Grand Treatise on Tea

The Grand Treatise on Tea (simplified Chinese: 大观茶论; traditional Chinese: 大觀茶論; pinyin: Dàguān Chá Lùn)^[a] is a book written by the Chinese Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty in 1107.^[1]^[2]

Emperor Huizong was a great connoisseur of tea, with masterful skill in the art of tea ceremony. He often engaged in tea tasting and tea competitions with his subordinates at the Song imperial court. Emperor Huizong's favourite was Anji Bai Cha. (He wrote that what he loved was "Bai Cha." This should not be confused with the tea currently known as "White Tea," but was rather "a Green Tea which had the color of white jade".) In the Treatise on Tea, Emperor Huizong provided the most detailed, vivid and masterful description of the Song dynasty technique of tea spotting. The Emperor also laid down seven criteria for Tea Competitions (Doucha 闘茶).^[3]

The Treatise on Tea is a key document for understanding the most sophisticated tea ceremony in Chinese history. It stands as the monumental treatise on tea after Lu Yu's The Classic of Tea (c. 760–780).

Preface 茶論
Locale 地產
Season & Weather 天時
Picking & Selection 采擇
Steaming and Pressing 蒸壓
Tea Making (Manufacture) 制造
Appraising Tea 鑒辯
White Tea 白茶
Grinders and Sieves 羅碾
Tea Bowls 盞
Bamboo Whisk 筅
Water Vase 瓶
Ladle 構
Water 水
Dian; Preparing and Whisking the Tea 點
Flavour 味
Fragrance 香
Colour 色
Drying & Storage 藏焙
Famous Teas 品名
The Private Sector 外焙

References

^ Liu, Tong (2012). Chinese Tea. Australia: Cambridge. ISBN 978-0-521-18680-3.
^ Mair, Victor H. The True History of Tea, ch. 5, Thames & Hudson (2012).
^ Song Huizong. "Treatise on Tea". globalteahut.org. Retrieved 18 May 2020.