The ''Cha Pu'' () is a short work written in 1440 by Zhu Quan, the Prince of Ning, the 17th son of the

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, and relates the methods of tea preparation and degustation. It is considered by some to be a milestone in Chinese tea culture. Following the Hongwu Emperor's ban on manufacturing of tea cake, Zhu Quan advocated a simpler way of steeping loose tea, a radical departure from the involved tea cake preparation methods of the Tang and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

dynasties, thus pioneered a new era in Chinese tea culture. There is also a short discussion of tea wares.

Content

The ''Tea Manual'' includes a preface and sixteen chapters: *Preface #Selecting Tea (品茶) #Storing Tea (收茶) #Whisking Tea (點茶) #Scenting Tea Method (熏香茶法) #Tea Brazier (茶爐 ) #Tea Stove (茶竈) #Tea Mill (茶磨) #Crushing Roller (茶碾) #Tea Sieve (茶羅) #Tea Stand (茶架) #Tea Spoon (茶匙) #Tea Whisk (茶筅) #Tea Cup (茶甌) #Tea Pitcher (茶瓶) #Water Heating Method (煎湯法 ) #Selecting Water (品水)

Tea wares of Ming Dynasty

Some of the tea wares can be derived from the tea wares of the Tang Dynasty ( The Classic of Tea by Lu Yu) and Song Dynasty (Old Man Shen-an).

References

Ming Dynasty Tea Arts and Culture (Chinese)Brief

Chinese WikiBrief
{{Reflist Chinese tea classic texts 1440s books Ming dynasty literature 1440 works

Content

Tea wares of Ming Dynasty

See also

References