Research On The Life Of Jiangnan Literati Drinking Tea In The Middle And Late Ming Dynasty

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty,there was a strong wind for drinking tea in Jiangnan society,literati and scholars became the main force leading the development of tea culture in the Ming Dynasty.As a remarkable social phenomenon,the reason why literati drank tea was closely related to the prosperity of Jiangnan economy,the frustration of literati's official career and the prosperity of leisure thoughts and so on.Tea was an important drink for Jiangnan literati in their daily life,they can't do without tea such as reading,socializing,literature and art and travel,etc.Tea was not only a necessary good product for them to read and think,but also an auxiliary drink for the interest of literature and art,as well as an important medium for social elegant collection and an auxiliary means for travel.Jiangnan literati had promoted the innovation of tea art,they had innovative insights in the evaluation of famous tea,the theory of water tasting,changes in tea sets and tea art.They appreciated and comprehended the art of tea tasting from six aspects: watching tea color,smelling tea aroma,tasting tea flavour,appreciating tea sets,realizing tea rhyme,and comprehending tea ceremony.They not only strived to be artistic and elegant in the process of tea tasting,but also created a tea-drinking environment where nature and man were united.They usually drank tea in teahouses and study rooms,gardens and courtyards,monasteries and Taoist temples,or boating lakes,beside the spring,under the forest,in the outdoor pavilions.They paid attention to the identity and spiritual style of the tea people,who were particular about drinking tea alone,drinking tea each other,drinking tea together,and created a tea drinking art of Qin,chess,calligraphy and painting,burning incense and arranging flowers.Jiangnan literati paid attention to the health of drinking tea on the basis of inheriting the health care thoughts of the past dynasties,which were reflected in the dietary health,spiritual health and environmental health related to tea.First of all,they realized that drinking tea can eliminate diseases and protect the body,not only making health tea,but also practicing the health concept in the tea art norms;Secondly,according to the view of health preservation of Confucianism and Taoism in the pre-Qin period,the purpose of health preservation can be achieved by cultivating individual mind and moral sentiment;Thirdly,they paid attention to the choice of tea drinking place,climate,image and so on,so as to benefit the body and mind.Because tea was peaceful and dilute,bitter and cold,and pure and natural,it was consistent with the spiritual needs of literati's indifferent career,introspection andquietness and seeking truth.In addition,the life of drinking tea also contained their life consciousness of peace and happiness,leisure and openness of life attitude,secluded feelings of seclusion and meditation,Buddhist thought of meditating and self thinking.The cultural connotation of Jiangnan literati drinking tea life constituted an important spiritual core of tea culture in the Ming Dynasty and enriched the ideological connotation of Chinese tea culture.