Shuipin 水品

Shuipin 水品 "A classification of (tea) waters" is a book on the quality of waters for cooking tea compiled during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Xu Xianzhong 徐獻忠 (1493–1569), courtesy name Bochen 伯臣, style Changgu 長谷. He hailed from Huating 華亭 (modern Songjiang 松江, Shanghai) and obtained the juren degree in 1525. His only post in the administration was that of district magistrate (zhixian 知縣) of Fenghua 奉化. Xu Xianzhong wrote the collections Baijia Tangshi 百家唐詩 (Tang shipin 唐詩品), Liuchao sheng'ou ji 六朝聲偶集, Jinshi wen 金石文, and Yuefu yuan 樂府原 (all books on poetry and rhapsodies) and the Wuxing zhanggu ji 吳興掌故集, a book on local stories of Wuxing, Jiangsu. Xu's collected writings are called Changgu ji 長谷集. His posthumous appellation was Zhenxian Xiansheng 貞憲先生. In the region of Wuxing, he was a famous scholar and was deemed one of "four worthies" (sixian 四賢), the others being He Liangjun 何良俊 (1506–1573), Dong Yiyang 董宜陽 (1511-1572), and Zhang Zhixiang 張之象 (1496–1577).

The preface of the Shuipin was written by Tian Tian Yiheng 田藝蘅 (1524–1591), author of the Zhuquan xiaopin 煮泉小品, and is dated 1554. The book consists of 2 juan. The first fascicle includes a general introduction to the topic and seven chapters explaining wells, purity, the course of water, sweetness, temperature, quality grades, and miscellaneous matters. The second juan, imitating the structure of the Jian chashui ji 煎茶水記, analyses of more than 40 particular waters of famous wells, creeks and ponds like the Shangchi Pond 上池水, the Cold Cave Wells of Mt. Jinshan 金山寒穴泉, the waterfalls of the Penwu Cliff 噴霧崖瀑, the wells of Mt. Xishan in Wanxian 萬縣西山包泉, the Heavenly Master Well in Yunyang 雲陽縣天師泉, the Flying Dragon Well in Yanting close to Tongchuan 潼川鹽亭縣飛龍泉, the Numinous Well in Suining 遂寧縣靈泉 or the Well of the Spiritual Power 神功泉 of Mt. Magu 麻姑山神功泉. In the sixth chapter, Xu Xianzhong assesses statements about waters by the old tea masters Lu Yu 陸羽 (733－804; Chajing 茶經) and Zhang Youxin 張又新 (fl. 814; Jian chashui ji) from the Tang period 唐 (618-907). In the seventh chapter he discusses Lu Yu's arguments for boiling water.

The Shuipin includes several contradictions in its statements about the qualities of several wells and sources, but overall, it is a valuable text on traditional Chinese interpretation of water qualities, and has influenced later writings on that topic.

Some versions of the book present its title as Shuipin quanzhi 水品全帙 "The whole case of (texts on) water quality", but it is unclear why this title was chosen. The Shuipin was presented to the compilers of the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 by the governor of Zhejiang, but was not included in this collection. Yet it is included in the series Xu Shuofu 續說郛, and Yimen guangdu 夷門廣牘 and found entrace into the series Chashu quanji 茶書全集.

A much earlier text called Shuipin is attributed to Lu Yu, author of the famous Chajing. It is quoted in Zhang Youxin's Jian chashui ji. Lu allegedly remarked that the waters of the region of Chu 楚 (central China) were the best and those of Jin 晉 (Shanxi) of the lowest quality. The title of the book is mentioned in two of Lu You's 陸游 (1125–1210) poems from the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279). Lu Yu's expertise on waters is also mentioned in Zhao Yanwei's 趙彥衛 (jinshi degree 1163) Yunlu manchao 雲麓漫鈔.