One of Lao Tzu's most famous sayings is, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be” 以其终不自为大，故能成其大. I understand this to mean that I will only achieve greatness by not considering myself to be great, regardless of how many accomplishments I have or how high a position I may hold. By emptying myself of pride and self righteousness, I let my achievements speak for themselves and focus on moving forward.   In today’s gospel reading, Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 19:45-48). He cast out the merchants who made the temple a “den of thieves,” after...

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After an arduous six-hour drive by SUV from Yichang, I arrived for my first visit to Baihe Village. Located in the heart of Caihua region that produces the exquisite Caihua Maojian green tea and Yihongcha black tea, the village lives out the tea culture that has been passed down for generations. At the same time, most of the villagers are Catholic, a living testament to the work of the Belgian Franciscans once active here.   The village elder, second to my left in the photo, was baptized by Belgian priests. He remarked how I was the first foreigner he has seen since...

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Putting my tea training to the test, I evaluated a range of black teas at Yihong Tea Company in Yidu. The owners and I went through the standard process: evaluating the dry leaf, aroma, liquor (liquid), taste, and wet leaf. We brewed three grams of each tea for three minutes in each of the tasting sets, using water boiled to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).    The teas had a variety of aromas and flavors, including cocoa, honey, molasses, and baked sweet potato. The liquor colors ranged from light amber to dark maple syrup. We also included some teas from other regions...

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In the Analects of Confucius, we read a discussion between Confucius and his student Yuan Xian about kindness and hatred. During the spring and autumn period of Chinese history, somewhere in the 400 BC range, Confucius was asked, "What do you think of returning good for evil?" Confucius replied with a rhetorical question, "If you do so, then what do you give in return for good?" He may have implied that to return good for evil is giving short shrift to acts of kindness.   To elaborate, Confucius went on to say what is considered to be the essence of...

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On my morning run around the Tsinghua University campus in Beijing this morning, I came across this Chinese flowering apple tree (haitang hua) at its peak. It's always inspiring to witness the spring bursting forth, a sign of renewal and new beginnings.

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