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唐朝初年，道教宗师、越国公叶法善在浙西南松阳县境内的卯山道场修炼期间，培育出极品“卯山仙茶”。在唐高宗的盛邀下，他提着一篓“卯山仙茶”跨进了朝廷的中枢，“卯山仙茶”成为皇宫养生茶在历史上陡然生辉，荒蛮的松阳第一次以茶乡的身份进入唐宫的视野。
卯山仙茶，唐宫中的养生茶
正宗的“卯山仙茶”当然还要去卯山品尝，接待我的是卯山“天师殿”一位中年道长，青衣布鞋，脸上藏敛着无数沧桑。闲聊中得知他的俗名叫叶罗生，系叶法善第53世孙，年轻时在江西龙虎山修炼多年，后回“天师殿”担任住持。
叶道长将一只蓝花碗端到我的面前，碗里铺着一层茶干。道长提起茶壶，白腾腾的沸水洒进碗里，茶干在沸水中翻滚、旋转、开放、舒展，并在沸水的冲劲下呼呼地发出了嫩绿的芽儿来，一会儿工夫香气丝丝飘逸而出，春潮涨满碗口。久闻其名的“卯山仙茶”就在面前，深吸一口气，袅袅清香进入了五脏六腑。细细地啜了一口，苦涩，性烈，携着草木的狂野，带着锋利的棱角，我疑惑地看着这盏茶，不由地皱了皱眉头。
道长读懂了我的心思，他解释道：“这茶是实实在在的无公害无污染的有机茶。施主如果喝不惯，可以将第一道茶水倒去，第二道一定回味无穷。”依照道长所说，再斟了一碗，一口一口地慢慢品味，茶汁在嘴唇上咂着，果然味道刚柔相济，苦中藏甘，隐约带着一股豪气。冲过几道水，那碗卯山茶依旧浓酽，芳香如初。
端着一碗添得满满的茶水，与道长聊聊茶事，抬头满眼峰峦，低头山野气象。再细细地端详着这碗茶，一张鹤发童颜的面影浮现出来……
那是唐代一个薄雾初开的清晨，叶法善踏进了长松山的深山老林，肩上扛着一把锄头，身上斜斜地挎着一只竹篓，他仔细地在野草灌木中搜寻着。突然，一种熟悉的香气扑鼻而来，一株叶子形如雀舌的草木进入了视线，那是一株上好的野茶！他赶紧挽起袖子，小心翼翼地将它挖出放进了竹篓。他已经不记得这是第几次进山，终于找到了这株梦寐以求的野茶。其后，又陆续找到十几株一样的野茶，将它们移植到卯山。叶法善将野茶培育改良成茶中极品，就是后来被大书特书的“卯山仙茶”。史料记载：“卯山仙茶竹叶形，深绿色，茶水色清、味醇。”
叶法善被时人誉为“道中宗师，人中神仙，医中华佗，茶中圣手”，在唐显庆年间已经名满天下。最让人津津乐道的是他们家族的长寿，世居卯山的叶法善享年105岁，他的家族先后出现了三位年过百岁的高寿之人，五代平均年龄超过了80岁，成为“人瑞”家族。在古代，超长寿往往预示着非人间的力量，这是叶法善备受推崇的原因之一。唐高宗为求长生之道，盛情邀请叶法善入宫，进入国家最高道观景龙观担任住持。唐王朝对叶法善的信任和恩宠可谓是空前的，他前后侍奉了高宗、武则天、中宗、睿宗、玄宗五代皇帝，他和张道陵是历史上仅有的封公的宗教人士。叶法善在朝廷的另一个身份是皇帝的养生医生，因为叶法善的长寿，他的饮食习惯受到了皇室的效仿，品茗“卯山仙茶”也成为皇家的一种时尚。
叶法善根据道家教义制定了茶道，都城长安景龙观中设有“茶堂”，专门招待皇室成员品茶，有侍茶的“茶班”，“茶班”中的道士分工明确，有“茶头”和“施茶道人”，甚至还有一支道家乐队，在宾客品茶的时候演奏道教乐曲助兴。扫地焚香，烹茶洗砚，道音绕梁，品茶论道，以茶悟道，叶法善使得普通的品茶变成了由俗入道的神圣仪式，将品茶者由俗世引入宗教的神秘境界，让人产生无限的遐想。
“卯山仙茶”因叶法善而变得炙手可热，每到开春时节，景龙观道士进驻卯山，严格管理卯山茶的采摘、制作、运送，一箱箱茶叶驮在马背上翻山越岭离开卯山向长安进发。“卯山仙茶”产量很低，皇家御用和朝廷赏赐占去大半，留在民间的少之又少，家有“卯山仙茶”成为上流社会身份尊贵的标志。
今天的卯山依旧茶叶飘香，整座山蛰伏在抽枝的芽头下，通体碧绿，形状如同一只倒扣的青瓷茶碗，让人无法想象这只茶碗亿万年前曾经是愤怒的火山口。卯山上留下很多关于叶法善的遗迹，比如通天观遗址、天师殿、试剑石、丹井、重修的御碑亭……但是追踪不到当年的那些茶树。叶道长说，“卯山仙茶”成为贡品后，茶种在松阳广为传播，可以说，今天名闻遐迩的松阳茶，追根溯源就是“卯山仙茶”的品种，“卯山仙茶”已经成为一切松阳茶的代称。
叶法善，松阳茶文化的代表
没有任何一个松阳人能够像叶法善一样，因其显赫的道行和德行对地方文化产生如此深远的影响。松阳很多事物都与他有关，宗教、习俗、农事、医药、养生、茶叶、道教、音乐等等，特别是他因对松阳茶的再造之功而被尊为松阳的“茶神”。
作为一个出色的农艺专家，叶法善的制茶技术达到了一个高度。在全国绝大多数地方还采用蒸青茶的制茶技术的时候，他已经采用了炒青茶技术，以“卯山仙茶”为代表的种茶炒制技艺，代代传承至今，为松阳今天茶产业的兴盛奠定了基础。古代喝茶与今天有些不一样，将茶叶末或者是茶砖碎块放入茶壶中煮沸后，洒入茶盏中饮用，到了明代才普及茶干冲泡喝茶的模式。而早在唐代的叶法善，已经开始使用茶干泡茶，这究竟是他的发明创造还是由他带入到松阳已经不得而知。茶砖和茶干一字之差，制作茶砖的工艺相对复杂，而且费工费时；茶干更好地保存了茶叶的原汁原味和自然香气，泡出来的茶水亮泽、清新，更好地保存了茶叶美观的外形，味道更加可口。由于叶法善的大力推动，松阳制茶技术超前全国整体水平七百年的历史，茶叶也发展成为松阳农业的特色产业。
叶法善的乐善好施深远地影响了松阳人，热心于公益事业也形成了独具特色的松阳茶文化。相传，叶法善为了驱除发生在松阳的瘟疫，在道观门口和一些路口摆放着一口陶缸，泡一缸他配制的中药茶，供给百姓饮用。瘟疫过后，那一口口陶缸中盛满了叶法善培植的“卯山仙茶”。从唐朝开始，在松阳的每处驿站、凉亭、村口、寺庙、道观，即使再偏远再破败的小庙门口，按照规矩少不了一只木桶，或者是一口陶缸，里面装满了酽酽的浓茶。风尘仆仆的路人揭开木盖，用竹筒舀着饮用，守着茶缸休息片刻，卸去燥热和疲倦后可继续赶路。叶法善的良苦用心收到了效果，一代代的松阳人如同传递接力棒，在全县各地施茶，逐渐形成松阳施茶的传统。安宁亭、洞阳亭、甘露亭等数十个茶亭成为地名或者依旧顽强地挺立着。凉亭修缮和施茶资金主要来自社会捐助和民众集资，俗称“茶谷”或者“茶水粮”，即使再穷的人家也会交上自己的那份子。
叶法善一方面将高雅的道家茶文化推向上流社会，另一方面也将饮茶习惯向松阳普通百姓普及，春秋一盏温茶滋补，夏天一碗凉茶清肺，冬天一杯热茶养胃。松阳人性情温顺，勤恳简朴，吃苦耐劳，这些性格的养成与长期饮茶的习惯是分不开的。
千年积淀，成就中国名茶之乡
卯山路口，竖立着一块松阳地图的标示牌，图上标明“卯山国家森林公园”的方位及面积。从地形上看，松阳县仿佛一张叶子，现实中松阳闻名于世的也是三张叶子：茶叶，桑叶，烟叶。如今，桑叶和烟叶已经悄然淡出了视野，惟有茶叶承接着历史光华，至今馥郁如初。
松阳建县于公元199年，距今已有1800多年的历史，茶的历史无疑更加久远。早先越人采茶为药，汉代开始种茶，三国茶叶进入市场流通，唐宋时茶产业已经相当成熟，明成化年间松阳茶成为贡茶，明朝以后茶业成为松阳税收重心，民国时松阳成为浙江规模最大的产茶县之一，松阳茶叶获得首届西湖博览会一等奖。现在的松阳依然处在中国产茶核心区域，身处名茶包围的松阳，依靠独特的地理优势、传统的历史积淀和先进的种植制作技术突围而出，开创了一条自己的路子。2011年，松阳已有茶园11.3万亩，茶产量1万吨，茶叶产值8.08亿元；“浙南茶叶市场”茶叶交易量达5.59万吨，交易额接近26亿元，成为浙江省最大的茶叶交易市场。
10万农民从事茶产业，他们运用传统的栽培方法，结合现代的标准化加工技术，种植、培育、生产、加工技术已经与国际接轨，“银猴”、“碧云天”、“观音露”、“福运天”、“松阳山兰”、“玉峰”、“绿谷青帝”等一个个知名品牌应运而生。在历届茶博会中，松阳茶23次获得金奖。茶叶成为松阳最具影响力的名片，松阳成为“中国绿茶集散地”、“中国绿茶价格指数发布地”，被誉为“全国重点产茶县”、“全国十大特色产茶县”、“中国茶产业发展示范县”、“中国名茶之乡”、“中国茶文化之乡”。叶法善对乡人的福泽以茶的形式得到了兑现，这些林林总总的名茶，它们的底色均来自那清爽醇香的唐朝“卯山仙茶”。□
Taoist Master and Tea in Songyang County
By Lu Xiaomin
Songyang is a rural county landlocked in mountains in the south of Zhejiang Prov-ince. In history, the agricultural county was famed for tea, mulberry, and tobacco. Now-adays, tea is a pillar industry of the county’s agriculture. More than 100,000 farmers work the tea plantations across Songyang’s mountains and the tea output amounts to 10,000 tons a year. In the Southern Zhejiang Tea Market, the province’s largest tea trade powerhouse located in Songyang, 55,900 tons of tea and 2.6 billion yuan change hands a year.
Songyang owes its flourishing tea pro-duction and trade to Ye Fashan (616-720), a Taoist master who cultivated his energy and explored Taoist perfection at Mount Maoshan in Songyang County in the early years of the Tang Dynasty (618-906). Tao-ism had run in his family before him and it has been running in the family since him in Songyang County. His great great grand-father, great grandfather, grandfather, and father were all Taoists and they lived long enough to allow people to think the family must have had some longevity secrets.
A prominent figure in his lifetime, Ye Fashan was considered more than a Taoist master. He was regarded as an immortal, a doctor, and a tea master. He tamed wild tea and set up the first tea plantation in the county. The homemade beverage was known as Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan. Ye Fashan became so well known that Em-peror Gaozong (628-683) summoned him to Chang’an, the capital of the central empire. The master brought a basket of Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan to the court.
The master lived to the age of 105 years, long enough to serve five emperors of the Tang Dynasty. The tea became the health beverage of the royal house and Songyang in the remote wilderness of Zhejiang be-came known as a tea production place. He was appointed abbot of Jinglong Taoist Temple in the capital. He was granted the title of dukedom. Zhang Daolin (34-156), the founding father of Taoism as a religion in the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), was also granted a title of dukedom. They were both Taoists and they were the only two re-ligious masters ever honored this way by a royal house in the Chinese history.
Ye Fashan established a teahouse in the capital to entertain his royal guests. The Taoist teahouse was an organization com-posed of tea waiters and a band. Ye invent-ed a whole series of ceremonies to serve tea and provide entertainment of religious magnitude.
The Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan enjoyed popularity because of Ye Fashan. In the spring, some Taoists from Jinglong Taoist Temple came all the way to Mount Maoshan to supervise the production. After all the tea was packed, a caravan of horses carried the tea and traveled all the way from Songyang to Chang’an. The travel was more than 1,000 kilometers. The quantity of Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan during the Tang was low, the largest proportion be-ing consumed by the royal house and given away as gifts. What remained was distrib-uted among the high-society people.
Ye Fashan is considered the very symbol of tea of Songyang. Locally, he is known as god of tea. He invented a series of tech-niques for tea processing. Ye processed tealeaves by baking them in a wok while other regions across the country steamed tealeaves. In ancient times, tea brewing was different from what it is today. Powdered tealeaves or tea bricks were boiled in a ket-tle before tea was poured into teacups. Ye brew tea differently. He put dried tealeaves into a cup and then pour boiled water in the cup. It was not until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that Ye’s method was widely adopted. Most of us use this brewing method today. In other words, Ye was about 700 years ahead of the rest of the country to process tealeaves and brew tea differently.
Ye’s impact on Songyang is more than tea. What he created and left to the people in the county is more than a flourishing tea industry. The master’s footprints can be seen in various aspects of the local life: Taoism, custom, agriculture, medicine, health regime, music. Mount Maoshan is what is left by an ancient volcano. Today, a Taoist sanctuary sits quietly in the mount. Ye Luosheng, the 53rd-generation descend-ant of Ye Fashan, is abbot of the temple at Mount Maoshan. In his youth, he studied Taoism for many years at Dragon and Tiger Mountain, the sacred place of Taoism, in Jiangxi Province before he came back and assumed the abbotship at the local temple. Many sites at Mount Maoshan go back to the Tang Dynasty. However, the tea bushes, first cultivated by Ye Fashan, are nowhere to be seen at the mount today.
The master was a kind-hearted man. When a pestilence broke out in the county, he placed many a large pottery urn in front of the temple and by major roads and filled them with an herbal oral solution for people to take free of charge. After the pestilence, the large urns became containers of tea for passersby. From the Tang dynasty on, travelers in Songyang could always get tea drinks from a wooden tub free of charge at post houses, temples, village entrances, and roadside pavilions. A wooden tub had a cover and a bamboo ladle and tea was pre-pared every day for travelers. Some people do not believe the tea hospitality provided Songyang residents, but dozens of local place names retain the word pavilion (亭) and many roadside pavilions can still be seen in Songyang today. These roadside pa-vilions and free tea were made possible by donations from the public. □
卯山仙茶，唐宫中的养生茶
正宗的“卯山仙茶”当然还要去卯山品尝，接待我的是卯山“天师殿”一位中年道长，青衣布鞋，脸上藏敛着无数沧桑。闲聊中得知他的俗名叫叶罗生，系叶法善第53世孙，年轻时在江西龙虎山修炼多年，后回“天师殿”担任住持。
叶道长将一只蓝花碗端到我的面前，碗里铺着一层茶干。道长提起茶壶，白腾腾的沸水洒进碗里，茶干在沸水中翻滚、旋转、开放、舒展，并在沸水的冲劲下呼呼地发出了嫩绿的芽儿来，一会儿工夫香气丝丝飘逸而出，春潮涨满碗口。久闻其名的“卯山仙茶”就在面前，深吸一口气，袅袅清香进入了五脏六腑。细细地啜了一口，苦涩，性烈，携着草木的狂野，带着锋利的棱角，我疑惑地看着这盏茶，不由地皱了皱眉头。
道长读懂了我的心思，他解释道：“这茶是实实在在的无公害无污染的有机茶。施主如果喝不惯，可以将第一道茶水倒去，第二道一定回味无穷。”依照道长所说，再斟了一碗，一口一口地慢慢品味，茶汁在嘴唇上咂着，果然味道刚柔相济，苦中藏甘，隐约带着一股豪气。冲过几道水，那碗卯山茶依旧浓酽，芳香如初。
端着一碗添得满满的茶水，与道长聊聊茶事，抬头满眼峰峦，低头山野气象。再细细地端详着这碗茶，一张鹤发童颜的面影浮现出来……
那是唐代一个薄雾初开的清晨，叶法善踏进了长松山的深山老林，肩上扛着一把锄头，身上斜斜地挎着一只竹篓，他仔细地在野草灌木中搜寻着。突然，一种熟悉的香气扑鼻而来，一株叶子形如雀舌的草木进入了视线，那是一株上好的野茶！他赶紧挽起袖子，小心翼翼地将它挖出放进了竹篓。他已经不记得这是第几次进山，终于找到了这株梦寐以求的野茶。其后，又陆续找到十几株一样的野茶，将它们移植到卯山。叶法善将野茶培育改良成茶中极品，就是后来被大书特书的“卯山仙茶”。史料记载：“卯山仙茶竹叶形，深绿色，茶水色清、味醇。”
叶法善被时人誉为“道中宗师，人中神仙，医中华佗，茶中圣手”，在唐显庆年间已经名满天下。最让人津津乐道的是他们家族的长寿，世居卯山的叶法善享年105岁，他的家族先后出现了三位年过百岁的高寿之人，五代平均年龄超过了80岁，成为“人瑞”家族。在古代，超长寿往往预示着非人间的力量，这是叶法善备受推崇的原因之一。唐高宗为求长生之道，盛情邀请叶法善入宫，进入国家最高道观景龙观担任住持。唐王朝对叶法善的信任和恩宠可谓是空前的，他前后侍奉了高宗、武则天、中宗、睿宗、玄宗五代皇帝，他和张道陵是历史上仅有的封公的宗教人士。叶法善在朝廷的另一个身份是皇帝的养生医生，因为叶法善的长寿，他的饮食习惯受到了皇室的效仿，品茗“卯山仙茶”也成为皇家的一种时尚。
叶法善根据道家教义制定了茶道，都城长安景龙观中设有“茶堂”，专门招待皇室成员品茶，有侍茶的“茶班”，“茶班”中的道士分工明确，有“茶头”和“施茶道人”，甚至还有一支道家乐队，在宾客品茶的时候演奏道教乐曲助兴。扫地焚香，烹茶洗砚，道音绕梁，品茶论道，以茶悟道，叶法善使得普通的品茶变成了由俗入道的神圣仪式，将品茶者由俗世引入宗教的神秘境界，让人产生无限的遐想。
“卯山仙茶”因叶法善而变得炙手可热，每到开春时节，景龙观道士进驻卯山，严格管理卯山茶的采摘、制作、运送，一箱箱茶叶驮在马背上翻山越岭离开卯山向长安进发。“卯山仙茶”产量很低，皇家御用和朝廷赏赐占去大半，留在民间的少之又少，家有“卯山仙茶”成为上流社会身份尊贵的标志。
今天的卯山依旧茶叶飘香，整座山蛰伏在抽枝的芽头下，通体碧绿，形状如同一只倒扣的青瓷茶碗，让人无法想象这只茶碗亿万年前曾经是愤怒的火山口。卯山上留下很多关于叶法善的遗迹，比如通天观遗址、天师殿、试剑石、丹井、重修的御碑亭……但是追踪不到当年的那些茶树。叶道长说，“卯山仙茶”成为贡品后，茶种在松阳广为传播，可以说，今天名闻遐迩的松阳茶，追根溯源就是“卯山仙茶”的品种，“卯山仙茶”已经成为一切松阳茶的代称。
叶法善，松阳茶文化的代表
没有任何一个松阳人能够像叶法善一样，因其显赫的道行和德行对地方文化产生如此深远的影响。松阳很多事物都与他有关，宗教、习俗、农事、医药、养生、茶叶、道教、音乐等等，特别是他因对松阳茶的再造之功而被尊为松阳的“茶神”。
作为一个出色的农艺专家，叶法善的制茶技术达到了一个高度。在全国绝大多数地方还采用蒸青茶的制茶技术的时候，他已经采用了炒青茶技术，以“卯山仙茶”为代表的种茶炒制技艺，代代传承至今，为松阳今天茶产业的兴盛奠定了基础。古代喝茶与今天有些不一样，将茶叶末或者是茶砖碎块放入茶壶中煮沸后，洒入茶盏中饮用，到了明代才普及茶干冲泡喝茶的模式。而早在唐代的叶法善，已经开始使用茶干泡茶，这究竟是他的发明创造还是由他带入到松阳已经不得而知。茶砖和茶干一字之差，制作茶砖的工艺相对复杂，而且费工费时；茶干更好地保存了茶叶的原汁原味和自然香气，泡出来的茶水亮泽、清新，更好地保存了茶叶美观的外形，味道更加可口。由于叶法善的大力推动，松阳制茶技术超前全国整体水平七百年的历史，茶叶也发展成为松阳农业的特色产业。
叶法善的乐善好施深远地影响了松阳人，热心于公益事业也形成了独具特色的松阳茶文化。相传，叶法善为了驱除发生在松阳的瘟疫，在道观门口和一些路口摆放着一口陶缸，泡一缸他配制的中药茶，供给百姓饮用。瘟疫过后，那一口口陶缸中盛满了叶法善培植的“卯山仙茶”。从唐朝开始，在松阳的每处驿站、凉亭、村口、寺庙、道观，即使再偏远再破败的小庙门口，按照规矩少不了一只木桶，或者是一口陶缸，里面装满了酽酽的浓茶。风尘仆仆的路人揭开木盖，用竹筒舀着饮用，守着茶缸休息片刻，卸去燥热和疲倦后可继续赶路。叶法善的良苦用心收到了效果，一代代的松阳人如同传递接力棒，在全县各地施茶，逐渐形成松阳施茶的传统。安宁亭、洞阳亭、甘露亭等数十个茶亭成为地名或者依旧顽强地挺立着。凉亭修缮和施茶资金主要来自社会捐助和民众集资，俗称“茶谷”或者“茶水粮”，即使再穷的人家也会交上自己的那份子。
叶法善一方面将高雅的道家茶文化推向上流社会，另一方面也将饮茶习惯向松阳普通百姓普及，春秋一盏温茶滋补，夏天一碗凉茶清肺，冬天一杯热茶养胃。松阳人性情温顺，勤恳简朴，吃苦耐劳，这些性格的养成与长期饮茶的习惯是分不开的。
千年积淀，成就中国名茶之乡
卯山路口，竖立着一块松阳地图的标示牌，图上标明“卯山国家森林公园”的方位及面积。从地形上看，松阳县仿佛一张叶子，现实中松阳闻名于世的也是三张叶子：茶叶，桑叶，烟叶。如今，桑叶和烟叶已经悄然淡出了视野，惟有茶叶承接着历史光华，至今馥郁如初。
松阳建县于公元199年，距今已有1800多年的历史，茶的历史无疑更加久远。早先越人采茶为药，汉代开始种茶，三国茶叶进入市场流通，唐宋时茶产业已经相当成熟，明成化年间松阳茶成为贡茶，明朝以后茶业成为松阳税收重心，民国时松阳成为浙江规模最大的产茶县之一，松阳茶叶获得首届西湖博览会一等奖。现在的松阳依然处在中国产茶核心区域，身处名茶包围的松阳，依靠独特的地理优势、传统的历史积淀和先进的种植制作技术突围而出，开创了一条自己的路子。2011年，松阳已有茶园11.3万亩，茶产量1万吨，茶叶产值8.08亿元；“浙南茶叶市场”茶叶交易量达5.59万吨，交易额接近26亿元，成为浙江省最大的茶叶交易市场。
10万农民从事茶产业，他们运用传统的栽培方法，结合现代的标准化加工技术，种植、培育、生产、加工技术已经与国际接轨，“银猴”、“碧云天”、“观音露”、“福运天”、“松阳山兰”、“玉峰”、“绿谷青帝”等一个个知名品牌应运而生。在历届茶博会中，松阳茶23次获得金奖。茶叶成为松阳最具影响力的名片，松阳成为“中国绿茶集散地”、“中国绿茶价格指数发布地”，被誉为“全国重点产茶县”、“全国十大特色产茶县”、“中国茶产业发展示范县”、“中国名茶之乡”、“中国茶文化之乡”。叶法善对乡人的福泽以茶的形式得到了兑现，这些林林总总的名茶，它们的底色均来自那清爽醇香的唐朝“卯山仙茶”。□
Taoist Master and Tea in Songyang County
By Lu Xiaomin
Songyang is a rural county landlocked in mountains in the south of Zhejiang Prov-ince. In history, the agricultural county was famed for tea, mulberry, and tobacco. Now-adays, tea is a pillar industry of the county’s agriculture. More than 100,000 farmers work the tea plantations across Songyang’s mountains and the tea output amounts to 10,000 tons a year. In the Southern Zhejiang Tea Market, the province’s largest tea trade powerhouse located in Songyang, 55,900 tons of tea and 2.6 billion yuan change hands a year.
Songyang owes its flourishing tea pro-duction and trade to Ye Fashan (616-720), a Taoist master who cultivated his energy and explored Taoist perfection at Mount Maoshan in Songyang County in the early years of the Tang Dynasty (618-906). Tao-ism had run in his family before him and it has been running in the family since him in Songyang County. His great great grand-father, great grandfather, grandfather, and father were all Taoists and they lived long enough to allow people to think the family must have had some longevity secrets.
A prominent figure in his lifetime, Ye Fashan was considered more than a Taoist master. He was regarded as an immortal, a doctor, and a tea master. He tamed wild tea and set up the first tea plantation in the county. The homemade beverage was known as Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan. Ye Fashan became so well known that Em-peror Gaozong (628-683) summoned him to Chang’an, the capital of the central empire. The master brought a basket of Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan to the court.
The master lived to the age of 105 years, long enough to serve five emperors of the Tang Dynasty. The tea became the health beverage of the royal house and Songyang in the remote wilderness of Zhejiang be-came known as a tea production place. He was appointed abbot of Jinglong Taoist Temple in the capital. He was granted the title of dukedom. Zhang Daolin (34-156), the founding father of Taoism as a religion in the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), was also granted a title of dukedom. They were both Taoists and they were the only two re-ligious masters ever honored this way by a royal house in the Chinese history.
Ye Fashan established a teahouse in the capital to entertain his royal guests. The Taoist teahouse was an organization com-posed of tea waiters and a band. Ye invent-ed a whole series of ceremonies to serve tea and provide entertainment of religious magnitude.
The Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan enjoyed popularity because of Ye Fashan. In the spring, some Taoists from Jinglong Taoist Temple came all the way to Mount Maoshan to supervise the production. After all the tea was packed, a caravan of horses carried the tea and traveled all the way from Songyang to Chang’an. The travel was more than 1,000 kilometers. The quantity of Immortal Tea of Mount Maoshan during the Tang was low, the largest proportion be-ing consumed by the royal house and given away as gifts. What remained was distrib-uted among the high-society people.
Ye Fashan is considered the very symbol of tea of Songyang. Locally, he is known as god of tea. He invented a series of tech-niques for tea processing. Ye processed tealeaves by baking them in a wok while other regions across the country steamed tealeaves. In ancient times, tea brewing was different from what it is today. Powdered tealeaves or tea bricks were boiled in a ket-tle before tea was poured into teacups. Ye brew tea differently. He put dried tealeaves into a cup and then pour boiled water in the cup. It was not until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that Ye’s method was widely adopted. Most of us use this brewing method today. In other words, Ye was about 700 years ahead of the rest of the country to process tealeaves and brew tea differently.
Ye’s impact on Songyang is more than tea. What he created and left to the people in the county is more than a flourishing tea industry. The master’s footprints can be seen in various aspects of the local life: Taoism, custom, agriculture, medicine, health regime, music. Mount Maoshan is what is left by an ancient volcano. Today, a Taoist sanctuary sits quietly in the mount. Ye Luosheng, the 53rd-generation descend-ant of Ye Fashan, is abbot of the temple at Mount Maoshan. In his youth, he studied Taoism for many years at Dragon and Tiger Mountain, the sacred place of Taoism, in Jiangxi Province before he came back and assumed the abbotship at the local temple. Many sites at Mount Maoshan go back to the Tang Dynasty. However, the tea bushes, first cultivated by Ye Fashan, are nowhere to be seen at the mount today.
The master was a kind-hearted man. When a pestilence broke out in the county, he placed many a large pottery urn in front of the temple and by major roads and filled them with an herbal oral solution for people to take free of charge. After the pestilence, the large urns became containers of tea for passersby. From the Tang dynasty on, travelers in Songyang could always get tea drinks from a wooden tub free of charge at post houses, temples, village entrances, and roadside pavilions. A wooden tub had a cover and a bamboo ladle and tea was pre-pared every day for travelers. Some people do not believe the tea hospitality provided Songyang residents, but dozens of local place names retain the word pavilion (亭) and many roadside pavilions can still be seen in Songyang today. These roadside pa-vilions and free tea were made possible by donations from the public. □