66. What is the content of Tang Dynasty poet Lu Tong's "Seven Bowls of Tea Poem"?
The first bowl moistens my lips and throat; The second bowl breaks my loneliness and gloom; The third bowl searches my barren entrails, finding there nothing but five thousand scrolls of writing; The fourth bowl raises a light perspiration, washing away all life's troubles through my pores; The fifth bowl purifies my flesh and bones; The sixth bowl allows me to communicate with the immortals; The seventh bowl I cannot drink, only feeling a cool breeze blowing beneath my arms.
67. How did the典故 "Tea and Ink Both Fragrant" originate?
Northern Song literati Su Dongpo once won first place in a tea competition with "White Tea". The historian Sima Guang asked him: "Tea should be white, ink should be black; tea should be heavy, ink should be light - why do you love these two things?" Su Dongpo replied: "Excellent tea and wonderful ink are both fragrant." Thus, "Tea and Ink Both Fragrant" was passed down as a beautiful anecdote.
68. Why is "tea" written as "TEA" in English?
It derives from the Fujian dialect pronunciation of the character "茶" (tea).
69. What are Chinese Tea Virtues?
Chinese Tea Virtues are "Integrity, Beauty, Harmony, Respect".
70. What is the "Tea Person Spirit"?
"Quietly selflessly dedicating and contributing for the benefit of humanity" is the simple expression of the "Tea Person Spirit". It is extended from the character of tea trees and the nature of tea leaves.
71. What is a "Selfless Tea Ceremony"?
A Selfless Tea Ceremony is a participatory tea gathering format that is popular and promoted. It is a fully participatory ceremony where everyone brews tea, serves tea, and drinks tea. Using tea to make friends, it can be combined with various team meetings or themed activities, beneficial for interaction between classmates and friends, enhancing friendship, exchanging feelings, and enlivening body and mind.
72. What are the three stages of tea utilization by people?
Medicinal use, edible use, and drinking use. Among them, drinking is further divided into the Tang boiling method, Song whisking method, and Ming brewing method.
73. Do you know the tea drinking customs of ethnic minorities?
China has numerous ethnic groups with different tea drinking customs. For example, Mongols drink salted butter tea; Tibetans drink butter tea; Uyghurs drink milk tea and spiced tea; the Tao Yuan area in Hunan has the tradition of Lei Cha (pounded tea); the Dai people drink bamboo tube tea; Fujian and Guangdong folks prefer Oolong tea, etc.
74. Do you know the story of Emperor Qianlong designating the Imperial Tea Trees?
Legend says that when Emperor Qianlong traveled south, one day he came to Longjing, Hangzhou, below Shifeng Mountain watching village girls pick tea. In his delight, he joined the tea picking. But just as he had picked a handful of tea leaves, a eunuch reported that the Empress Dowager was ill and he must return immediately. Anxiously, Qianlong stuffed the tea leaves into his pocket and rushed back to the palace. Actually, the Empress Dowager wasn't seriously ill, just had indigestion and elevated liver fire from rich food. Seeing the emperor return, she noticed a fresh fragrance. Upon inquiry, it turned out to be the handful of tea in the emperor's pocket. After brewing and drinking it, her stomach felt comfortable, liver fire reduced, and eyes felt clear and bright. Overjoyed, the Empress Dowager's improvement pleased Emperor Qianlong so much that he designated the 18 tea trees in front of the Hugong Temple at Longjing Shifeng Mountain as Imperial Tea Trees, with their annual harvest dedicated solely to the Empress Dowager. These 18 trees remain preserved to this day, treasured specimens.
75. Do you know the story of Oolong tea?
Legend has it long ago, a hunter named Hu Liang lived deep in the mountains of Anxi, Fujian. One day after hunting, under the scorching sun, he随手 picked some leafy branches to shade his game on the way home. Back home, he noticed an unusual, pervasive fragrance. Searching for the source, he found it was these leaves. Brewing them, he felt greatly refreshed. Despite the approaching night, he returned to the mountains, gathered a large bundle, but upon brewing again, found the taste bitter and astringent, unlike before. Pondering carefully, he discovered these leaves needed sun-drying and processing to develop their fragrance, thus originating this aromatic tea. The local dialect pronunciation of "Hu Liang" is similar to "Oolong", so villagers commemorated him by naming this tea "Oolong".
(Edited and compiled: Mao Xianxian)