Chapter VII · The History: Vessels and fire — In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie…
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The passage
“In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie An came to call, set out only tea and fruit.”
Vessels and fire
The passage points toward vessels and fire: “In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie…” 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.