Chapter VI · The Drinking: Practice today — As a beverage, tea began with Shennong, the Divine Farmer…
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The passage
“As a beverage, tea began with Shennong, the Divine Farmer, and became known through the Duke of Zhou of Lu.”
Practice today
Bring “As a beverage, tea began with Shennong, the Divine Farmer…” to a modern table through one concrete session: choose water, heat it, warm the vessel, measure leaf, pour, and notice.
You do not need Tang-style pressed tea or expensive utensils. Start with clean water, a sensible temperature, and a clean finish.
The point of reading is not nostalgia. It is a better question at the tea table.
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.