The Korean Way of Tea

Publisher description:

Tea drinking is now a global pastime and a delectable variety of teas are much sought after by connoisseurs worldwide. In this meditative volume to understanding, appreciating and serving Korean tea, authors Brother Anthony of Taizé and Hong Kyeong-hee share their intimate knowledge of a cultural practice and art form, that at its core embraces universal principles of peace, refinement, and simplicity. The Korean Way of Tea is a rich and inviting text, accompanied by full-color photographs of the beauty of Korea, her architecture, nature and people. This introductory guide is a welcome addition for anyone interested in tea and its extraordinary contribution to the Korean cultural tradition.

An Sonjae is the Korean name of Brother Anthony, who was born in 1942 in England. He is a member of the Community of Taizé. Since 1980, he has been living in Korea, teaching at Sogang University in Seoul. He has published 20 volumes of English translations of modern Korean literature, including 6 volumes of works by Ko Un, several volumes of poems by Ku Sang, and others of poems by Ch’on Sang-Pyong, Shin Kyong-Nim, Yi Si-Young and Kim Kwang-Kyu, as well as The Poet, a novel by Yi Mun-yol.

Hong Kyeong-hee was born in North Jeolla Province in 1957 and was first introduced to the practice of green tea during a stay at Geumsan-sa temple (near Gimje) in 1974. He enrolled in the Panyaro Institute for the Way of Tea in 1992 and studied the Hyodang tradition of the Zen of Tea under the guidance of its director, Won-Hwa Chae Jeong-bok. He graduated from the Institute in 2002 with the tea-name Hwachon. He now in turn instructs others in the Hyodang tradition, in the Hwachon section of the Panyaro Institute.