Lu Yu facts for kids
Lu Yu (simplified Chinese: 陆羽; traditional Chinese: 陸羽; pinyin: Lù Yǔ; 733–804) was a famous Chinese writer and expert on tea. People call him the "Sage of Tea." This is because he taught everyone so much about tea. He wrote a very important book called The Classic of Tea. It is also known as Ch'a Ching. This book was the first big guide on how to grow, make, and drink tea.
Contents
The Life of Lu Yu
Lu Yu was born in the year 733. He was born in a place called Tianmen, in Hubei, China.
Learning About Tea
For six years, Lu Yu lived and studied in Huomen mountain. His teacher was Master Zou Fuzi. During this time, Lu Yu often made tea for his teacher. He also helped other students stay healthy. He used his great knowledge of tea and herbs. He learned these skills at the Longgai Monastery.
Whenever he had free time, Lu Yu would go to the countryside. He would gather tea leaves and different herbs. On one trip, Lu Yu found a special spring. It was hidden under a very large rock. The water from this spring was super clear and clean. When Lu Yu made tea with this water, it tasted much better! From then on, Lu Yu understood. He knew that good water was very important for making great tea.
His teacher, Zou Fuzi, was impressed by Lu Yu's love for tea. He also saw how skilled Lu Yu was at making it. So, Zou Fuzi and some students moved the big rock. They dug a well around the spring's source.
Hundreds of years later, in 1768, during the Qing dynasty (1616–1911), a city called Jingling had a big problem. There was a terrible drought, and the whole city needed water. People found water still flowing from the well that Lu Yu had found. A government official ordered three more wells to be dug there. They also built a small house nearby. They called it "Lu Yu Hut" and the "Literary Spring."
A New Friend and Mentor
In 752, Lu Yu finished his studies. He said goodbye to his teacher, Zou Fuzi. He went back to Jingling to meet his helper, Li Qiwu. But Li Qiwu had already moved back to the Tang Dynasty capital, Chang'an. The new chief official in Jingling was Cui Guofu. Cui was an important official, like a Minister of Education today. He had been sent to Jingling because he upset someone in the royal family.
Cui Guofu was a smart scholar and a famous poet. Even though he was much older than Lu Yu, they became good friends. They both loved tea, books, and poetry. Lu Yu stayed with Cui Guofu and helped him with his work. They spent a lot of time traveling, drinking tea, and writing poems. They even wrote some books of poems together.
This time with Cui Guofu was very important for Lu Yu. It was a time for him to grow as a writer. Cui Guofu had a lot of experience. He helped Lu Yu improve his writing skills. During this period, Lu Yu wrote his most famous book, The Classic of Tea.
The first version of The Classic of Tea had three books. These books had a total of ten chapters. Book 1 had chapters 1 to 3. Book 2 had only chapter 4. Book 3 had chapters 5 to 10. After the Tang Dynasty, all three books were put into one single volume.
Lu Yu in History Books
The New Book of Tang is a historical record of the Tang dynasty (618-907). It was written by scholars during the Song dynasty (960-1279). This book includes a chapter about Lu Yu's life.
The "Tea God"
The New Book of Tang tells us about Lu Yu's great love for tea. It says he wrote a three-volume book, Ch'a Ching. This book explained where tea came from. It also described how to grow tea, how to make it, and how to drink it. It even listed the tools needed for tea drinking. Tea sellers back then would make clay statues of Lu Yu. They would worship him as the "tea god."
A new government supervisor named Li Jiqing was in charge of a region in the Tang dynasty. Li Jiqing knew about two great tea masters: Chang Boxiong and Lu Yu. When Li Jiqing visited Chang Boxiong, he showed him great respect. He raised his teacup many times. But when Li Jiqing visited Lu Yu, Lu was dressed like a simple villager. So, Li did not show him the same respect. Lu Yu felt this was wrong. He wrote a book called Hui Chalun. This book was about actions that could harm tea culture. After Ch'a Ching and Hui Chalun were written, drinking tea became very popular in the Tang dynasty.
