One idea that has troubled the Chinese mentality throughout its history is that of wrongful death or “death in vain” (枉死 wǎng sǐ). It is an premature death in which the soul of the deceased cannot follow the normal course of transit to the underworld.
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Upon arriving in the dark regions (yīnjiān 陰間), the soul of the deceased is to pass through the Ten Courts of the Underworld (十殿閻羅 shí diàn Yánluó), and submit to trial for his actions in life. These courts originate around the ninth century as a crystallization of a series of ideas that appear before gradually.
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The Chinese conception of the afterlife has been gradually formed over centuries by mixing indigenous and foreign ideas, the latter coming from Indian Buddhism. Despite referring to the other world, these ideas profoundly affect the lives of the living and condition behaviours, rituals and daily festivities.
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The city of Cháozhōu 潮州, in Cháoshàn 潮汕, is one of the cradles of Chinese tea culture, where some believe the gōngfū chá (工夫茶 or 功夫茶) ceremony originated several hundred years ago, and from where it would have spread to the rest of China. But the Cháozhōu ceremony has some peculiarities that reflect the values and hospitality of its inhabitants.
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We offer our perspective on some aspects, first, clarifying the relationship between martial arts and violence; second, briefly exposing the differences that exist in the learning and training of a kid and an adult and, finally, exposing what we consider to be the most important benefits that martial arts bring to the child.
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The Tea Classic or Chá Jīng 茶經 is a work of literature of the eighth century that deals with various aspects related to tea, from the cultivation of the plant to the preparation of the drink. This work, written by Lù Yǔ 陸羽, known as “Tea Sage”, had a tremendous impact in his time on the spread of the custom of drinking tea in China.
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Lù Yǔ 陸羽 was a scholar of the eighth century, known for being the author of the Chá Jīng 茶經 or Classic of Tea. In this first article dedicated to him we will see how the life of this eccentric character was, a life dedicated to investigating and experimenting with tea in all its aspects.
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Chinese martial arts have not been classified into styles except for a relatively small part of their history. This stylistic diversification seems to have its origin in the entertainment arts during the Sòng 宋 dynasty.
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The Chá Jiǔ Lùn 茶酒論 (Discourse of Tea and Wine) is a satirical text of the Táng 唐 dynasty, representing a dialogue between the personified substances of tea and wine or liqueur. This text gives us information about the customs of the time, and is also a metaphor that represents a discussion between philosophical currents.
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Although currently no Chinese martial arts system boasts of making use of muscle strength, in ancient times, physical strength was more valued as an attribute of any man of arms. As a way to show this strength, competitions such as “cauldron lifting” (扛鼎 kāngdǐng) were organized, which we will talk about on this occasion.
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