Understand the main categories of Chinese Tea ware culture to enrich knowledge for appreciation and learning by different audiences.
The tea ware in our country is varied, beautifully shaped, and possesses both practical value and artistic beauty. This is why it has been favored by tea lovers through the ages and is well-known both at home and abroad. In the history of tea drinking in China, whether it's tea-drinking customs or tea processing, many changes have taken place. As a specialized tool for drinking tea, there must also be a process of development and change.
Below, we will classify Chinese tea ware according to its material.
1. Earthenware Tea Ware
Chinese Tea Ware
The outstanding earthenware tea ware is Yixing purple clay tea ware, which rose to prominence as early as the Northern Song Dynasty and became an excellent type of tea ware with a unique style. Purple clay pots differ from ordinary earthenware in that they are unglazed inside and out and are made by kneading and firing local purple clay, red clay, and Tuan Shan clay. Because the clay is fired at high temperatures, the body is dense and fine, neither seeping nor completely impermeable, but able to absorb tea juice over time, preserving the flavor of the tea. It does not heat up quickly and is not hot to the touch. If tea is poured into it on a hot day, it will not easily turn sour. Even if subjected to extreme temperature changes, it will not crack. If necessary, it can even be placed directly on the stove to simmer. Purple clay tea ware also features simple and elegant shapes and a pure and ancient color palette, with forms resembling bamboo knots, lotus roots, pine segments, and imitations of ancient bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. According to “Taohexi Ke Yu,” Yixing (previously known as Yangxian) Porcelain Teapots became popular during the late Ming dynasty, and the best ones were valued as highly as gold and jade. The “Changwu Zhi” by Wen Zhenheng records that purple clay teapots are the best because they do not overpower the aroma and do not impart a boiled water taste.
It is said that when Su Shi, the great poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, lectured in Dushan, Jiangsu Province, he enjoyed drinking tea and designed a handle-lifted purple clay Teapot for brewing tea while traveling. This teapot was later called the “Dongpo Teapot” or “Handle-Lifted Teapot.” Su Shi wrote in his poem: “Silver bottle pouring oil floating ant wine, purple bowl floating dragon tea,” expressing his admiration for purple clay tea ware. However, from the perspective of clear textual records, purple clay tea ware was created during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty.
2. Porcelain Tea Ware
Chinese Tea Ware
Initially, tea ware in our country was mainly made of pottery. After the invention of porcelain, pottery tea ware was gradually replaced by porcelain tea ware. Porcelain tea ware can be further divided into white porcelain, blue porcelain, and black porcelain tea ware.
(1) White Porcelain Tea Ware: Characterized by dense, transparent clay, glazing, and high firing temperature, it is non-porous, has a clear ringing sound, and a long-lasting tone. Because of its pure white color, it can reflect the color of the tea soup, and its heat transfer and insulation properties are moderate. Moreover, it comes in various colors and shapes, making it a precious item among tea drinking utensils. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the white porcelain produced in Xing County, Hebei Province, was used by people of all social classes. Poet Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty even composed a poem praising the white porcelain tea bowls produced in Dayi, Sichuan. During the Yuan Dynasty, white porcelain tea ware from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, was exported overseas. Today, white porcelain tea ware has taken on a new look. This kind of white-glazed tea ware is suitable for brewing all kinds of tea. In addition, white porcelain tea ware is delicately crafted and decorated elegantly, often adorned with depictions of mountains, rivers, flowers, grasses, birds, animals, figures, stories, or calligraphy by famous people, which adds to its artistic appreciation value. Therefore, it is the most widely used.
White porcelain is most famous for Jingdezhen's ceramics, but tea ware from other places such as Liling in Hunan, Tangshan in Hebei, and Qimen in Anhui also have their own unique characteristics. Jingdezhen was originally named Changnan Town. In the third year of the Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng of the Northern Song Dynasty (1004 AD), he ordered the establishment of an imperial kiln in Changnan Town, Fuliang County, and changed the name of Changnan Town to Jingdezhen. By the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen's blue-and-white porcelain had become famous worldwide and was exported abroad.
(2) Blue Porcelain Tea Ware: The highest quality is produced in Zhejiang. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, blue porcelain with pure and translucent color was being produced. By the Jin Dynasty, kilns in Yue, Wu, and Ouyue in Zhejiang Province had reached a considerable scale. During the Song Dynasty, the blue porcelain tea ware produced by Ge Kiln in Longquan, Zhejiang, one of the five famous kilns at the time, reached its peak and was sold everywhere. In the Ming Dynasty, blue porcelain tea ware became renowned both domestically and internationally due to its delicate texture, dignified shape, bright green glaze, and elegant patterns. At the end of the 16th century, Longquan blue porcelain reached France and caused a sensation throughout France. People compared it to the beautiful green robe worn by the heroine Celadon in the then-popular European play “The Shepherdess,” referring to Longquan blue porcelain as “Celadon” and considering it a rare treasure. Today, blue porcelain tea ware from Longquan, Zhejiang, continues to develop, with new products constantly emerging. In addition to possessing the many advantages of porcelain tea ware, its green color makes it especially suitable for brewing green tea, enhancing the beauty of the tea soup. However, using it to brew black tea, white tea, yellow tea, and dark tea may detract from the natural appearance of these teas.
Blue Porcelain Tea Ware
Blue porcelain tea ware began developing in the Jin Dynasty. At that time, the main production area for blue porcelain was Zhejiang, where a spouted teapot known as “Ji Tou Liu Zi” was very popular. During the Song Dynasty, Ge Kiln in Longquan, one of the five famous kilns, reached its peak, producing various blue porcelain items, including teapots, tea cups, tea bowls, tea cups, and tea trays. The shores of the Ou River were bustling with activity, with numerous kilns clustered together, smoke rising from them, and ships shuttling back and forth, presenting a thriving scene.
(3) Black Porcelain Tea Ware: Originated in the late Tang Dynasty, reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, continued into the Yuan Dynasty, declined in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is because from the Song Dynasty onwards, the method of tea drinking changed from the Tang method of boiling tea to the method of pouring tea, and the popular tea-fighting competitions created conditions for the rise of black porcelain tea ware.
Black Porcelain Tea Ware
The Song people evaluated the results of tea-fighting based on two criteria: first, the color and uniformity of the tea foam, with “fresh