Ep. 140-4 | The Sage of Tea

In this fourth installment of the history of tea, we finally make it to the immortal Tea Saint. Lu Yu 陆羽. What Elvis was to rock n' roll, Lu Yu was to the popularity of tea in Chinese society. Here we'll look at his interesting life and his work, "The Classic of Tea" 茶经. From here on out, tea 茶 is no longer tú 荼, and neither is it bitter.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/TermChineseEnglish/Meaning
Táng dynasty唐朝Dynasty that ran 618-690 and 705-907
Lù Yǔ陆羽The Tea Saint, and author of the Classic of Tea. He lived 733-804
Chá Jīng茶经The Classic of Tea
Shén Nóng神农The Divine Farmer, an ancient mythological figure of Chinese pre-history, credited with (among many other things) the discovery of tea.
Húběi rén湖北人A person from Hubei Province
Tiānmén天门City in Hubei
Wǔhàn武汉Capital of Hubei Province
Jīngmén荆门City in Hubei
Lónggài Temple龙盖寺Dragon Cloud Monastery
ChánA sect of Buddhism that originated at Shaolin Temple, known as Zen in Japan.
Lǐ Qíwù李齐物Tang royal family member banished to Tianmen to serve as the new governor
Zōu Fūzǐ邹老夫子Along with Cui Guofu, one of Lu Yu's early teachers
Cuī Guófǔ崔国辅Along with Cou Fuzi, one of Lu Yu's early teachers
Chéngdū成都Capital of Sichuan Province and site of Shu State
Sìchuān四川Province in southwest China
Jiāngsū江苏Coastal Province in China, north of Zhejiang
Zhèjiāng浙江Coastal Province in China
Jiāngxī江西Province in Eastern China
Ancient State located in eastern Sichuan
ShǔAncient State located in Chengdu in Sichuan
Chóngqìng重庆City in Eastern Sichuan, today a Municipality of China
Miàoxǐ Sì妙喜寺Miàoxǐ Monastery
Húzhōu湖州City in northern Zhejiang on Lake Tai
Jiǎo Rán皎然730-799, Tang dynasty poet and noted Buddhist Monk
Wáng Bāo王褒The man charged with negotiating a contract for a servant that proved tea was around back in 59 BCE
Táng Dàizōng唐代宗Tang emperor who reigned 762-779
Yán Zhēnqīng颜真卿Noted Táng official, calligrapher and all around literatus
Lú Tóng卢仝790-835, Tang literatus and renowned poet, as well as a great lover of tea
Cháng’ān长安Ancient capital of China during several dynasties, located in modern day Xian
Táng Emperor Dézōng唐德宗Tang emperor who reigned 779-805
Lù Tíngcàn陸廷燦Writer of the Xù Chá Jīng 续茶经, The Sequel to the Cha Jing.
Xù Chá Jīng续茶经The Sequel to the Cha Jing
Chá Xiān茶仙A "Tea Immortal"
Xià Dynasty夏朝A mythical dynasty that lasted approximately 2070-1600 BCE
Zhōngguó chá wénhuà中国茶文化Chinese Tea Culture
Chá Shèng茶圣The Tea Saint

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Ep. 140-5 | The Classic of Tea

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Ep. 140-3 | Tea Hits the Big Time