{"id":214,"date":"2011-06-25T12:57:30","date_gmt":"2011-06-25T04:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/?p=214"},"modified":"2012-03-04T12:26:07","modified_gmt":"2012-03-04T04:26:07","slug":"rong-tsang-tsai%e3%80%82the-pure-abstract-aestheticism-in-tea-drinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/?p=214","title":{"rendered":"The Pure Abstract Aestheticism in Tea Drinking-Rong-tsang Tsai"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u8336\u9053\u4e0a\u7eaf\u54c1\u8317\u7684\u62bd\u8c61\u4e4b\u7f8e-The Pure Abstract Aestheticism in Tea Drinking<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u8521\u8363\u7ae0-Rong-tsang Tsai<\/strong><\/p>\n

(2005.01<\/strong><\/strong>\u300a\u8336\u827a\u300b\u6708\u520a\u793e\u8bba<\/strong>Published in \u201cTea Art\u201dmonthly magazine)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Definition of the<\/em> Way of Tea<\/em>1 can be narrowed down to the essential, namely the tea infusion<\/em>2.\u00a0 It is all in the infusion, if I may put it this way \u2013 its colour, aroma, flavour, nature and appeal epitomize the tea experience. This may be enhanced by the visual enjoyment of the tea-brewing process, and the sensual enjoyment of the brew itself.\u00a0 Such is the world of tea in the realm of pure, abstract aesthetics.<\/p>\n

Since the Way of Tea began to capture massive attention on both sides of the Strait of China and Taiwan in the wake of the 1980\u2019s, we have been hammering home the importance of perfecting the technique in tea brewing, or simply, \u2018brewing a good pot<\/em>\u20193.\u00a0 As it goes, tea brewing (and drinking) is the very foundation of the Way of Tea. Should this foundation fail to provide a strong foothold, what is built on it \u2013 including but not limited to the art and the thoughts \u2013 can at best be crude.<\/p>\n

The problem with the idea above is that it may draw the conclusion, if not criticism, that brewing is merely the means to an end, and a medium through which the art and the thoughts are expressed.\u00a0 As such, in the \u2018Motto of a Tea Brewing Master<\/em>\u20194, we have qualified the idea \u2013 that \u201cBrewing a good pot is physical training for the tea brewer and a path to pursue the Way of Tea\u201d \u2013 with the following: that tea brewing is \u201cthe essence to the understanding of the realm of tea in a physical manner\u201d.<\/p>\n

In actual fact, the beauty and realm of the Way of Tea<\/em>5 can be appreciated by way of brewing and drinking. Nothing is required besides the tea, utensils, technique and experience; the setting, attire and music are all extras that we can do without.\u00a0 If brewing (and whisking, in the case of matcha<\/em>) is a reflection of both the aesthetics and the realm of tea in the visual form, then drinking is the realization of both in terms of aroma, taste and its nature.\u00a0 Appreciating tea without being distracted by the external environment enables us to focus on what matters the most. This kind of pureness is what we describe as the \u2018Pure Abstract Aestheticism in Tea Drinking<\/em>\u20196.<\/p>\n

This description, however, should not be taken at face value \u2013 the pureness is certainly not exclusive to the experience of drinking alone.\u00a0 Brewing is not highlighted simply because it is perceived by some as more of an action anchored to the material world rather than an experience rooted in the abstract domain. However, the inclusion of brewing must be clearly communicated when we elaborate on the Way of Tea.<\/p>\n

The same emphasis on pureness also applies to music.\u00a0 Whereas \u2018absolute\u2019 music is born of pure delight in combining musical tones, and is thus free from association outside of itself; \u2018programme\u2019 music, in contrast, refers to its reference to some external ideas of non-musical sources, such as seasons, nature and fate. On the ground of pure abstract appreciation, \u2018absolute\u2019 music is preferred. As for the Way of Tea, there is a wide, wide world in the tea infusion alone. The tea ceremony and its setting would lead to another story.<\/p>\n

When a delegation of Korean Tea Guru visited us on March 14, 2005, I raised the idea that the beauty and realm of the Way of Tea is all in the tea infusion. \u00a0Master Xuanfeng responded by describing this mode of thinking as the \u2018Pure\u2019 Way of Tea<\/em>7.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

\u4ee5\u4e0b\u4e3a\u6587\u5167\u4e4b\u7f16\u7801Coding in the text:<\/p>\n

\u8336\u9053<\/em>1\u00a0\u00a0the<\/em> Way of Tea<\/em>1 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u8336\u6c64<\/em>2 <\/em>tea infusion<\/em>2 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u628a\u8336\u6ce1\u597d<\/em>3\u00a0 <\/em>brewing a good pot<\/em>3 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u6ce1\u8336\u5e08\u7bb4\u8a00<\/em>4 <\/em>Motto of a Tea Brewing Master<\/em>4<\/p>\n

\u8336\u9053\u4e4b\u7f8e\u3001\u8336\u9053\u4e4b\u5883<\/em>5 <\/em>the beauty and realm of the Way of Tea<\/em>5 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u7eaf\u54c1\u8317\u7684\u62bd\u8c61\u4e4b\u7f8e<\/em>6 \u00a0Pure Abstract Aestheticism in Tea Drinking<\/em>6<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

\u7eaf\u8336\u9053<\/em>7 <\/em>the \u2018Pure\u2019 Way of Tea<\/em>7<\/p>\n

Introduction\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

The aesthetics, character and the state of mind created are not to be undermined in the understanding and enjoyment of tea; and yet, they are the hardest to express.\u00a0 Writings on the thoughts pertaining to tea, regardless of languages used, remain scarce.\u00a0\u00a0 We have attempted to express them in Chinese, with accompanying English translation(Translator:Katherine Yip.2010.01), to elaborate our thoughts as they are. What we want is to share the knowledge of tea alongside tea drinking.\u00a0 This is, in our opinion, an important contemporary task in promoting the tea culture (Coding in the text is for cross-referencing of the academic terms of tea). (2423)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u8336\u9053\u4e0a\u7eaf\u54c1\u8317\u7684\u62bd\u8c61\u4e4b\u7f8e-The Pure Abstract Aestheticism in Tea Drinking \u8521\u8363\u7ae0-Rong-tsang Tsai (2005.01\u300a\u8336\u827a\u300b\u6708\u520a\u793e\u8bbaPublished in \u201cTea Art\u201dmonthly magazine) Definition of the Way of Tea1 can be narrowed down to the essential, namely the tea infusion2.\u00a0 It is all in the infusion, if I may put it this way \u2013 its colour, aroma, flavour, nature and appeal epitomize the tea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155,116,4],"tags":[134,51,136,135,279,137,31,278,277,18],"class_list":["post-214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rong-tsang-tsaithe-pure-abstract-aestheticism-in-tea-drinking","category-n-1-the-ideology-of-tea-chinese-english","category-n-chinese-foreign-languages","tag-pure-way-of-tea","tag-brewing-a-good-pot","tag-motto-of-a-tea-brewing-master","tag-pure-abstract-aestheticism-in-tea-drinking","tag-tea-ceremony","tag-tea-guru","tag-tea-infusion","tag-the-beauty-and-realm-of-the-way-of-tea","tag-the-pure-abstract-aestheticism-in-tea-drinking","tag-the-way-of-tea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3079,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions\/3079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/contemporaryteathinker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}