Sanhuang Wudi 三皇五帝 The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Yipian Shuye de Gushi 一片树叶的故事 The Story of a Leaf

Yuantou 源头 fountainhead, source



Li Yuan 李渊 Tang founder Tang Gaozu



Li Shimin 李世民 Son of Li Yuan and co-founder of the dynasty



Emperor Xuan 宣帝 Han Emperor Xuan

Wang Bao 王褒 Western Han individual involved in a contract for a servant

Wuyang 武阳 City on the Jiangxi-Fujian border, home of an ancient tea market

Jiangxi 江西 Province in Eastern China

Nanchang 南昌 Capital of Jiangxi Province

Cha 茶 Tea

Jia 槚 a former character for tea

Tu 荼 ancient name for tea

Chuan 荈 a former character for tea

She 蔎 a former character for tea

Ming 茗 a former character for tea



Lu Yu 陆羽 The tea saint, writer of the Cha Jing



Cha Jing 茶经 The Classic of Tea

Cha Sheng 茶圣 The Tea Saint, Lu Yu

Shen Nong 神农 The Divine Farmer, Shennong

Wugu Xiandi 五谷先帝 The Emperor of the Five Grains, another nickname of Shen Nong

Shen Nong Bencao Jing 神农本草经 Shen Nong’s Materia Medica or Herbal

Baicha 白茶 White tea or plain boiled water



Cha Lin 茶林 Village in Hunan where Shen Nong died

Zhangjiajie 张家界 Beautiful scenic area in northwest Hunan

Ren 人 person

Liang Shiqiu 梁实秋 One of China’s greatest lexicograpers of the 20th century. His 新實用漢英辭典 was my first and favorite dictionary going back to 1979.

Kucai 苦菜 Bitter vegetable

Shijing 诗经 The Book of Songs

Liji 礼记 The Book of Rites

Fujian 福建 Fujian province

Guangdong 广东 Guangdong province

Guangzhou 广州 Guangzhou, a.k.a Canton

Xiamen 厦门 Xiamen in Fujian

Fuzhou 福州 Fuzhou or Foochow as it was once called

Quanzhou 泉州 Coastal port city in Fujian

Shuowen Jiezi 说文解字 Han Dynasty Dictionary

Cun 村 Village

Chan Buddhism 禪 Zen Buddhism

Zhou Xin 紂辛 Also Di Xin, 帝辛, Infamous last king of the Shang Dynasty

Jiuchi Roulin 酒池肉林 The Wine Pool and Meat Forest

Chengdu 成都 Capital of Sichuan

Gan Lu Cha 甘露茶 Sweet Dew Tea, the famous tea of Mengding Shan

Wu Lizhen 吴里真 Buddhist Monk credited with the cultivation of tea on Mengding Shan.

Mengding Shan 蒙顶山 Mountain in Sichuan where tea cultivation began in China

Xian Cha 仙茶 The Tea of the Immortals, a.k.a. Gan Lu Tea from the seven original trees

Ya’an 雅安 City outside Chengdu famous for tea

Qionglai 邛崃 City outside Chengdu famous for tea

Sanguo Zhi 三国志 Record of the Three Kingdoms

Sun Hao 孙浩 Eastern Wu king known for his drunkeness

Wei Yao - Loyal official to Sun Hao

Sima Yan 司马炎 (also known as 晋武帝) Jin Dynasty founder

Jin 晋朝 The Jin Dynasty

Shang-Zhou-Han 商周汉 he three dynasties of Shang-Zhou Han

Luoyang 洛阳 One of China’s ancient capitals

Chang’an 长安 One of China’s ancient capitals (present day Xian)

Qin Shihuang 秦始皇 Qin dynasty founder

Er Ya 尔雅 The first dictionary in China

Guangya 广雅 An updated version of the Er Ya

Longjing 龙井 Village outside Hangzhou famous for Longjing, Dragon Well tea

Shu Guo 蜀国 The kingdom of Shu, present day Sichuan

Sanxingdui 三星堆 Neolithic ruins discovered outside Chengdu

Ba Shu 巴蜀 Ancient state from the Shu Kingdom

Zhou King Wu 周武王 Brother of the Duke of Zhou, conquering king

Haojing 镐京 Western Zhou Capital

Ying Zheng 嬴政 The future Qin Shihuang

Han Wudi 汉武帝 The great martial emperor of the Western Han

Liu Song 刘宋 1st dynasty in the south during the Nanbei Chao, 420-479

Wucheng 婺城 District of Jinhua in Zhejiang, Province

Nanbei Chao 南北朝 The Northern and Southern Dynasties

Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮 Great strategist and statesman of the 3 Kingdoms period

Yang Jian 杨暕 Second Sui emperor and grandson of founder Wendi



Sui Wendi 隋文帝 Founder of the Sui Dynasty