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Hi all!

I am searching resources (books, videos, podcasts, etc) related to arranging the tea stage in both Chinese/Taiwanese and Japanese contexts. I love seeing and attempting to produce beautiful displays for making and serving tea. I want learn more about the ideas and underlying principles!

I drink tea gonfu style so I am primarily interested in gongfu arrangements but I suspect there might be more resources out there for the Japanese side of things and I'm curious about that as well! I know in the Japanese tea ceremony pairing seasonally appropriate teaware, tools, chabana, etc is an important part of the process so I'm sure things have been written about it, but I am not sure where to start and would love some recommendations!

(A note for books: I sadly cannot read Chinese or Japanese -- maybe one day!)

For Chaxi, the Tea Masters blog is a good resource. He's also a guest on a Talking Tea episode.

The best thing will be to understand more clearly what you are after. While Taiwan, Japan, and China have shared history, their tea-cultures have distinct aesthetics, even if they are borrowing one another's teas.

If gongfu is your core interest, especially with a focus on the artistic aspects, you are probably most interested in Taiwanese tea-culture.

One suggestions I would have would be old issues of The Art of Tea magazine. Global Tea Hut sells an almost complete set due to having done translation for them before starting Global Tea Hut. Alternately, a few tea-vendors still have back-issues, such as Camellia Sinensis.

Chaxi is a modern appropriation of senchado: taking something humble and elevating it into an art for the purpose of status signaling.

Study Japanese aesthetics, specifically the aesthetics around tokonoma, ikibana, and senchado. You’re looking for repetitive scalene triangles, golden ratio, visual weight, seasonality, and possibly some Japanese customary things. These must harmonize horizontally and vertically. You can bend the rules when you are good enough. It’s geometrical but looks natural.

If you can arrange a tokonoma well then you can arrange chaxi.

I am speaking as one who has arranged hundreds of tokonoma displays to highlight competition bonsai and suiseki. Chaxi is literally the same thing.

Something that I'm curious about is whether there is, or has been, any tradition in Chaozhou gongfu tea regarding presentation and aesthetics generally.

Andrew

Andrew S wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:47 pm

Something that I'm curious about is whether there is, or has been, any tradition in Chaozhou gongfu tea regarding presentation and aesthetics generally.

Andrew

As far as I’m aware, CZ is about getting the best out of the tea and sharing it with your friends and neighbors, no showing off to others status and whatnot. In modern Taiwanese ones I would say there is definitely an elitist element to it. Wearing humble clothes and simple, Japanese looking arrangements, yet basically it’s a rich people’s hobby.

The common tea brewing arrangements, most use are much more down to earth and about the tea, just a element of daily life, not a ceremonial thing.

In addition to what Bok said, I have heard from friends in Taiwan that the tea at these chaxi events is poorly made more often than not.

There’s nothing wrong with making a pretty setting for your guests but the chaxi people often put style above substance.