The custom of making tea in Taohuayuan is a daily food etiquette custom of the local people. Taohuayuan tea is a kind of drinking food for daily use, which has the functions of dispelling cold, health care, beauty and prolonging life. It is also a must-have for entertaining guests. The custom of making tea in Taohuayuan County, Hunan Province, such as Taohuayuan, Jianshi, Cha'anpu and Xinglong Street, is spread in the Yuanshui River Basin. In 2008, the custom of making tea in Taoyuan County was identified as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list projects in Hunan Province. Taoyuan County Cultural Center is the main body of the protection of this project. Taohuayuan is located 15 kilometers southwest of Taoyuan County, located in the lower reaches of Yuanshui River. It belongs to the part of the Hunan-Jiangxi hills, located at the northeast end of the Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Mountain uplift belt, and ends at the southwest corner of the West Dongting Lake depression. Taohuayuan belongs to the subtropical monsoon humid climate zone, which is characterized by warm and humid, distinct four seasons, cold and rainy in spring; heavy rain and high temperature in summer; warm day and cool night in autumn; and rare severe cold in winter. The mountains create illusions, the water creates mazes, the mountains return and the water returns. This is the prototype of the illusion of avoiding Qin described in the wonderful article "Peach Blossom Spring" written by the Eastern Jin poet Tao Yuanming, and it is the authentic "paradise on earth" called by later generations. In order to dispel cold, keep warm, and maintain health and beauty, local people like to make and drink tea all year round. Historical allusions The origin of the custom of tea-leafing in Taohuayuan is said to have begun during the Jianwu period of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to the "Taoyuan County Chronicles": "Tea-leafing, tea, ginger, sesame, salt rice, and dogwood are mixed with yin and yang water to drink. It is also called Wuwei Soup. It is said that Ma Yuan made it to avoid malaria." "The Biography of Ma Yuan in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty" records: "When the heat was very hot, many soldiers died of epidemics, and Yuan also fell ill and became trapped." A local old woman offered her ancestral secret recipe "Sansheng Soup". After Ma Yuan ordered the whole army to drink it, the disease and epidemic were cured. The Jiajing Changde Prefecture Chronicles record: "Han Ma Yuan tried to pierce a stone hole to avoid the heat." All of them explain the incident of Ma Yuan coming here and getting sick. Tang Dynasty Du Shaoling's poem has "A song of Wuling reminds me of the southern expedition", and Bai Juyi has "The old road of Fubo is still there", which refers to the story of Ma Yuan's southern expedition to Wuxi barbarians and the route he took. When Fubo General Ma Yuan went to the south to fight against the "barbarians" of Wuxi, he stationed his troops in Wutou Village (now Taohuayuan). Nearby, there are still "Ma Yuan Stone Chamber" where he escaped from the summer heat and "Yingpanzhou" where he once set up his tent. His soldiers once suffered from plague, and the local people offered "Sansheng Soup" (i.e., pounded tea) to cure the plague for the soldiers. Therefore, there are many legends about pounded tea and the custom of entertaining guests with pounded tea in the Taohuayuan area, which has been passed down to this day. pounded tea is named because the raw material of tea is pounded. When making pounded tea, people sit on small stools with a ceramic pounding mortar larger than an ordinary steaming mortar in front of them. They hold a pounding stick three or four feet long in both hands and pound the pounded tea raw materials in the mortar in circles. Ingredients of pounded tea There are many varieties of pounded tea, and the recipes vary from place to place depending on the preferences. The main ingredients of Qingshui Lei Cha are tea leaves, ginger, sesame, soybeans, mung beans, salt, etc. Some places also put a small amount of rice. For example, Hu Hu Lei Cha only adds rice powder to the "foot", puts it into a pot, adds water and boils it into a paste, so it is commonly known as "drinking paste". The main ingredients are ginger, raw rice, and raw tea leaves, which is called "three raw soup", and the ones with dogwood and mung beans are called "five flavor soup"; the ones with rice (rice fried) as the main ingredient are called "Jianmi Lei Cha"; and there are also those with seven ingredients as Chinese medicine, called "Qibao Lei Cha" and so on. How to make Lei Cha When making Lei Cha, first put the raw materials in a mortar and pound them into a pulp with a wooden stick, which is called "Lei Cha foot". The wooden stick is mostly wild mountain pepper wood. Because the pestle made of wild mountain pepper wood can leave a light and lasting fragrance in the Lei Cha when it is used to pound, it can also prevent the "Lei Cha foot" from rotting for a long time. As time goes by, the varieties of Lei Cha increase day by day. In summary, there are two main categories, namely "clear water Lei Cha" and "mud Lei Cha". How to drink Lei Cha When making Lei Cha, first put an appropriate amount of "foot" in a bowl, then dissolve it with a little cold water, and then pour boiling water over it. If you pour it directly with boiling water, the residue will be residue and the soup will be soup, which will not look like Lei Cha. When drinking Lei Cha, some homemade side dishes of farmers are often placed on the table, called "pressing the table". These "pressing the table" are sour, sweet, salty and spicy, with all five flavors and unique flavor. Some Lei Cha has sugar, some has salt, or neither sugar nor salt. Such Lei Cha has a stronger original flavor. Lei Cha must be drunk while it is hot. It tastes spicy, fragrant, salty, or sweet. Its taste is endless and better than fine wine. The time to drink Lei Cha varies from place to place. Some people use it as lunch, some drink it between breakfast and lunch, and some eat it as a midnight snack during festive occasions. People drink leicha and eat "Yazhuo" while chatting and laughing, full of interest. The courtesy of drinking leicha. Drinking leicha has developed to the present day, and it has become a leicha party where relatives and friends gather and neighbors communicate. The elders are invited to sit, and everyone sits closely on the left and right. The guests are invited by the host, and some are invited by each other. Some are self-recommended and sit at will. Participants are from beginning to end, some are in the middle, and some leave in the middle. During the meal, everyone can choose the food they like the most, and add more after eating. The guests drink quickly, and the host pours frequently. The host will send the guests what they like. During the meal, there are even guests asking the host for more. The more people participate, the more lively the scene is. The host likes it the most, which not only shows that the host has high skills, the "Yazhuo" tastes good, but also shows that the host is popular. During the meal, some people ask each other about their well-being, some chat about the past and present, and some show that they drink leicha to their hearty and enjoyable. With strong family affection and friendship and harmonious neighborhood relations, Taohuayuan Lei Cha has become the favorite of Taoyuan people.