Chapter II · The Implements: Vessels and fire — The chan cloth, also called yi, is made of oiled…

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The passage

“The chan cloth, also called yi, is made of oiled silk or worn rainwear. It is laid on the cheng base, and the gui mold set upon it to form the tea; when a cake is done, it is lifted and replaced.”

Vessels and fire

The passage points toward vessels and fire: “The chan cloth, also called yi, is made of oiled…” is also a question of what the tea is made in.

Material, thickness, shape, and heat change the water and the extraction. A vessel is a tool for controlling time.

Old implements are not automatically better. Understanding them helps us see what a modern gaiwan or teapot is actually doing.

Reading note

Read the passage once for the image, once for the judgment, and once for the practice it implies.

Practice

• Name one thing the passage asks you to notice.
• Compare it with a tea you know.
• Keep the question open.