Tang-dynasty tea culture is the period in which the systematisation of tea advanced through Lu Yu's *Chajing*. The dominant method was boiling: compressed tea was broken up and simmered, a practice distinct from the later Song whisking.
Composition
Lu Yu (733?–804) wrote the *Chajing* in three volumes, systematising the origins, cultivation, utensils, and preparation of tea. This is the starting point of East Asian tea culture as a documented subject.
Relation to Japanese practice
The Tang boiling method is not used in modern Japanese gatherings, but Lu Yu's name and the *Chajing* are referred to repeatedly in talks. The phrase seiko kentoku — diligent conduct and frugal virtue — comes from this source.
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