Daoist Tea Meditation

Patrick Liu www.deutsche-daoistische-vereinigung.de

Nei Gong is an exercise that is performed in silence. Nei means “inside” and gong means “work”. So Nei Gong is also called inner work. Whether standing, sitting or lying, we can cultivate our energy with the help of our Spirit. Exercises in standing include, for example, Zhan Zhuang exercises, in sitting you practice mainly with simply crossed legs, in half the lotus set (one leg is placed on the other), the full lotus set (the second leg is placed on the first), etc. Exercises in lying down include sleep meditation, where you can take different lying positions.

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Engraved Zisha – the Main Decoration Technique on Zisha Pottery

Engraving means carving words or pictures on wood or stone with a knife, as is the case with the engraved Zisha pottery, that is, carving words and pictures on the walls of Zisha pottery. Engraving is a very common decoration technique and the main form of the decoration of Zisha teapots, by leaving poems and songs, flowers, birds, insects and fish, and landscape and figures on teapots, the art of literature, calligraphy, painting and seal cutting has been added to the teapots.

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Seven Bowls of Tea 七碗茶 – Tang Dynasty Poem by Lu Tong

Wenzhuo Liu

“When drinking the first bowl of tea, I feel moist in my throat and lip; the second bowl dispels the loneliness and boredom in my heart; during the third bowl, I’m embarrassed at creativeness, and start to search for new knowledges; the fourth bowl is drunk out, my grievances along with my light sweat dissipate through pores; the fifth bowl refreshes myt mind; the sixth bowl can help to communicate with immortals; after the seventh bowl, I feel that I’m extraordinary and refined, a slight breeze crushed my arms. Where is the Penglai Mountain? With this wind, I, Yu Chuan Zi, want to fly to there.”

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TRICAAS – the only National comprehensive Tea Research Institution in China

Wenzhuo Liu

The Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRICAAS) is the only national comprehensive tea research institution in China, located in the West Lake scenic spot of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. It is mainly engaged in the research and service work in the fields of tea basic and applied basic science, scientific and technological industry development, tea quality and safety testing, industrial economy, organic tea certification, professional skill training of tea industry, academic journal editing, etc., and at the same time, it extensively carries out domestic and foreign cooperation and exchanges, as well as high-level personnel training, etc..

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Peach Blossom Tea 桃花茶 – Song Dynasty Tea Poem by Su Shi

Wenzhuo Liu

It has rained several times, last night’s thunder ended the continuous spring rain and awakened thousands of tea trees. Tea trees compete with each other for growing most fresh and tender tea buds, the spring color in Jianxi could occupy the first place, what a vibrant landscape.

“已过几番雨,前夜一声雷。旗枪争战,建溪春色占先魁。” […]

Ancient Kiln – Qianshu Dragon Kiln

Qianshu Dragon Kiln 前墅龙窑, the ancient kiln was founded in Ming Dynasty and has been burning ever since. It is the only ancient dragon kiln in Yixing area that still burns ceramics by traditional methods, also called the last living dragon kiln in Yixing. The ancient dragon kiln is hidden in the village of Qianshu village, which is surrounded by ordinary people. The dragon kiln is built on the natural hillside and looks like a huge long winding dragon.

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Tea Notes 茶谱 (Partial) – Daoist Tea Book by Ming Dynasty’s Zhu Quan

Wenzhuo Liu

Zhu Quan’s book <Tea Notes> had a profound impact on tea drinking in later generations. He regarded tea drinking as a way of manifesting his ambition and cultivating Taoism. He promoted tea drinking to the height of Tao, which not only improved the tea ceremony art since the Tang and Song Dynasties, but also laid a theoretical foundation for the development of tea drinking in the Ming Dynasty and later literati.

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Parridise of Tea Pottery – Čajomír Fest

Wenzhuo Liu

The oldest known ceramic article in the world is a Venus figurine in Czech Republic, the Venus of Dolní Věstonice (Czech: Věstonická venuše), a ceramic statuette of a nude female figure dated to 29,000–25,000 BCE (Gravettian industry). It was found at the Paleolithic site Dolní Věstonice in the Moravian basin south of Brno, in the base of Děvín Mountain, 549 meters. In such a country, under the over decade influence of different oriental tea cultures, how the pottery teawares could look like nowadays?!

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German Planted and Processed Tea – Tschanara Tea Garden

Wenzhuo Liu

Good news for Chinese readers:  this article has been published in the February 2020 <Tea Times 茶博览> tea magazine in Chinese, Tschanara 一对韩德夫妇的“梦想茶园” page 42-45.


The northernmost producing area in China had used to be Rongcheng Shandong (37° north latitude), since the “Introduction of South Tea to the North 南茶北引” movement had been succeeded in the 1960s. In recent years, the trial planting has been successful experimentally in Chifeng Neimenggu 41° N, it has changes the Chinese tea history again. On the other side of the earth, the inland city, Odenthal is located at 51° N in GermanyTschanara tea garden has planted tea trees outdoor since 1999 there, is it a miracle or Camellia sinensis has more potentials to be developed? […]

Wudang Daoists and Tea – Chen Tuan and Liu Daoming

Wenzhuo Liu

Chen Tuan, one of the most famous daoists had lived in secluded Wudang mountains to cultivate himself, <History of Song 宋史> recorded that Chen Tuan liked to drink tea, the Zhou Shi Zong emperor had rewarded him 30 Jin tea according to <History of Song · Chen Tuan Biography 宋史·陈抟传>. Chen Tuan had written <Memorial of thanks for emperor’s autograph edict, Tea and Medicine 谢手诏并赐茶药表> to Song Tai Zong emperor, which was included in <Whole History of Song 全宋史>.

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