Liquid Jade

Traveling from East to West over thousands of years, tea has played a variety of roles on the world scene – in medicine, politics, the arts, culture, and religion. Behind this most serene of beverages, idolized by poets and revered in spiritual practices, lie stories of treachery, violence, smuggling, drug trade, international espionage, slavery, and revolution. Liquid Jade's rich narrative history explores tea in all its social and cultural aspects. Entertaining yet informative and extensively researched, Liquid Jade tells the story of western greed and eastern bliss. China first used tea as a remedy. Taoists celebrated tea as the elixir of immortality. Buddhist Japan developed a whole body of practices around tea as a spiritual path. Then came the traumatic encounter of the refined Eastern cultures with the first Western merchants, the trade wars, the emergence of the ubiquitous English East India Company. Scottish spies crisscrossed China to steal the secrets of tea production. An army of smugglers made fortunes with tea deliveries in the dead of night. In the name of "free trade" the English imported opium to China in exchange for tea. The exploding tea industry in the eighteenth century reinforced the practice of slavery in the sugar plantations. And one of the reasons why tea became popular in the first place is that it helped sober up the English, who were virtually drowning in alcohol. During the nineteenth century, the massive consumption of tea in England also led to the development of the large tea plantation system in colonial India – a story of success for British Empire tea and of untold misery for generations of tea workers. Liquid Jade also depicts tea's beauty and delights, not only with myths about the beginnings of tea or the lovers' legend in the familiar blue-and-white porcelain willow pattern, but also with a rich and varied selection of works of art and historical photographs, which form a rare and comprehensive visual tea record. The book includes engaging and lesser-known topics, including the exclusion of women from seventeenth-century tea houses or the importance of water for tea, and answers such questions as: "What does a tea taster do?" "How much caffeine is there in tea?" "What is fair trade tea?" and "What is the difference between black, red, yellow, green, or white tea?" Connecting past and present and spanning five thousand years, Beatrice Hohenegger's captivating and multilayered account of tea will enhance the experience of a steaming "cuppa" for tea lovers the world over.

Tao is The Way. Tao is the source of all universes. Tao is the principles and laws of all universes. In the sixth book of the Soul Power Series, New York Times bestselling author Master Zhi Gang Sha shares the essence of ancient teachings of Tao and reveals a new Tao text for the twenty-first century that he received directly from the Divine. These new divine teachings reveal how Tao exists in every aspect of life, from waking to sleeping to eating and more. Master Sha explains how Tao uses the processes of normal creation and reverse creation for all life. He also shares advanced soul wisdom and practical approaches for reaching Tao. In this process, healing, rejuvenation, and life transformation occur. In contrast to the ancient Taoist wisdom, knowledge, and practices, the new sacred teaching in this book is extremely simple, practical, and profound. Studying and practicing Tao has many great benefits, including the ability to: • heal yourself and others, as well as humanity, Mother Earth, and all universes • return from old age to the health and purity of a baby • prolong life Enter the realm of Tao with Master Sha. Your life will be transformed.

The ancient cultivators of great powers, once they thought of becoming demons, and once they thought of becoming buddhas, there were also experts of the martial way that broke through the void. They were the only ones who had the right to do so. In chaotic times, geniuses would rise to prominence. The imperial government, sects, aristocratic families, and foreign races would battle with each other for karmic luck. Who could emerge from the masses and become a true dragon, reaching the peak of perfection? Like this book... 

There’s a vibrant source of energy that fuels the universe, and it’s available for you to use to meet any physical or mental challenge. That energy is chi, and you can harness its power through the exacting yet simple methods of breath control and movement known as Chi Kung. Stop feeling rundown and spiritless. Through conscious interaction with this universal energy, you can revitalize your immune system and store up reserves of strength. Chi Kung for Beginners takes you progressively through the exercises: the preparatory stages; meridian-clearing techniques; mediation techniques; body movements; and advanced techniques of focusing, storing, redirecting, and extending chi from your body.

In this golden age, the monks had gradually disappeared from the eyes of the world, leaving behind only a few legends.In order to trace the traces of the Dao, he walked on this marvelous road by himself. Along with his tracks, all kinds of monks and all kinds of mystical abilities gradually appeared before his eyes ...

Ancient China collides with newfangled America in this epic tale of opium smugglers, sea pirates, and dueling clipper ships. Brilliantly illuminating one of the least-understood areas of American history, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin now traces our fraught relationship with China back to its roots: the unforgiving nineteenth-century seas that separated a brash, rising naval power from a battered ancient empire. It is a prescient fable for our time, one that surprisingly continues to shed light on our modern relationship with China. Indeed, the furious trade in furs, opium, and beche-de-mer—a rare sea cucumber delicacy—might have catalyzed America’s emerging economy, but it also sparked an ecological and human rights catastrophe of such epic proportions that the reverberations can still be felt today. Peopled with fascinating characters—from the “Financier of the Revolution” Robert Morris to the Chinese emperor Qianlong, who considered foreigners inferior beings—this page-turning saga of pirates and politicians, coolies and concubines becomes a must-read for any fan of Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower or Mark Kurlansky’s Cod.

The mountain village teenager obtained a talisman book and embarked on the road of cultivation. Relying on his strong determination, he subdued the Gui Demon and subdued the Female Ghost, and also obtained rewards in the process of exterminating demons and devils. His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching heights that ordinary people would not be able to reach in the short span of a few years. In the end, he even entered a Minor World and obtained a ten-thousand-year treasure. He established his own power and became the number one figure in the Immortal Cultivation World.

Millions of people are searching for secrets,wisdom, knowledge, and practical techniques to heal, rejuvenate, prolong life, and move toward immortality. The way to accomplish all of these is to reach and meld with Tao. This book, the successor to Tao I: The Way of All Life, reveals the highest secrets and most powerful practical techniques for the Tao journey, which includes one’s physical healing and rejuvenation journey and one’s entire spiritual journey. Its essence can be summarized in one sentence: Jin Dan Da Tao Xiu Lian is the way to heal, rejuvenate, prolong life, and move in the direction of immortality. Shou Yi Yan Jin Ye is the most important daily practice for reaching Tao. “Shou yi” means focus on the Jin Dan area below the navel. “Yan jin ye” means swallow Heaven’s sacred liquid and Mother Earth’s sacred liquid. Tao II: The Way of Healing, Rejuvenation, Longevity, and Immortality explains the significance of this highest secret and exactly how to do it. It gives you the sacred key for your whole life’s practice and shares two hundred and twenty sacred phrases that include not only profound sacred wisdom but also additional simple and practical techniques. Practice. Practice. Practice. Reach fan lao huan tong, which is to transform old age to the health and purity of the baby state. Prolong life. The final goal is to reach immortality to be a better servant for humanity, Mother Earth, and all universes.