Honourable Mr. Xu Cishu wants to chime in on his advice as to when should we be dipping in to our favourite teas. Bring it on.
Over 400 years ago, Xu Cishu (1549-1604) listed in the Commentary on Tea (Cha Shu) the appropriate occasions for drinking tea as follows:
- In idle moments
- When bored with poetry
- When it is hard to concentrate
- While listening to music
- When the music ends
- When closing one’s gate and avoiding responsibilities i.e. When seeking seclusion
- While playing the zither or looking at paintings
- When the conversation lasts deep into the night
- On a sunny day when studying
- In the bridal chamber, or pavilion i.e. With pleasant friends and concubines
- While wanting to postpone the departure of honoured guests
- When hosting learned men and/or pretty maids
- While visiting friends whom have returned from a long journey
- When the weather is warm and fine
- When it is partly overcast with light spells of rain
- Watching small boats pass by on the river
- In the forest by trees or by tall bamboo
- Enjoying birds sing and flowers blossom
- In the summer at lotus pavilions
- Burning incense in the lesser courtyard
- When the intoxicated guests have left and the party has ended
- When the young ones have left
- In secluded, quiet temples
- At famous springs and scenic rocks
Any of these sound familiar? Are there some that really haven’t stood up to the test of time? Goes without saying that some of the above-mentioned occasions probably had more meaning to Mr. Xu than to us (not too many concubines been hanging out at my house lately, nor can I boast of learned men getting bored of poetry at my house either.) It is noted that authors on tea of that era where expected to flaunt their all-round knowledge and competence when it came to tea culture, so maybe Mr. Xu was going for some brag rights here with this list. But, whatever the case – can we just take a moment to note how little has changed in 400 years?
I for one, can totally sign my name under “Idle moments”, “On sunny days when studying”, and “While wanting to postpone the departure of honoured guests”. Not to mention a couple of other items on the list too. I could even see myself debating with Mr. Xu whether or not “Waiting for the typhoon to arrive” should be in the line-up or not. That is the degree to which I can immerse myself into the place where he is reaching out to us with this catalogue. I am sure each and every one of us find ourselves nodding at some point of the scroll with an air of approval. Hence the reason, I wanted to make this list more available to all you whom might have a more cherished relationship with tea. (Tea-huggers!)
So, without any more of my clamour, please take a moment with dear Mr. Xu to give it some thought: what are the occasions tea becomes your go-to leisure? What would your list look like? And how many reading it 400 years later would agree with you? My guess is, a few cups of tea might help with the thought process. I might even make it the first item on my personal list. After the typhoon, of course.