Finding Comfort in Tea from Ancient China

Watch as I discuss the poem "Seven Bowls/Cups of Tea" written in the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) in China and explore the idea of finding comfort in tea from Ancient China until now.

Even though it was written over 1000 years ago,“Seven Bowls/Cups of Tea” is the kind of poem you see excerpted and quoted in every single book about tea and especially Chinese tea, and the kind of poem you see hanging on the wall of many Chinese teahouses.

Is it the “Live Laugh Love” of Chinese tea? Almost.

Anyways I found surprising contemporary resonance in the poem as we collectively endure the global COVID pandemic and want to share it with you.

SOME VIDEO FOOTNOTES:

• 01:26, I mention people reading "16th century books about surviving The Plague." What I really meant was 14th century (Boccacio's "The Decameron") and 18th century (Daniel Defoe's "A Journal of the Plague Year.").

• 02:31, I erroneously said Lu Tong wrote "Seven Bowls/Cups of Tea" in the 8th century. Since his life span was 790-835 AD I actually think we can pretty much infer it was written in the 9th century when he was older than 10 years old.

• major thanks to Dr. Christine Ho, Dr. Alfreda Murck, and to Steve D. Owyang and his website Tsiophy all for sharing their expertise and knowledge in the generous spirit of tea.

Here is an English translation of the poem (with original Chinese pasted below):

SEVEN BOWLS/CUPS OF TEA Lu Tong (790-835AD)

One bowl moistens the lips and throat;

Two bowls shatters loneliness and melancholy;

Three bowls, thinking hard, one produces five thousand volumes;

Four bowls, lightly sweating, the iniquities of a lifetime disperse towards the pores.

Five bowls cleanses muscles and tendons;

Six bowls accesses the realm of spirit;

One cannot finish the seventh bowl, but feels only a light breeze spring up under the arms.

一碗喉吻润

二碗破孤闷

三碗搜枯肠，惟有文字五千卷

四碗发轻汗，平生不平事尽向毛孔散

五碗肌骨清

六碗通仙灵

七碗吃不得也，唯觉两腋习习清风生