So…have you all seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? The famous Ang Lee movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is actually named based on a common Chinese idiom, describing somebody who conceals their talent. Our Jianghu hero Li Mubai (Chow Yun-Fat) is tasked with the duty of protecting a dangerously powerful sword, the Green Destiny – But in the days … Continue reading 急功近利
It’s been quite the busy semester for me up here in quaint bum-fuck Reno. I’ve been preoccupied with teaching my first semester of Chinese at the university and trying to keep up with my own master’s degree. Of course, this hasn’t kept me from drinking tea, nor exploring the deep sea of information out there … Continue reading Wednesday Update
A topic that surfaces regularly when I discuss tea with friends is the way we are forced to construct a shared vocabulary, and the difficulties that brings. Appreciation of tea is already an exceptionally-subjective activity – mixing in the experiential isolation and vast variation in breadth of experience that often exists between pu-aficionados in the West only … Continue reading The Semantics of Sheng – Age and Maturity
“The Tao that is utterable, Is not the eternal Tao” – Such is the first sentence in Chapter 1 of the Dao De Jing, written by Laozi centuries ago. This is but one translation I selected out of many existing supported translations. Each one interprets the text differently, providing slight, or in some cases, significant … Continue reading 道可道非常道 – Personal Thoughts
In this post, I would like to quickly discuss the limited opinion I’ve formed on modern teas through discussion, research, and tasting I’ve done. I believe that modern tea has been produced in such a way that it will hit a drinkable age much earlier than “classic” teas known to the puerh world. Included below … Continue reading 見茶是茶， 見茶非茶，見茶又是茶： Seeing Tea As It Appears, No Longer Seeing Tea As It Is, Seeing Tea As It Is Once More. – Personal Thoughts
For this piece, I am going to relate heavily to themes interpreted through the Hayao Miyazaki film “Spirited Away.” If you haven’t seen that film I apologize, and highly recommend you pick it up at your leisure and give it a watch. There is a strong relationship between consumption and identity within the film. In … Continue reading Consumer Culture and Tea – Personal Thoughts
Hello there! You read blogs online? You’re hip? You drink tea? But…maybe are not familiar with the Chinese language! Fear not! This list – though not by any means comprehensive – may help you navigate those online terms. You too can practice them and be one of the hip kids on the corner! Unfortunately I … Continue reading Quickie: Chinese Tea Tasting Terms
Dead Leaves Club 