In the midst of chaos and infighting,
Early April has arrived once again.
Emperor Daizong has received
From different locations, his tribute tea:
Persia, India, Lingwu, Changshan…
 
Some are served at the Grand Imperial Qingming Tea Banquet,
To entertain Emperor Daizong’s favourite high ranking officials:
Yuan Zai, Wang Jin, Du Hongjian…
Bukong, the Buddhist monk, was also invited.
 
The soft and soothing music;
Ensembles of strings and winds played
By we courtesans at the side.
 
Large corner-leg stools around the table set,
Emperor Daizong in the center,
Higher position officials seated at his side.
 
Luxurious cold food laid on the table
Feasting one by one
Cakes, Qingtuan [1], lǐlào [2]…
 
Then, came the most important
“First Tea” [3]
Its colour of light jade green,
Tastes pure with a tinge of bitterness.
 
Chattering begins,
Knowledge and values shared.
For once, the distinction of hierarchy among all is seemingly blurred.
 
Li Ye, Chang’an, Tang Dynasty (c762-799)

(Written by one of Emperor Daizong’s courtesans, who was also a nun, entertainer, and poet, during the tea banquet at the Qingming festival. During the Tang Dynasty, social structures were very prominent, and this occasion serves to bring people from different backgrounds together. Some servants and courtesans like Li Ye were also able to experience the taste of tribute tea.)
 
[1] Qingtuan is a type of green dumpling, made with glutinous rice combined with Chinese mugwort or barley grass and filled with sweet red or black bean paste. It is usually only available during the Qingming festival period.

[2] A type of congee flavoured with apricot pits and malt sugar served as part of the Qingming festival.

[3] “First tea” or “Pre-Qingming Tea” refers to teas that were harvested from tea plants earlier in the season, before the Qingming Festival. It represents drinking from the very first harvest of the year in accordance with the Chinese calendar. These early harvest tea are invaluable agricultural gifts because of the immense care needed, given their extremely short harvesting period (~10 days to a few weeks). Additionally, each “pre-Qingming tea” has its own unique traits. [Extracted from Dilmanian, Jasmine. “Teas of Spring (Pre-Qingming) and China’s Qingming Festival.” Heavenly Tea Leaves, September 29, 2018. Accessed September 28, 2019. https://www.heavenlytealeaves.com/blog/teas-of-spring-pre-qing-ming.html ]