In my childhood, I remember seeing tea leaves that were mostly yellowish pale green, not so much the dark green color that we see now. I don't recall the use of agricultural chemicals of any kind back then. My first encounter with pesticides took place when I entered junior high school. It made such a vivid impression on me.
At the beginning of each spraying season, teachers would warn students to stay away from the tea-growing areas marked with red flags. Pesticides used in those days were so toxic that the sprayed areas became off-limits to us. We were told that although the chemicals were poisonous to humans, they would drive away many pests, thus improving the quality of the tea leaves. I still remember seeing farmers wearing head-to-toe protective gear while spraying the chemicals. Their bodies would be completely covered with white powder, and a foul odor would linger in the air.
After graduating from high school, it became my turn to don a mask and spray the chemicals. Dutifully following the Agricultural Co-op's guidelines for the concentration and usage of chemicals, year in and out I would spray the leaves wearing my protective coveralls, believing full well that using chemicals was a safe practice.
Scientists began publishing reports on the various health benefits of green tea, such as the anticancer effect, the prevention of arterial sclerosis, stroke, dental cavity, high blood pressure, and the de-acceleration of the aging process. I, on the other hand, began questioning the safety of green tea, given the massive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. "How could green tea grown in this way be good for one's health?" In fact, this question stemmed from my own experience.
In those days, I often felt inexplicably fatigued. The fatigue was intensified and prolonged during the spraying season. My wife would get sick just holding a spraying hose for me.
At first, we thought that we were just getting old. One particularly hot summer day, however, my wife suddenly fell ill while we were out spraying in the field. It was a shocking experience for me.
Around that time, I had the opportunity to visit with a farmer who was growing mandarin oranges and green tea without the use of chemicals. "Organic farming" was still an unfamiliar term and concept back then. Realizing that I could not be complacent about this, I decided to begin the process of converting my entire tea farm into an organic one that very year. I was quite uncertain whether or not my tea plants, which had been bombarded with chemicals for many years, would survive such a drastic change, but they did.
As I began experimenting with different materials and methodologies for organic farming, I noticed two important points. One was the necessity of understanding the biology of living organisms, and the other was developing the ability to forecast the weather, so that proper provisions could be made in advance.
I concentrated on nurturing all living creatures and microbes in the soil, as well as restoring the natural vigor of the tissue cells in the tea leaves. The key point in the organic fertilizing process is not so much the nourishing of the plants as it is about properly feeding the microbes in the soil.
It is such an easy, straightforward approach and one that operates at the very heart of any kind of farming. It took me, however, more than a decade to realize this principle and to master the requisite techniques.
Tea plants grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides produce a rich, green colored leaf. They look good on the surface, but their tissue cells are quite fragile and they easily fall prey to pests and weather changes. The inherent vitality of the plants and their ability to absorb "chi" or life force energies from the natural environment are diminished by the use of agricultural chemicals.
Since stopping the use of pesticides, I have not been nearly as fatigued as before. Our bodies, like the tissues of plants, can be devitalized through chemical exposure.
