Tea Lore Past and Present
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Summary
Editor's review
As an editor, I believe the book's core value lies in its documentary authenticity. It offers no modern interpretation or simplification, but presents the ancients' discussions and reflections on tea directly to the reader. This arrangement makes it more like a raw mine of tea culture, for interested readers to excavate and savor on their own. For readers who wish to understand the origins of Chinese tea culture in depth and explore the details of tea life in ancient times, this book is a rare primary source. Its value transcends specific brewing techniques and lies more in constructing a historical and cultural context, helping us understand how tea, starting as a beverage, permeated every aspect of ancient literati life and became an important vehicle of spirit and aesthetics.
It should be noted that, because the book was compiled early (first published in the last century), its editorial method and language style are traditional, and some materials lack punctuation, requiring some grounding in classical Chinese and patience. Yet this is precisely its distinction: it asks the reader to settle down and enter into a dialogue across time and space with the ancients about a refined life.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Scholars or enthusiasts with a deep research interest in the historical origins of Chinese tea culture
- Readers who love classical literature and wish to savor the elegance of ancient tea life through poetry and prose
- Professionals in traditional culture, folklore, or related fields who need reliable historical references
- Modern readers pursuing an aesthetics of living who wish to draw inspiration from tradition and enrich their inner world
Not a good fit for
- Practical beginners seeking step-by-step illustrations to quickly master modern tea brewing techniques
- Readers looking for light, accessible cultural books with extensive contemporary interpretation
Reading tips
- It is not necessary to read from cover to cover; treat it as a reference library and consult relevant chapters as interest or research requires.
- When reading the "Monographs" section, pair it with modern annotated editions of The Classic of Tea and similar works to aid understanding of the classical Chinese.
- When savoring the "Letters and Arts" section, brew a cup of tea and read slowly and attentively to better appreciate the mood.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 凡例
- 第一辑 专著
- 茶经
- 序
- 一之源
- 二之具
- 三之造
- 四之器
- 五之煮
- 六之饮
- 七之事
- 八之出
- 九之略
- 十之图
- 煎茶水记
- 十六汤品
- 采茶录
- 辨
- 嗜
- 易
- 苦
- 致
- 茶录
- 茶论
- 器论
- 试茶录
- 序
- 总叙焙名【北苑诸焙，或还民间，或隶北苑，前书未尽，今始终其事】
- 北苑【曾坑石坑附】
- 壑源【叶源附】
- 佛岭
- 沙溪
- 茶名【茶之名类殊别，故录之】
- 采茶【辨茶须知制造之始，故次】
- 茶病【试茶辨味，必须知茶之病，故又次之】
- 大观茶论
- 序
- 地产
- 天时
- 采择
- 蒸压
- 制造
- 鉴辨
- 白茶
- 罗碾
- 盏
- 筅
- 瓶
- 杓
- 水
- 点
- 味
- 香
- 色
- 藏焙
- 品名
- 外焙
- 宣和北苑贡茶录
- 品茶要录
- 序
- 一、采造过时
- 二、白合盗叶
- 三、入杂
- 四、蒸不熟
- 五、过熟
- 六、焦釜
- 七、压黄
- 八、渍膏
- 九、伤焰
- 十、辨壑源沙溪
- 后论
- 北苑别录
- 序
- 御园
- 开焙
- 采茶
- 拣茶
- 蒸茶
- 榨茶
- 研茶
- 造茶
- 过黄
- 纲次
- 茶谱
- 序
- 茶略
- 茶品
- 艺茶
- 采茶
- 藏茶
- 花茶诸法
- 煎茶四要
- 茶三要
- 茶效
- 茶录
- 总叙
- 罗岕茶记
- 茶寮记
- 总叙
- 云脚乳面
- 茗战
- 茶名
- 候汤三沸
- 秘水
- 火前茶
- 五花茶
- 文火长泉
- 报春鸟
- 酪苍头
- 沤花
- 换骨轻身
- 花乳
- 瑞草魁
- 白泥赤印
- 茗粥
- 茶疏
- 产茶
- 采摘
- 炒茶
- 岕中制法
- 收藏
- 置顿
- 取用
- 包裹
- 日用顿置
- 茶笺
- 制法
- 茶解
- 考槃余事·茶笺
- 茶品
- 虎丘
- 天池
- 阳羡
- 六安
- 龙井
- 天目
- 釆茶
- 日晒茶
- 焙茶
- 藏茶
- 诸花茶
- 择水
- 养水
- 洗茶
- 候汤
- 注汤
- 择器
- 涤器
- 熁盏
- 择薪
- 择果
- 茶效
- 人品
- 茶具
- 本草纲目·茶
- 释名
- 集解
- 叶
- 茶子
- 煮泉小品
- 序仁和赵观撰
- 引小小洞天居士
- 品目
- 煮泉小品 明 武林子艺田艺蘅撰
- 后跋
- 遵生八笺·茶
- 论茶品
- 采茶
- 藏茶
- 煎茶四要
- 试茶三要
- 茶效
- 茶具十六器
- 总贮茶器七具
- 论泉水
- 石流
- 清寒
- 甘香
- 灵水
- 井水
- 阳羡茗壶系 洞山岕茶系
- 茗壶岕茶系序
- 江阴县志忠义传
- 阳羡茗壶系明·江阴 周高起伯高
- 洞山岕茶系明·江阴 周高起伯高
- 第二辑 艺文
- 文
- 诗
- 词
- 选句
- 第三辑 故事
- 方法
- 水泉
- 地域
- 馆室
- 官政
- 品名
- 效能
- 饮酬
- 诗话
- 嗜习
- 器物
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About the author
Hu Shanyuan is an author about whom relatively little biographical information survives; publicly available sources are limited, and details such as his place of origin, dates of birth and death, and educational background cannot be reliably established. Judging from the bibliographic records available, his writing interests center on aspects of daily life within traditional Chinese culture, and his representative works are two books, Ancient and Modern Tea Matters and Ancient and Modern Wine Matters. These two volumes take tea and wine as their themes, drawing together related historical documents and anecdotes from various periods; they combine informative content with readability and fall under the category of cultural and historical reading. His writing emphasizes the organization and presentation of historical material, in plain language, with attention to letting readers understand the historical development of tea and wine culture through accessible reading. Although only a small number of works are currently known, the choice of subjects shows a sustained interest in traditional life culture, and popular works of this kind offer general readers a convenient introduction to the field.
