Tea ware is often referred to as the father of tea, for it carries the essence of a cup of tea. The word “China” itself also means porcelain, and the West came to know China through its porcelain. Early pottery, bronze wares, later porcelains, and teaware made from materials like purple clay and glass were all adapted to the social productivity levels and brewing methods of their times.
The complete set of gold and silver tea ware unearthed from the Famen Temple's underground palace from the Tang Dynasty is breathtaking (multiple types of tea ware can also be seen in the painting “Night Banquet in the Tang Palace”). During Emperor Huizong's reign, tea competitions included the use of tea ware as an essential element, and Jian bowls, necessary for the tea-whisking method, became popular. Three of the Jian bowls (also known as Tenmoku bowls) that were brought to Japan are now considered national treasures there. The five famous kilns that produced tea ware are also world-renowned.
The evolution of tea ware is a vast topic, but at its core, it cannot be separated from three words: “ceramics, technology, culture.” Today, we will explore the evolution of tea ware from two dimensions: material and time.
First, in terms of material, the main categories are pottery, porcelain, and purple clay, which lies between the two. There are also auxiliary tea wares made from materials like glass, wood, metal, and stone.
Second, looking at the timeline, before the Han Dynasty, there were no dedicated tea utensils; they were usually mixed with those used for eating and drinking. By the Han Dynasty, separate tea utensils began to appear, along with crude green porcelain, as evidenced by Wang Bao's mention of “preparing tea utensils” and “buying tea from Wuyang” in his work “The Bond Servant's Agreement.”
Entering the Tang Dynasty, due to social stability and economic prosperity, both the tea culture, represented by the works of the tea sage Lu Yu, and the porcelain-making techniques made significant advancements. Typical porcelains include celadon from Zhejiang's Longquan and white porcelain from Hebei's Ding Kiln. In “The Classic of Tea,” it states that “porcelain from Xing resembles silver, while that from Yue resembles jade,” and “if porcelain from Xing is like snow, then that from Yue is like ice,” referring to these examples.
During the Song Dynasty, tea-whisking and tea competitions became prevalent. As the quality of foam was a key criterion in tea-whisking, this led to the development of Jian bowls, which belong to the category of black porcelain. The five famous kilns often mentioned by modern people also refer to this era. Subsequently, blue-and-white porcelain emerged during the Yuan Dynasty, which had originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties but flourished under the Yuan. Unlike earlier porcelains, which tended to be monochromatic, the development of blue-and-white porcelain was largely due to advances in ceramic technology.
As history progresses, we reach the Ming Dynasty. With the transition from compressed tea cakes to loose leaf tea, the way tea was consumed underwent a significant change. At this time, green tea broth served in white porcelain vessels appeared fresh, elegant, and pleasing to the eye. This led to a trend favoring white porcelain, which in turn spurred its rapid development. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province became the national center for porcelain production. The porcelain from Jingdezhen was characterized by its whiteness, fineness, luster, and translucency, with the qualities of being “thin as paper, white as jade, resonant as a chime, and clear as a mirror.” Craftsmen created various types of colored porcelain and glazes, using them to produce small, finely crafted, and brightly colored tea utensils such as teapots, tea cups, and tea bowls. The variety increased greatly, enriching the artistic content of tea ware.
Another noteworthy aspect is Yixing purple clay tea ware. Its functionality complements the brewing of loose leaf tea, and its shapes are diverse and changeable, combining function with artistic appreciation, occupying a unique and important place in the tea ware system.
In the Qing Dynasty, influenced deeply by Han Chinese culture, elegance remained the dominant style. Thanks to the promotion by literati, purple clay tea ware and porcelain tea ware, especially those with lids, excelled.
In modern times, due to rapid advancements in science and technology, glass, which was once a luxury material known as “lustrous stone” in ancient times, became widely available and quickly became an integral part of the tea ware system.
In summary, the evolution of tea ware is guided by functional needs and driven by technological advancements and aesthetic preferences of each historical period.