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Chajing waiji 茶經外集, Chajing shuibian 茶經水辨, and Chapu waiji 茶譜外集

Sep 4, 2024 © Ulrich Theobald

Chajing waiji 茶經外集 is a collection of poems on tea originally compiled by the Buddhist monk Zhenqing 真清 (fl. 1543) from Xigai Monastery 西蓋寺 in Jingling 竟陵, but later changed and expanded by Sun Dashou 孫大綬 (fl. 1588).

It assembles six tea-related poems from the Tang period 唐 (618-907) by poets such as Lu Yu 陸羽 (733–804), Huangfu Zeng 皇甫曾 (d. 785), Huangfu Ran 皇甫冉 (d. 770), Monk Jiaoran 皎然 (703–799), and Pei Di 裴迪 (b. 716), as well as eight poems from the Song period 宋 (960-1279), including six poems of Wang Yucheng 王禹偁 (954–1001), "The Tea Song" (Chage 茶歌) by Lu Tong 盧仝 (c. 795–c. 835) and "The Song of Tea Competition" (Douchage 斗茶歌) by Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹 (989–1052). Other literary products quoted are Wu Shu’s 吳淑 (947–1002) rhapsody Chafu 茶賦 (from the encyclopaedia Shilei fu zhu 事類賦注), Liu Yuxi’s 劉禹錫 (772-842) Xishan lanruo shicha ge 西山蘭若試茶歌, Huang Tingjian's 黃庭堅 (1045–1105) Jiancha fu 煎茶賦, Su Shi's 蘇軾 (1037–1101) Jiancha ge 煎茶歌, Cai Xiang's 蔡襄 (1012–1067) poem Chalong 茶壠, and Huang Tingjian's Huishan quan 惠山泉.

The original version from 1543, printed in Xigai Monastery, and another edition from the same year produced by Wu Dan 吳旦 from Xin'an 新安 included 34 poems on tea dating from the early and high Ming periods 明 (1368-1644). The Chajing waiji was, from the beginning, not a book of its own but was dealt with as an appendix to Lu Yu's Chajing, together with the part Shuibian 水辨, which focuses on the selection of water for the cooking of tea and consists of quotations from Zhang Youxin's 張又新 (jinshi degree 814) Jian chashui ji 煎茶水記, Ouyang Xiu's 歐陽修 (1007–1072) Daming shuiji 大明水記 and Fuchashan shuiji 浮槎山水記.

In 1588, Sun published this combination of texts as his individual edition of Lu Yu's Chajing, but he eliminated the Ming-period poems, added two poems by Lu Tong 盧仝 and Fan Zhongyan and changed the title of the water text to Chajing shuibian 茶經水辨.

The Chapu waiji is appended to Zheng Yun’s 鄭煾 critical edition of the Chajing. This edition is notable for its unique features. It only includes the preface of Chen Shidao 陳師道 (1053–1101). The middle fascicle of the Chajing is enriched by appending the Chaju tuzan 茶具圖贊 by Shen'an Laoren 審安老人 from 1269. At the end of the classic of tea, Zheng added the biography of Lu Yu from the official dynastic history Xintangshu 新唐書, Sun Daoshou's versions of the texts Chajing shuiji and Chapu waiji 茶譜外集, an abridged version of Qian Chunnian's 錢椿年 Chapu 茶譜 (revised by Gu Yuanqing 顧元慶), and finally the Chapu waiji. This set of texts was published between 1588 and 1593.

The Chajing waiji and the Chapu waiji are found in the series Shaju zazhi 山居雜志.

Sources:
Xu Hairong 徐海榮, ed. 2000. Zhongguo chashi dadian 中國茶事大典, 589–592. Beijing: Huaxia chubanshe.
蜀漢 (221-263)