Journal
Tea notes, mountain context, brewing records, and manor updates.
On a drizzly spring day, the world outside the window is drip-drip-dapping, everything soaked. What I love most at times like this is sitting by the window, brewing a pot of white tea, and waiting for the sky to clear.
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At the Sanduo Festival in Lijiang, besides the sacrificial ceremonies and drinking pu-erh, there is something you absolutely must try — the Naxi people's roasted tea.
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The Sanduo Festival is a traditional Naxi celebration, held every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month in Lijiang.
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In spring, when all things revive, the human body also needs a process of "awakening." After months of winter settling in, the digestive system grows sluggish and the mind somewhat foggy.
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After Jingzhe (the Awakening of Insects), a moist warmth enters the air. Even the tea cakes in the warehouse seem to sense it, releasing aromas richer than in winter.
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Solving lantern riddles at the Lantern Festival is a cherished Chinese tradition. Every year I create tea-name riddles to test my friends.
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Lantern Festival night, the streets hung with colourful lanterns, brilliant and beautiful. Our whole family was on the rooftop terrace admiring the lanterns, the table set with tang yuan and a pot of white tea.
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The second day of the New Year, visiting the wife's maiden home — a time-honoured tradition. Every year on this day I bring gifts to my mother-in-law's house.
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On the first day of the New Year, the first thing I do when I wake up is not to collect red envelopes—it is to boil water and brew tea.
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The last hour of New Year's Eve is the transition between the old year and the new. The reunion dinner is finished, the Gala show is over, the fireworks have been set off.
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On New Year's Eve, the reunion dinner leaves you so full you can barely move. Roast chicken, roast pork, steamed fish, fat choy with dried oysters, tang yuan—everything is delicious, but afterward your stomach is inflated like a balloon.
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On New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers around for the reunion dinner. The table is loaded with wonderful dishes: chicken, duck, fish, meat, soups, desserts—everything is complete.
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