[on composing his opera 'Tea: A Mirror of the Soul'] When I was in the southern regions of China, which of course is the home of tea, I had the opportunity to interview an eminent nun. She always presents to her first-time guests an empty tea bowl, and on such occasions she herself puts [one]to her lips, as if to drain it of its contents. In this very action her spiritual world view becomes vividly apparent. In 'The Book of Tea' itself, the author Lu Yu writes about water, wind, fire and earthenware. I wanted to assimilate all these elements into my work because they are all essential to the aesthetics of tea.