweet, fragrant, and clear, purely a manifestation of the primordial harmony of nature, refreshing the heart and lungs, dispelling worldly thoughts. Small Teapots are prized, with one pot per guest, allowing for individual enjoyment, which is how the true essence of tea is appreciated. Why? Because small pots prevent the dissipation of aroma and delay the cooling of the tea, ensuring the perfect timing. Too early is insufficient, too late is past the peak, the subtleties of which are known only through personal experience. For tea to be truly appreciated, it must possess all three qualities: color, fragrance, and flavor, with fresh fragrance being especially refined. One must truly appreciate these qualities, allowing them to flow from the heart and lungs.”

The transcendent realm of Chinese tea Dao, which “cleanses the worldly mind and joy remains,” permeates the entire tea-tasting process, ultimately emerging from the heart and lungs. This is what a “genuine disposition” is! From the selection of tea leaves (valuing whiteness), water (clarity), and utensils (cleanliness), to the control of fire (rainwater and low flame), observation of the tea infusion (stored in the pot for a long time), and appreciation of the aroma (sweet and fragrant), every step integrates the experience of “lifestyle aesthetics” within materiality and craftsmanship.

“Observations from the Room of Contemplation” also establishes the aesthetic standard that “small teapots are prized,” recommending one pot per guest for individual enjoyment. Why? Spatially, small pots retain the aroma and delay cooling; temporally, the right moment must be captured – too early is insufficient, too late is past the peak. Only with mindfulness can one feel the “subtle Dao.” Nowadays, Chinese people often steep green tea in large pots, but when interacting with tea connoisseurs, using small pots indeed adds more interest.

I have a tea expert from Yunnan who once recreated the tea-drinking method recorded in “Miscellaneous Records of Qing.” This Gongfu tea preparation involved three pots: one for brewing, one for rinsing cups, and one for washing cups. He also used the method of covering the pot with a cloth after brewing (placing a lid on the pot and pouring boiling water slowly over it until the water fills the tray, then covering it with a cloth). The taste was indeed different! The bitterness of the spring tea was completely gone, leaving a rich flavor and a lingering sweetness… This is related to having all three qualities – color, fragrance, and flavor. One needs to fully engage all senses (vision, olfaction, taste) to comprehend it, leading to a “refined” realm of fragrance (“clear”) and flavor (“fresh”). Enjoying tea starts from sensory experiences of color, fragrance, and flavor, passes through the satisfaction of bodily organs, and ultimately achieves the state of “dispelling worldly thoughts” and “receiving