Tea, in terms of its interest in maintaining people’s lives, is by no means a necessity. Before there was food and drink, the ancestors of the Chinese nation had already lived a lively and colorful life, even great and heroic. After tea entered people's society and daily life, quite a few people had no connection with it. As we said in Chapter 6, the gradual spread of tea drinking among regions, ethnic groups and people has a historical and gradual time process. There are factors such as value recognition, habit formation and custom infection, as well as consumption affordability factors. For ordinary citizens who are worried about food, tea is a luxury product, and drinking tea is considered an undue and unnecessary wasteful hobby. However, this does not affect the development of tea drinking art and tea drinking thought. The historical and cultural development in the hierarchical era was exactly like this. Art and thought were inherently alien to the public. It is precisely because it is not necessary for life and living that it can be used for recreation and fun, and it can also be refined and artistic; it is precisely because it first belongs to the leisure class and does not need to be the public that it can be artistic in the cultural atmosphere of intellectuals. Think away.

The gourmets of the tea ceremony are not tea drinkers in the general sense who are addicted to tea or only enjoy tea. They are able to make the tea ceremony that is based on physiological needs and processes completely transcend the level of popular culture in the market. A person who creatively identifies, appreciates, and thinks. Among them, tea ceremony operators must be skilled in art and enter a state of mind and understanding in the control of tea ceremony procedures. Tea gourmets in Chinese history mainly refer to the "Jia Ke" tea masters among literati and the "Shangren" tea masters among Buddhists. These two kinds of people are also connected spiritually and physically and spiritually with each other. "Jia Ke" is more or less aware of Buddhism and Zen. Most of the "Masters" are good at poetry and writing. This is undoubtedly the historical result of the integration of Confucianism and Buddhism. The guests' tea ceremony was full of flowing style, skillful and composed, and full of elegance; the form, manner, and artistic conception were elegance from the outside to the inside, from beginning to end; the guests tried their best to embody the elegance of each other. This kind of external elegance, at the same time, more deliberately pursues the ultimate elegance. Using tea to clear away worries, using tea to express emotions through friendship, and using tea to cheer up one's will and temper one's nature are indeed the principles and basic cultural features of Jia Ke tea people's tea thoughts. Obviously, the focus of their tea ceremony and thinking lies in the social function and spiritual results of personality cultivation, and it is by no means the satisfaction of material desires. The physical and chemical properties of tea have nothing to do with the cultural effect of the drinker. The cultural effect is undoubtedly the drinker's feelings and awareness, and is a false release of the traditional psychology and cultural accomplishment of Chinese scholars.

The outstanding Buddhist tea masters, what we call tea masters, although the number of those who are famous in famous books and documents is not as large as that of Jiake tea masters, they do not seem to be inferior to the latter. . This is because, on the one hand, Zen Buddhism advocates that the key to enlightenment lies in words and words (storytelling is not easy to publicize and pass on to the world); on the other hand, "to learn Zen, one must not fall asleep and do not eat late at night." "Drinking tea", tea is a Zen tool, drinking tea accompanies the Zen process, "tea is the same as Buddha", and there should be many people who have mastered it. Needless to say, the "Devil-Conquering Master" who "daxed Zen Buddhism" at Lingyan Temple in Taishan (quoted from Volume 6 "Drinking Tea" in Feng Yan's "Feng's Hearings and Seeings" of the Tang Dynasty), the Lotus Tea Sage Lu Yu (733~804) Years) is also a half-disciplined person, and his tea samadhi is also associated with Buddhism. Yuan Zhen (779-831)'s "One to Seven Character Poems: Tea" clearly shows this relationship:

Tea

Fragrant leaves, buds.

I admire poets and monks.

Crafted white jade and woven red yarn.

Cho-fried yellow pistils are the color of yellow pistils, and the bowl is full of dusty flowers.

The queen of the night invites you to accompany the bright moon, and the morning brings you to the morning glow.

I have washed away all the people of the past and present without getting tired, and I will know how to praise after being drunk.

(Volume 423 of "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty")

"I admire poets and love monks' families" clearly and accurately reveals that tea gourmets are basically composed of Jiake tea masters The historical facts related to tea affairs show the relationship between tea and Buddha. Although tea may not have been first introduced to Buddhism when it first spread out of Yunnan and along the Yangtze River in the Yangtze River Basin after the Han Dynasty, it is an indisputable fact that the growing popularity of tea is related to the habits and examples of Buddhists. From the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 to 589), Buddhist tea people emerged in large numbers. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they were closely related to and accompanied the rise and fall of China's tea culture. Jiao Ran, a famous poet monk and tea master in the Tang Dynasty (lived around 760), wrote "Drinking Tea Song in Praise of Cui Shishijun", which is quite representative of Ruoben's thoughts:

The Yue people left me Yanxi ( Yi Zuoshan "Tea", I collected golden buds from the golden cauldron. ) is bright and refreshing, filling the whole world.

Drink again to clear my mind, and suddenly it will be as light as rain and wine.

After three drinks, there is no need to work hard to get rid of worries. /p>

This is a very pure and noble world. People in the world drink a lot (one is a disciple) and deceive themselves. They are worried (one is a good person) and look at Bi Zhuo Wen at night, smiling at Tao Qian under the fence. Hou sips endlessly and sings a song that is astonishing.

Who knows that the tea ceremony is true, only Danqiu is like this? and contentment; the sigh of "no knowledge of the world is beyond the level of ordinary tea drinkers"; and after three drinks, the true nature of the tea ceremony is understood, that is, one realizes the void and emptiness, and then completely forgets worldly emotions and eliminates worldly thoughts. Not only that, he also envisioned a higher and more permanent transcendence: "Weak people in Danqiu eat light jade, and pick tea and drink to grow wings. The immortals are hidden in the world and the sky is unknown, and the people in Yunggong are boned. Don't know.

"(Tang·Shi Jiaoran's "Tea Drinking Song to Farewell Zheng Guests", the poet's annotation quoted from "Tiantai Ji" says: "Danqiu comes out with great tea, and the clothes become feathers." "Full Tang Poems" Volume 821) For help The power of tea and the tea ceremony process can achieve the psychological control and mood creation effects of concentration, harmony, calmness and clarity. This is exactly the feeling that tea practitioners seek, as described in Tang Shilingyi's "Drinking Tea with Yuan Jushi Qingshantan": "Amidst wild springs, fireworks and white clouds, I sit and drink fragrant tea and fall in love with this mountain. The boat can't bear to go under the rock, and the green stream is gurgling at dusk. " (Volume 89 of "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty") With a pot in hand, the body is like a still life, and the thoughts have curled up like light smoke, fading into the haze of the sky. This kind of quiet and empty state of mind, fading into nature, is exactly the way to enter Zen. The prelude of thinking is that the drizzle at night is looming; the quiet sound in Dinggu is as quiet as if it is extinguished: "I am happy to see the gathering of secluded people, and I have opened the tea for the first time. Richeng Dongjing leaves, dew picking Beishan buds. The fragrance of slow fire is better, and the taste of cold spring is better. Foam pours from the pan and flowers gather in the bowl. A little closer to the Zen Sutra, chatting and about to fall asleep, I borrowed money from the Internet..." (Shi Jiaoran "Reporting Lu Xun's Drinking of Tianmu Mountain Tea to Yuan Jushi Sheng", "Full Tang Poems" Volume 818) "Be aware that without thinking, you can take photos Out of ten thousand sources. "(Shi Jiaoran's "Zen Poems", "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 820) "How can the emptiness hinder the existence of color, and how wonderful it is to waste the existence of the body; silence is not silence, and the noise has never been loud. Alas, Zen in the world is not based on the wisdom of the wise. "(Shi Jiaoran's "Zen Thoughts", "Complete Tang Poems" Volume 820) Life, world affairs, the universe, Buddhist principles, and Zen ideas are all free to follow the fragrance of the spring. Listen to it, determine the Buddha nature, and enlighten you. The effect of Zen enlightenment is naturally realized in the universe in the pot, although they are still in the world as described by Lu Rong (1436-1494): "The style of the south of the Yangtze River is said to be the monk's house, and the tea in the bamboo is fragrant. "The famous monks in Dharma know better, and their cassocks are filled with cigarettes and tea." ("Tea Sending Monk" by Lu Rong of Ming Dynasty, Volume C of "Collection of Poems of Dynasties: Ming Dynasty Poems Volume", Volume C, Volume 6) The thinking of gourmets about drinking is not what ordinary drinkers indulge in. From the perspective of taste and feeling; wine gourmets are experts in wine tasting skills and drinking art; their drinking purpose is to use the taste and function of wine to achieve joy, express emotions, relieve worries, perform etiquette, etc. The purpose of friendship and aspiration. The natural properties of wine and tea are very different. Wine is usually drunk at a banquet or accompanied by food, while tea is usually a clear drink (without tea and food). It is not the waste of money mixed with other things in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties (almost like eating and drinking), so their physical cravings and material desires are strong, so in the corrupt life, people who are addicted to alcohol are more likely to waste their careers due to alcohol than those who are addicted to tea. There are countless people who have lost their moral character, ruined their affairs, harmed their bodies, and caused disasters; comparatively speaking, drinking wine is turbid and drinking tea is pure, which can be said to be a basic historical fact. Therefore, for thousands of years, the prohibition of "indulgence" and the prohibition of "eat" have been the thoughts of drinking. The first important thing. A very noteworthy historical phenomenon is that throughout the ages, almost all those who have thought deeply about wine and have enough praise for it are those who drink. This is undoubtedly because they have no material desires, and they have not yet. Injured by the narcotic and destructive effects of alcohol. Precisely because alcohol is a special addiction that is prone to sexual incest and violation of etiquette, one of the keynotes of drinking etiquette and drinking thoughts throughout the ages is "precepts" - precepts, not abstinence. Precepts, that is, restraint and prevention. Countless poems about drinking throughout the ages vividly reflect this ideological orientation:

"The gentleman said: Drinking is a ritual, and it is righteous not to follow it with sexual immorality." "Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Period - The 22nd Year of Duke Zhuang") Wine is a must for ceremonial banquets. As the saying goes, "No banquet can be complete without wine", but it must be moderate. If it exceeds the limit, it is against etiquette and it is unjust. Wine.

“It is better to drink wine and grow old together. When the harp and harp are at play, everything is quiet and peaceful." ("The Book of Songs·Zheng Feng·Nv Yue Cock") The newlyweds' couplet expresses the satisfaction and joy of a sweet and harmonious family life, which is a typical wine to add to the excitement and lyricism.

< p> “Looking from afar, the sad wind is coming, but I can’t repay you with wine. Pedestrians are thinking about the road ahead, how can they comfort me from my sorrow? "It is unique to have a full cup of wine, and prepare a knot with the child." (Qing Dynasty Shen Deqian's "Old Poetry Sources: Han Poems" Volume 2, the original work is two of three poems in Li Ling's "Poems with Su Wu", but modern people have not considered it to be Li Su's work, and it was during the Eastern Han Dynasty (End) This Chinese poem is uncontrollably sad, full of sadness, and full of feelings of farewell and friendship. "Singing over wine, what is life like?" Like morning dew, it will be more painful every day. Generosity should be shown as generosity, and contemplation will be unforgettable. Du Kang is the only one who can relieve worries! " (Three Kingdoms·Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing", "Original Poetry·Wei Shi" Volume 5) is an eternal masterpiece of wine poems to relieve sorrow. Zuo Si (? ~ around 306 years) wrote "Jing Ke drank in Yanshi, and the wine was invigorating. shock. Lamentations and gradual departures are as if there is no one around. Although there is no Heroes' Day, it is still unique in the world. I am looking forward to the world, but how can I be so powerful? Although noble people value themselves, they regard them as dust. Although a humble person is humble, he is as important as a thousand pieces of metal. " (During the two Jin Dynasties, six of the eight poems in Zuo Si's "Ode to History", Volume 7 of "Origins of Ancient Poetry·Jin Poems") is a representative drinking song of aspiration, in which the wine is powerful and powerful, and the momentum is soaring.

< p>The drinking thoughts of ancient Chinese wine experts were to strive to create an artistic lifestyle in which they could taste the wine and be satisfied with the feeling of wine. Dong Qichang (1555-1636), a great calligrapher in the late Ming Dynasty. When talking about the behavioral style of drinkers, he said: "Ordinary people are drunk on ignorance, and the two vehicles are drunk on Nirvana, but the great sage can drink without being chaotic. " ("Preface" to Dong Qichang's "Jiu Dian" in the late Ming Dynasty) is ultimately a category of precepts, and its best state should be "following the heart's desires and not exceeding the rules" (Volume 2 of "The Analects of Confucius: Wei Policy II"). In a narrow sense Food refers to exquisite food and drink, and in many cases it only refers to delicacies - delicious dishes. Therefore, a gourmet in a narrow sense means a person who has a special liking for food quality appraisal, a special interest in cooking, and is good at art. people.

Because daily eating is a necessity for people to survive, it is obviously different from the clear drinking of vegetables and the drinking and enjoyment of wine. It has obvious pleasure tendencies and is easy to rise and become an independent art. It has been historically placed as a way to satisfy hunger. The status of food is just enough for the palate, but beyond that, it is considered to be an indulgent luxury with low taste and "raising a child". Because of this, the deeds of such gourmets are almost never fully and unbiasedly recorded in a person's written history. The elegance and unrestrainedness of the tea drinker and the romantic and heroic spirit of the wine drinker can be freely expressed in happy films and described in various historical records with an appreciative attitude; they themselves can also express their self-entertainment without fear and scruple. Foodies and gourmets do not have such luck. For them, at least more than two thousand years of history are unfair. It will indiscriminately classify people who pay attention to the table with different mentality and vision into gluttons. In another volume, he is despised as a "villain".

There is no doubt that gourmets do not belong to the toiling masses unprecedented in Chinese history. The reality of the latter's difficulty in satisfying their hunger and the highest ideal of their need to satisfy their hunger make the two belong to different levels and different levels. Relevant differential cultural categories. Therefore, this type of gourmets in Chinese history are in an embarrassing social position: due to the huge differences in life reality and concepts, they are basically irrelevant to the food thoughts of the majority of members of the hungry and well-off society, and because the group of people in the middle-class and above society who know how to eat are While indulging their material desires, they expressed insincere opinions and regarded them as alien. As a result, they became bats in the ideological field in the history of Chinese food culture. The ruling groups of the past dynasties and those true and false Taoist gentlemen have conceptually opposed and criticized in public statements the phenomenon of excessive exquisiteness and richness on the dining table, which is exactly the opposite in the actual life of many of them; and they are the most intolerable. They are still talking about things other than food and health. They think it is not only meaningless, but even immoral and degenerate behavior. Because "agriculture is the main economic characteristic of clans and tribes in vast areas that has gradually formed naturally in my country as early as prehistoric times" (see my article "Cultivation of Millet and Rice and Domestication of Pigs and Dogs - Primitive Agriculture in China" and the occurrence of animal husbandry", see "History of Chinese Food"), and more and more people are highly crowded and struggle for food on limited land. This has always been the basic national condition of China since it was a country. It can be said that, Almost the entire history of China's written civilization is a history of people having difficulty eating. Because of this, the greatest wish of the common people is to have enough to eat, and the original wish of managers is undoubtedly the sincere hope that their people can have enough to eat. The ruled and the rulers showed a high degree of consistency on this issue, even though their interests and starting points were so inconsistent. As a result, the two showed a high degree of agreement in rejecting the foodie opinion alliance and denying the necessity of its existence. Therefore, in the thousands of years of Chinese food history, the status of gourmets has been suppressed and their voices have been excluded. This is precisely the reason why the number of gourmet foods that are obviously incompatible and inappropriate with the historical development of food culture is very small and their voices are weak. One of the important reasons, and also one of the important reasons that restrict the full and healthy development of historical food culture. However, the brilliance of their ideas cannot be ignored, because their ideas are one of the important forces that break through the traditional conservative concept of eating only to meet physiological needs and correct the unhealthy tendencies of all kinds of gluttony and luxury. Before modern science and civilization, the idea of ??gourmets was one of the main symbols representing the historical development level of national food culture. It was also an important symbol of national civilization and healthy life.

If we say that the written records from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Han Dynasty for about twelve generations reflect the banquets of the upper class and the requirements of nobles and nobles for food and delicacies. The main requirement is richness, that is, I- - "Food in front of the head", with a large amount of ingredients - mostly whole or large animal raw materials for barbecue and steaming; after entering the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, people gradually paid more attention to the fineness of the food production process and the exquisiteness of the finished products. Of course, the accompanying sub-forms and negative effects also appeared: the extravagance of style turned into the luxury of seeking novelty. The main reason for this historical change in cultural style is undoubtedly the advancement of cooking tools and techniques based on the accumulation of experience, mainly the influence of pan and other tools and frying techniques on the form of dishes (mainly dishes) and people (basically the upper class). revolutionary role in changes in social) customs. This transitional change became the basic pattern of social food and delicacies and the food culture tradition of the upper class of the nation in the following two periods of prosperity (Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties) and prosperity (Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan) in the history of Chinese food. There are a large number of records from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. There are hundreds of exquisite dishes made by the chefs of wealthy families and restaurants that mainly served members of the middle class and above. It shows that the times provide the necessary material objects for the study of gourmet mouths and minds. It was also during the Tang Dynasty that the activities of gourmets began to leave their own impact on historical records. It is precisely based on the fundamental principle that all food, regardless of high or low, can be eaten by gourmets in Chinese history, and each has its own characteristics, that they break through the traditional concept of the aristocratic class seeking rare and luxurious materials, and put their thinking touch on a reasonable material basis. Above all, focus on grasping the two basic points of heat and seasoning, so that your food practice can be elevated to a creative and active art activity full of fun, forming an enjoyment of food that is full of serious scientific spirit and relaxed and happy taste. Process thinking.

Gourmets in Chinese history are experts in food culture and food artists. Their achievements include profound upbringing in national culture, extensive travels and profound understanding, official experience or literati career, food practice and exploration and thinking. Basic requirements for gourmets. They are not of the same kind as those who only use their mouths for eating activities, and they are also very different from herbalists and health-preserving people. The eating activities of gourmets are artistic enjoyment activities and recreational labor for intellectuals. Although this artistic activity is not appreciated by most scholars, the gourmets who work in this kind of labor are basically from the two cultural groups of the rich and the aristocrats, or It is the diners who are attached to it.