Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Thursday, August 18, 2005

Frog Spring


a buddy of mine sent this along to me, and from me, to you













From: http://www.yangtze.com/gallery/cave/frogsprg.html

At the foot of Fan Hill opposite Huangsang Cave in theXiling Gorge (threeGorges area), there was an enormous, oval-shaped rock which, viewed from mid-river, looks like a big frog, its tongue sticking out and its bulging eyes wide open. It was called Frog Rock.Far more famous is Frog Spring at the back of Frog Rock. It supplies clear, sweet water for brewing tea and wine.

The "Best ofTea", Lu Yu (733-804),famous tea expert of Tang Dynasty, was said to have tasted the Frog Springwater. Here is what he wrote about it in his Classic of Tea: "A huge rock protrudes from the foot of Fan Hill. In the shape of afrog, it hides a spring, which gives cold, clear water. People say that water from the Frog's mouth rates fourth in the country in making tea."Poems were written by many literary men in praise of the Frog Spring water, for instance... Ouyang Xiu("The Frog issues curtains of water, Which makes formellow wine."), and SuZhe ("Frog Spring water is not only good for tea, itis matchless for brewing wine."), all of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).