Tea is a fine tree, nurturing the spirit.
“Yin-Yang and Five Elements” is an embryonic ancient philosophy concerning the origin of the world. Compared to the “atomic theory” of ancient Greece and the “four elements theory” of ancient India from the same period,
China's Yin-Yang and Five Elements doctrine surpasses them in content richness, systematic completeness, and logical rigor. Although it was later misused by charlatans who muddied the waters and tarnished its reputation, we cannot simply dismiss the profound wisdom of our ancestors.
A small tea leaf also contains this ancient and mysterious philosophy. Let's explore it today.
“Tea is a fine tree,” naturally belongs to wood. This wood is a gentle living wood, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, receiving the spirit of mountains and rivers, nourished by water and soil, flourishing in spring and dormant in winter. Its direction is the Eastern Azure Dragon, corresponding to the Zhen position in the Eight Trigrams.
The tea leaves (young leaves) are subjected to “fixation” in a hot iron pan after picking, then slowly baked into dry tea after rolling.
Wood is overcome by metal and drained by fire, greatly changing its nature. The union of Yi and Geng transforms into metal, and the tea takes on a metallic form: whether it's “Silver Needles” or the sword-like leaves of “Longjing” or the “Tieguanyin” that is as beautiful as Guanyin and heavy as iron… please observe carefully, and you will surely agree.
There are two main characters in brewing tea, both indispensable: boiling water and ceramic or porcelain tea wares.
Ceramics are made from clay fired at thousands of degrees by fierce fire, which is Yang fire, imbuing its spirit into the ceramics.
Water is boiled with fire from firewood or candles, which is gentle and refined, Yin fire. When brewing, water nurtures wood while fire overcomes metal; the Yang fire removes the substance while the Yin fire removes the form. Together, they cause the buds and leaves to unfurl, displaying vibrant green, and the mist swirls, releasing a fragrant aroma!
The principles of Yin-Yang and Five Elements paired with the five organs and meridians form the theoretical foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
According to TCM and fortune-telling, if a person's Five Elements are balanced and their generation and overcoming relationships are appropriate, they can enjoy robust health and good fortune. With its unique growing environment, distinct manufacturing process, and special brewing method… through a series of fortuitous experiences involving repeated generation and overcoming, attack, and transformation, tea integrates the essence and spirit of the Five Elements. Isn't this the root and mystery behind the many nourishing and evil-dispelling effects of tea?