CHINESE FOOD

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In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, there also emerged a competitive way to judge the quality of tea and tea-brewing techniques, as it was called ming zhan, literally meaning “tea war.” It was a reflection of the highest form of tea sampling in ancient times. In the Song Dynasty that followed, when tea drinking was the prevailing trend, it was a time in history that people paid the most attention to “tea battles.” From kings, generals and prime ministers to the common folks, all participated in the art. Not only were there competitions between famed tea production areas and respected temples, even at street markets selling tea, people would have to “duke” it out, and it was closely connected to the trade. Many kinds of famous tea and tea used as imperial tribute came about either as a direct or indirect result of the tea battles. In a tea battle, usually two to three people would gather together, each presenting one’s best available tea. After heating water and brewing, the best tea makes the winner. Tea art emphasizes many ideas, as “freshness is noble” in tea stock and “liveliness is noble” in the water used. The taste of tea depends on “fragrance and smoothness” for the best quality, and the fragrance of tea should be the “real fragrance” of the tealeaves. As for the color of the drink, “pure white (clear)” is the superior kind. Correspondingly, using black porcelain teacups (Fujian-made Black Porcelain from Jian Kilns) became the leading fashion that replaced the formerly used blue porcelain. As a result, the value of a teacup was not only in its aesthetic appearance, more importantly was its power to produce an unforgettable experience at times of enjoying tea, directed by the sense of touch, sight, smell and taste. When making tea with a black porcelain teacup, the beauty of a white liquid casts a great sense of aesthetic satisfaction. It is an art appreciated by all social classes, from imperial tea feasts to gatherings of merchants and servants. This trend even found its way into Japan. Tea battle has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese tea culture.

The standards for sampling, evaluation and inspection of tea in many ways were derived from the book of Cha Jing and tea battles. To make a fine pot of tea, not only are high-grade tealeaves to be used, the water quality, temperature, quantity and the type of tea ware must also be taken into account. The ancient Chinese believed that spring water from high up in the mountains is best for making tea. River water, ice melt, and rainwater are second in quality; with water from earth wells being the worst. In modem terms, best-quality water means fresh soft water with low mineral content, while hard water with high mineral content should not be used. Required water temperature should be adjusted accordingly with each kind of tea. For most tea, close to 100 degrees Celsius would be proper. However, for green teas and teas with a low degree of fermentation, water temperature should not exceed 90 degrees Celsius. The amount of tealeaves used to make a drink also depends on the type of tea used. From a quarter to three quarters of the teapot’s capacity are all possible. As for “tea ware,” different types of tea require different vessels for the best experience. For huacha, porcelain pot is used so as to seal in the fragrance. Green tea is light in taste, and zisha (literally “purple sand”) earthenware pots absorb taste and fragrance easily, so it is best to use glass to preserve the fragrance and also allow for a clear view of the tea’s color and form in water. As for black tea and semi-fermented tea, the best utensil to use would be clay pots. To really comprehend the enjoyment of drinking tea, and feel the true taste of tea, requires very high culture and artistic cultivation in an individual. One can earn from the process certain artistic enjoyment to eventually find self-cultivation and enlightenment. Therefore, drinking tea is the embodiment of the Chinese view on life as an art.

When it comes to tea ware, before the Tang Dynasty, tea and food vessels were indistinguishable. As tea drinking-grew more popular, tea containers became more and more refined. By the end of the Tang, the most ideal tea ware was invented, the zisha (purple sand) pot. It is different from most earthenware as it uses extremely fine maroon-colored clay as raw base material. By skillful craftsmanship, it becomes a brownish-purple pot with a fine and smooth touch, and gives a primitive and simplistic aura of elegance. This kind of pottery, made by heating to about 1,100 degrees Celsius, has no glaze on either the inside or the outside. Looking at it through a 600 times magnification microscope, small pores can be observed on its surface that allow for the passage of air but not water, thus keeping the fragrance of tea sealed inside. With some literati and refined scholars at the time directly participating in the design and making of the pots, these pottery pieces combined poetry and rhymes, paintings, seal impressions and sculpture into one, possessing very high artistic and functional value.

The reason that the porous zisha pots became famed throughout the land after the Ming Dynasty has to do with changes in tea-drinking practices. At the time, drinking tuancha, or bunched tea in a discus shape, was giving way to drinking loose tea. But using small cups to brew loose tea was unsanitary and difficult to maintain temperature, so teapots were used. Using small teapots to make tea is a tradition that has started in the sixteenth century and continued to the present day, with already over four hundred years of history. When using zisha pot to brew tea, its low conductivity of heat and a whole on the lid prevents drops of water vapor from coagulating under the lid and ruining the taste when dropped into the tea. Since the teapots have already been heat-processed when being made, it would not crack or break even when it is heated on a stove. The longer a zisha pot is used, the more brilliant and smooth it becomes; tea made from it will have a stronger fragrance. Teapot aficionados like to use different pots for making different teas, so as to keep the seasoning of the teapot pure and consistent for a long time.

The birthplace of zisha pots is in the famous “pottery city” – Yixing. It is situated at the common boundary of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, by the shore of the Taihu Lake. In the Tang Dynasty, this place was already a famous tea production base, from which many famous types of tea were offered to the imperial courts. Yixing’s zisha pots became widely known in the Northern Song Dynasty. By the Ming, there were many master pot-makers in Yixing, producing many pots with exotic forms and simplistic elegance that were the benchmark for tea ware. Most tea lovers usually like to collect and enjoy teapots. Certain exquisite teapots by the hands of famous makers can be priced as high as pure gold. Collecting pots or “raising” pots is perceived as an elegant hobby until this very day.

Unfinished, to be continued ……………

Chinese food culture Chinese food culture, Tea