Chadao, the way of Chinese tea, is often misunderstood, even in China. Chadao is considered as a method by which tea is brewed and poured or that it is the entire study of tea,, from farm to cup. In fact, Chadao is a modern Taiwanese invention created by a teacher named Zhou Yu.
Master Zhou lives on a mountain at the edge of Taipei near Taiwan University. We had the chance to meet him recently and pick his brain a bit about his wonderful invention of Taiwanese Chadao tea ceremony.
As it turns out, Master Zhou was the first person to standardize what is commonly referred to as gongfu cha (the kung fu of tea making). Previous to Zhou Yi's arrival on the scene, Southern Chinese tea drinking habits were considered to be very “earthy” in that gong fu tea brewing would typically be performed on a large wooden plate and water would be splashed around without much concern for neatness or artistry.
This should not be confused with the Chinese art of Chayi, which typically was more popular as a way to demonstrate tea brewing and gain favor with guests through the use of an attractive young tea pouring waitresses.
The old style of gong fu tea is still preserved in many parts of Southern China including Quanzhou, Wuyi, and Jiayi. You can frequently see it in Taiwan around Alishan, Dongding and so on. Typically either a gaiwan or tea pot would be used to serve tea directly into cups and there wasn't much attention given to the artistry behind brewing tea. Tea was enjoyed on the merit of its taste alone.
The history is everywhere in Zhou Yu’s house
Master Zhou Yu studied Japanese tea ceremony and also researched Chinese history and discovered a uniquely Taiwanese way to brew tea that has extended to every part of the world of Chinese tea. Zhou Yu invented what is commonly called “gan pao” or dry tea brewing. This style involves the use of ceramic plates which tea pots are placed on and collect refuse water, which may be later poured into a bowl and disposed of.
Zhou Yu also created the gong dao bei cha hai cup for equalizing the taste of tea after it is poured out of the small gongfu style tea pot. Needless to say, every person currently practicing Chinese tea ceremony will be acquainted with Zhou Yi's method of brewing tea. Even though utensils such as the gong dao bei existed in antiquity, they were used more often for serving alcohol or medicine, and were only used for tea ceremony in Japan and Korea.
Our teacher He Caitong took us to Zhou Yi's tea house, near the university and as fate would have it, Master Zhou came and sat with us to have a little chat. It seems that Christine had studied Chadao with one of Zhou's friends and as such, their relationship was very warm and cordial.
Fog, Mist, Mountains, and Tea
Zhou is a lovely man in his late seventies and exudes kindness and is very approachable. Zhou Yu presented some wild harvested Wuyi cultivar tea from Pinlin near Taipei as we took our seats. This tea has the special quality of warming up the body and causing the feeling of Qi to circulate all throughout the bodies of everyone who drank it. Even just one cup was enough to make us sure that this tea has strong medicinal-like properties.
Zhou Yu graciously answered many questions for me on the subject of Chaqi, or the energy of tea. He explained that for people who do not practice meditation, Chaqi tends to be a short lived phenomenon, which although palpable, tends to pass quickly. He said that for people who do practice energy based meditation, it is often possible to have the feeling of the chaqi circulate through the body for many hours after drinking. Zhou Yu also believes that tea contains a type of hereditary Qi called “xian tian qi” which in Daoism is believed to be the energy given by the union of male and female at conception. He feels that this hereditary Qi can be used much in the same way that Daoists use it when they meditate on non-action. To put it more succinctly, the Qi gathered by drinking good tea can be turned into a type of nutrient based medicine in the body.
Although Master Zhou was quite busy, he helped explain many things to us about modern tea ceremony and helped me put together many missing points about the relationship between Taiwanese and Chinese tea. As it turns out out, many aspects of Chinese tea drinking which we believe to be ancient, actually came from Taiwan within the last three decades, and that many of those aspects also come from Japanese and Western habits.
A common sight as we traverse Taiwan. Tea is everywhere.
The meeting with Zhou Yu showed me that culture is a living being, rather than a pre-set group of rules. Culture is changed in every generation and the people who practice culture, whether they are aware of it or not, are always on the verge of change. Traditional behavior is simply how we view the past How we view the present seems to be much more up to our level of creativity and our ability to change with the times.
The Taiwan tea ceremony is beautiful and has now extended all over the world thanks to the rise of a stronger, more ambitious tea industry and the guiding light of people like Zhou Yu Laoshi.
Love and Cha,
Robert James Coons
Tea Adventurer
