Porcelain tea sets

There are many varieties of porcelain tea sets, the main ones are: celadon tea sets, white porcelain tea sets, black porcelain tea sets and colored porcelain tea sets. These tea sets have played a glorious page in the history of the development of Chinese tea culture.

⑴ Celadon tea set

The quality produced in Zhejiang is the best. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, the production of pure, transparent and luminous celadon began. In the Jin Dynasty, the Yue Kiln, Wu Kiln and Ou Kiln in Zhejiang had reached considerable scale. In the Song Dynasty, the celadon tea sets produced by the Ge Kiln in Longquan, Zhejiang, one of the five famous kilns at that time, had reached their peak and were sold far away. In the Ming Dynasty, celadon tea sets were famous both at home and abroad for their delicate texture, dignified shape, green glaze, and elegant patterns. At the end of the 16th century, Longquan celadon was exported to France and caused a sensation throughout France. People compared it with the beautiful green robe of the heroine Xuelatong in the famous drama "The Shepherdess" that was popular in Europe at that time, and called Longquan celadon "Xuelatong". Considered a rare treasure. In contemporary times, Zhejiang Longquan celadon tea sets have made new developments, and new products are constantly coming out. In addition to having many advantages of porcelain tea sets, this kind of tea set is also more beneficial to the beauty of the color of the soup when used to brew green tea because of its green color. However, if you use it to brew black tea, white tea, yellow tea, and dark tea, the tea soup will easily lose its original color and seems to have shortcomings.

⑵ White porcelain tea set

It has the characteristics of dense and transparent base, high glazing and pottery fire, no water absorption, clear sound and long rhyme. Because of its pure white color, it can reflect the color of the tea soup, and has moderate heat transfer and heat preservation properties. In addition, it is colorful and has different shapes, so it can be called a treasure among tea drinking vessels. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the white porcelain utensils produced by Xing Kiln in Hebei Province were "commonly used by all nobles and humble people in the world." Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty also wrote a poem praising the white porcelain tea bowls produced in Dayi, Sichuan Province. In the Yuan Dynasty, white porcelain tea sets from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province were sold abroad. Nowadays, white porcelain tea sets have a completely new look. This white glaze tea set is suitable for brewing all kinds of tea. In addition, white porcelain tea sets are exquisitely shaped and elegantly decorated. The outer walls are often painted with mountains and rivers, flowers and plants of the four seasons, birds and animals, stories about people, or decorated with celebrity calligraphy. They are also of great artistic appreciation value, so they are the most commonly used.

⑶Black porcelain tea set

Black porcelain tea set began in the late Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, continued in the Yuan Dynasty, and declined in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is because tea drinking began in the Song Dynasty. The method

has gradually changed from the method of making tea in the Tang Dynasty to the method of ordering tea, and the popular tea fighting in the Song Dynasty created conditions for the rise of black porcelain tea sets.

When people in the Song Dynasty measured the effect of tea fighting, they first looked at the color and uniformity of the tea noodle soup flowers, with "fresh white" being the first; secondly, they looked at the presence and appearance of water marks at the junction of the tea noodles and tea cups. Sooner or later, "the lamp has no trace of water" is the best. Cai Xiang, who was serving as the envoy to the Third Secretary at that time, made it very clear in his "Tea Records":

"It is considered to be excellent if his complexion is bright and white, and there is no trace of water on the cup; Jian'an In the test, the one with the first water mark will be the loser, and the one with the longest durability will be the winner." As for the black porcelain tea set, as Zhu Mu of the Song Dynasty said in "Fang Yu Sheng Lan", "The tea is white, and the tea set is black. , its traces are easy to detect." Therefore, the black porcelain tea cups of the Song Dynasty became the largest variety of porcelain tea sets. Fujian Jian Kiln, Jiangxi Jizhou Kiln, Shanxi Yuci Kiln, etc. all produced black porcelain tea sets in large quantities and became the main producing areas of black porcelain tea sets. Among the kilns that make black porcelain tea sets, the "Jianzhan" produced by Jian Kiln is the most praised. Cai Xiang said this in "Tea Records":

"What was made in Jian'an... is the most useful. Those made in other places may be thin or purple in color, but they are not as good as those made in Jian'an." The formula of Jianzhan is unique. During the firing process, the glaze surface shows rabbit hair stripes, partridge spots, and sunbeam spots. Once the tea soup is poured into the cup, it can radiate colorful brilliance, adding to the interest of tea fighting. Since the Ming Dynasty, because the method of "cooking" was different from that of the Song Dynasty, the black porcelain jianzhan "seemed unfit for use" and was only used as a "preparation".

⑷ Colored porcelain tea sets

There are many varieties of colored tea sets, among which the blue and white porcelain tea sets are the most eye-catching. Blue and white porcelain tea sets actually refer to utensils that use cobalt oxide as a coloring agent to directly draw patterns on the porcelain body, then apply a layer of transparent glaze, and then reduce and fire it in a kiln at a high temperature of about 1300°C.

However, the understanding of "green" in the color of "blue and white" has been different in ancient and modern times. The ancients collectively called black, blue, cyan, green and other colors "green", so the meaning of "blue and white" is broader than today's people.

Its characteristics are:

The blue and white patterns complement each other, which is pleasing to the eye; the color is elegant and charming, and it is flashy but not

gorgeous. In addition, the glaze is applied on top of the colored material, which makes it look moist and bright, adding to the charm of the blue and white tea set.

It was not until the middle and late Yuan Dynasty that blue and white porcelain tea sets began to be mass-produced, especially Jingdezhen, which became the main production place of blue and white porcelain tea sets in my country. Due to the high level of painting craftsmanship of blue and white porcelain tea sets, especially the application of traditional Chinese painting techniques to porcelain, this can also be said to be a major achievement of Yuan Dynasty painting. After the Yuan Dynasty, in addition to the production of blue and white tea sets in Jingdezhen, a small amount of blue and white porcelain tea sets were also produced in Yuxi and Jianshui in Yunnan and Jiangshan in Zhejiang. However, no matter in terms of glaze color, texture, decoration, or painting techniques, they were not comparable to those produced in Jingdezhen during the same period. Compared with blue and white porcelain tea sets. In the Ming Dynasty, the blue and white porcelain tea sets produced in Jingdezhen, such as teapots, tea cups, and tea cups, were becoming more and more diverse in color and quality. They ranked first in the country in terms of shape, shape, and decoration, and became the first kiln to produce blue and white tea sets in Jingdezhen. The object of imitation in the Qing Dynasty, especially during the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, blue and white porcelain tea sets entered a historical peak in the history of ancient ceramic development. It surpassed the previous dynasties and influenced future generations. The blue and white porcelain fired during the Kangxi period is historically known as "the best in the Qing Dynasty".

Throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, due to the improvement of porcelain making technology, social and economic development, expansion of external exports, and changes in tea drinking methods, blue and white tea sets developed rapidly. At that time, in addition to the production of blue and white tea sets in Jingdezhen , the more influential ones include Ji'an and Leping in Jiangxi, Chaozhou, Jieyang and Boluo in Guangdong, Yuxi in Yunnan, Huili in Sichuan, Dehua and Anxi in Fujian and other places. In addition, there are many places across the country that produce "blue and white" tea sets, which are used for private tea drinking in certain areas.

Purple clay tea set

Purple clay tea set, developed from pottery, is a new type of pottery. It began in the Song Dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and has been passed down to this day. Mei Yao of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote in "Yi Yun and Du Xianggong thanked Cai Junmo for sending tea": "The cold spring in the small stone retains the morning flavor, and the new purple clay products are full of spring splendor." It talks about the rise of purple clay tea sets in the Northern Song Dynasty. As for who created the purple clay tea set, there is no way to verify it. . But according to the exact written records, the purple clay tea set was created during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty.

Today’s purple clay tea sets are made from a special kind of pottery clay, namely purple gold clay, buried in southern Yixing, Jiangsu and its adjacent northern Changxing, Zhejiang. This kind of clay has a high iron content and good plasticity. The appropriate firing temperature is about 1150 degrees Celsius. The color of the purple clay tea set can be made by taking advantage of the difference in color and texture of the purple clay. After "clearing" and "washing", it can appear in different colors. For example, the azure clay can be dark liver color, the honey clay can be light ocher color, and the stone clay can be made into a dark liver color. Yellow mud has a cinnabar color, pear skin mud has a frozen pear color, etc.; in addition, purple mud of different textures can also be blended to make it appear bronze, light ink and other colors. High-quality raw materials and natural color lay the material foundation for firing excellent purple clay tea sets.

The reason why Yixing purple clay tea sets are favored by tea people is not only that the tea sets have various styles, shapes, and cultural tastes, making them unique in the world of ancient tea sets, but also because of the texture of the tea sets. Suitable for making tea. Later generations said that purple clay tea has three major characteristics, that is, "the tea does not lose its flavor when brewed, the tea does not change color when stored, and the tea does not go rancid easily in the heat of summer."

Purple clay tea sets are a type of pottery tea sets. Its texture is dense and hard, with natural mud color, mostly purple sand, but also red sand and white sand. The fire temperature of pottery is 1100-1200 degrees Celsius, it has no water absorption and the sound is thick and long. It is cold and heat-resistant, makes tea without the smell of cooked soup, can maintain the authenticity and fragrance, and transfers heat slowly, and is not easy to burn your hands. Use it to stew tea and it will not burst. Therefore, there was a saying in history that "a pot weighs no more than two, and its price is twenty gold, which can make soil and gold compete for price." However, the only drawback is that due to color limitations, it is difficult to appreciate the beauty and color of the tea leaves.

At present, the quality of purple clay tea sets in my country is best produced in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, and is also produced in Changxing, Zhejiang Province, which is adjacent to it. Through the continuous innovation of tea people in the past dynasties, "the square shape is not the same, and the circles are not the same" is how people praise the shape of the purple sand tea sets. It is generally believed that a beautiful purple clay tea set must have three beauties, namely, beauty in shape, beauty in production and beauty in function. Only when all three are present can it be called a perfect work.

Muyu Stone Tea Set

Muyu Stone Tea Set

Muyu Stone is a very rare hollow stone, also known as "Tai Yi Yu Liang" and "Yu Yu Liang" , "Yellow Zi in the Stone", commonly known as "Resurrection Stone" and "Phoenix Egg", which symbolizes good luck and good luck, can protect all living beings, ward off evil and eliminate disasters, and has boundless power.

Muyu stones come in different sizes and shapes. Some of the cavities are ovoid, some are powdery, and some are liquid. When shaken by hand, they can make a pleasant sound. The ancients wrote a poem praising: "I have seen caves in mountains, but rarely heard of hollow stones. Although they are not pearls and jade, they are unique." Ancient literati used its hollow space as bowls and inkstones, and the color and flavor of the ink they contained remained unchanged for a long time.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that Muyu Stone is a rare Chinese medicinal material. Its nature is sweet, flat and non-toxic. It has the effect of calming the six internal organs and calming the five internal organs. Long-term use has strong strength, cold resistance, heat resistance, no hunger, and light weight. , the miraculous effect of prolonging life. Therefore, there is a saying about the Muyu Stone that "the person who gets it is destined to get it, but it is not lucky enough to get it". The person who gets it often does not tell the origin of it, which makes the stone worth a hundred times. After laboratory identification, Muyu Stone contains more than ten trace elements beneficial to the human body, including metasilicic acid, strontium, molybdenum, lithium, zinc, and selenium, and has strong health care and beauty effects.

Muyu stone tea sets refer to tea sets made of a whole piece of Muyu stone, mainly including teapots, wine bottles, bamboo cups, sleeve cups, cold water cups, tea tubes, etc. Soak the water in wooden fish stone utensils for two hours, and the content of dissolved trace elements and minerals in the water will reach the national mineral water limit indicators. Because the content of uranium and rare earth elements in Muyu stone is moderate, the tea set has good antisepsis and permeability. Even if you use it to make tea in the hot summer season, the tea will still be drinkable within five days without deterioration. Muyu Stone has a miraculous effect on wine. Tests by the Shandong Provincial Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Center have shown that using Muyu Stone utensils to hold wine (referring to liquor) for 24 hours can reduce the methanol content by 50%, the fusel oil content by more than 65%, and the alcohol content. constant. As long as any liquor is placed in the wooden fish stone wine set for 20 minutes, it will become soft, sweet and delicious, and the spicy and bitter taste will be significantly reduced, forming a clear difference from the wine served in other wine sets.

Historical records: Emperor Qianlong passed through Shandong when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. Local officials learned that Emperor Qianlong loved collecting various precious tea sets, so they paid tribute to Emperor Qianlong with a set of six wooden fish stone tea sets. Qianlong saw the tea sets The appearance is warm and smooth, and the fragrance of tea overflows after making tea. I was so impressed that I happily wrote the word "Qingyou" on this tea set and ordered the palace manufacturing office to engrave it on the body of the tea set. It was listed as a national first-class cultural relic. Now in the Palace Museum.

Lacquer tea sets

Lacquer tea sets began in the Qing Dynasty and were mainly produced in Fuzhou, Fujian. The lacquerware tea sets produced in Fuzhou are colorful, including "precious sand flash", "golden agate", "glazed gold wire", "antique porcelain", "carved and filled", "high carving" and "silver inlay". , especially after the creation of new techniques such as "red gold sand" and "dark flowers" that were as red as gems, they became more eye-catching and cute.

Bamboo and wood tea sets

Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Although tea drinking is gradually popularized in my country, it is still extensive. In addition to ceramics, the tea drinking utensils at that time were mostly made of bamboo and wood. Lu Yu listed 28 types of tea utensils in "The Book of Tea: Four Utensils". , most are made of bamboo. This kind of tea set has wide sources, is easy to make, does not pollute the tea, and is harmless to the human body. Therefore, it has been welcomed by tea drinkers since ancient times. However, the disadvantage is that it cannot be used for a long time. It cannot be preserved for a long time and loses its cultural relic value. Only in the Qing Dynasty, a kind of bamboo tea set appeared in Sichuan. Made in complete sets.

Bamboo tea sets are composed of inner tubes and outer covers. The inner tubes are mostly ceramic tea drinking utensils. The outer tube is made of selected bamboo, which is made into thick and thin pieces through multiple processes such as splitting, opening, kneading and evening. The soft bamboo silk is baked and dyed, and then weaved and assembled according to the shape and size of the inner tube of the tea set, making it into a unified tea set. This tea set is not only harmonious in color and beautiful, but also protects the inner tube and reduces damage. ; At the same time, it is not easy to burn your hands after making tea, and it is rich in artistic appreciation value. Therefore, most people buy bamboo tea sets not for their use, but for decoration and collection.

Glass tea sets

In modern times, glassware has developed greatly. Glass is transparent and shiny.

The shape is highly malleable, with different shapes and a wide range of uses. When making tea in a glass cup, you can see at a glance the bright color of the tea soup, the tenderness and softness of the tea leaves, the up and down movement of the tea leaves during the entire brewing process, and the gradual stretching of the leaves. It can be said that It is a dynamic art appreciation. Especially for brewing various famous teas, the tea sets are crystal clear. The light mist in the cup is misty, clear and green, with blossoming buds and leaves standing gracefully, which is pleasing to the eye and uniquely interesting. Moreover, glass cups are cheap and high-quality, and are very popular among consumers.

The disadvantages of glassware are that they break easily and are hotter than ceramics.

Enamel tea sets

Enamel tea sets are famous for their durability, fresh patterns, lightness and corrosion resistance. It originated in ancient Egypt and was later introduced to Europe. But the cast iron enamel used today began in Germany and Austria in the early 19th century. Enamel craftsmanship was introduced to our country around the Yuan Dynasty.

During the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty (1450-1456 AD), my country created the enamel-inlaid cloisonne tea set. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795 AD), cloisonne flowed from the palace to the people. This can be said to be the beginning of Chinese enamel. The beginning of industry.

Our country really started to produce enamel tea sets at the beginning of this century, and it has a history of more than 70 years. Among the many enamel tea sets, there are imitation porcelain tea cups that are white, delicate and bright, comparable to porcelain; mesh flower tea cups decorated with mesh or colored mesh, with clear layers and a strong artistic sense; lightweight and unique shapes Drum-shaped teacups and butterfly-shaped teacups; insulated teacups that can insulate and are easy to carry, as well as colored enamel tea trays that can be used to place teapots and teacups, are welcomed by many tea drinkers. However, enamel tea sets conduct heat quickly and are easy to burn your hands. Placing them on a coffee table will burn the tabletop. In addition, their "value" is low, so their use is subject to certain restrictions and they are generally not used for entertaining guests at home.

Clay Tea Set

Clay tea sets are an important invention of the Neolithic Age. It started as rough earthenware, then gradually evolved into relatively solid hard pottery, and then developed into glazed pottery with a glaze on the surface. Pottery making in Yixing was quite developed in ancient times. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, geometric printed hard pottery appeared. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, glazed pottery was fired.

Among the leaders in pottery, Yixing purple clay tea sets are the first to be considered. They emerged as early as the early Northern Song Dynasty and became a unique and excellent tea set. They became very popular in the Ming Dynasty. Unlike ordinary pottery, purple clay pots are not glazed inside or outside. They are made of local purple clay, red clay, and Tuanshan clay and are rolled and baked. Because the fire temperature of pottery is high, the sintering is dense, the texture is delicate, it does not leak, and there are pores invisible to the naked eye. After long-term use, it can also absorb tea juice and retain the tea flavor; it does not transfer heat quickly and will not burn your hands; If the tea is served on a hot day, it will not go sour easily; even if the temperature changes drastically, it will not break; if necessary, it can even be simmered directly on the stove. Purple clay tea sets also have the characteristics of concise and generous shapes, simple and elegant colors, and their shapes resemble bamboo joints, lotus roots, pine sections, and imitate the shapes of ancient bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. "Taoxi Hakka" says that "Yangxian (i.e. Yixing) porcelain pots have become popular since the Ming Dynasty, and the best ones are equivalent to gold and jade." This shows how valuable they are. Mingwen Zhenxiang's "Changwu Zhi" records: "The pot is made of sand, and the lid neither takes away the fragrance nor the smell of cooked soup."

During the Jiajing and Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, two people appeared in the mountains one after another. The outstanding purple clay craftsman Gong Chun (Gong Chun) and his apprentice Shi Dabin. When he was young, Gong Si was the scholar of Jinshi Wu Yishan. He was talented, intelligent, and studious. He studied with his master at Jinsha Temple in Yixing. In his spare time, he often helped the old monks in the temple to make pots. Legend has it that there are towering ginkgo trees in the temple, with tangled roots and colorful burls. He watched it day and night. It is an imitation of a tree burl, and the tree burl pot is made with a unique and vivid shape. The old monk was so impressed that he taught him all his pot-making skills, and he eventually became a famous pot-making master. The products for spring are called "spring pots". They are novel and exquisite in shape, thin and solid in texture. They are known as "spring pots, better than gold and jade". "The chestnut color is dark, like ancient gold and stone; it is so diligent and thoughtful, how can it be called a god?" Shi Dabin's works broke through the pattern taught by his master and mostly made small pots, dotted on several tables in the monastery, which are more in line with the fun of drinking tea. Therefore, there were highly praised poems at that time: "Thousands of strange things come out at your fingertips", "The beauty in the palace talks about the big bin pot". The purple clay tea sets of the Qing Dynasty were further developed based on the predecessors. Among them, the teapots made by Chen Mingyuan in the early Qing Dynasty and Yang Pengnian during the Jiaqing period are particularly famous in the world. The teapot made by Chen Mingyuan has clear lines and obvious outlines. The teapot has a seal of "Ming Yuan" in running script on the lid. It is still regarded as a treasure.

Yang Pengnian's products are elegant and exquisite. They are made by hand without molds and are flawless. They are praised as "masterpieces of the world". At that time, Chen Mansheng, the magistrate of Liyang County in Jiangsu Province, was fond of teapots and worked in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal cutting. He went to Yixing to make teapots with Yang Pengnian. It was designed by Chen Mansheng, produced by Yang Pengnian, and then engraved and painted by Chen. His works are known as "Mansheng Pot" in the world. It has always been treasured by connoisseurs. In the Qing Dynasty, Yixing purple clay teapots had various shapes and decorations and were popular at home and abroad. At that time, the small teapots used to brew Gongfu tea in southern Fujian and Chaozhou were almost all Yixing purple clay utensils. In the 17th century, China's tea and At the same time, purple clay teapots were introduced to the West by sea ships, and Westerners called them "red porcelain". As early as the 15th century, the Japanese came to China and learned the technology of making pots. The pots they imitated are still regarded as treasures by the Japanese people.

The purple clay teapots made by famous craftsmen are exquisite in shape, simple in color and dazzling, becoming works of art. In the past, some people said that one or two weights of purple sand tea sets were worth ten or twenty gold, which could make earth compete with gold. Zhang Dai of the Ming Dynasty said in "Tao'an Mengmei": Yixing jars are ranked first among Gong Chun's jars, and a sand jar ranks directly among the Shang, Yi and Zhou jars without any shame. You can imagine how expensive it is.

In recent years, purple clay tea has experienced greater development, and new varieties are constantly emerging, such as artistic tea sets specially designed for Japanese consumers, called "horizontal teapots". According to Japanese preferences, the teapots are With Buddhist scriptures written in exquisite calligraphy on the surface, it has become a great tea-drinking tool for Japanese consumers. At present, the variety of purple clay tea sets has increased from the original forty or fifty to more than six hundred. For example, the purple clay double-layer thermos cup is a new product that is very popular among the masses. Due to the delicate and pliable texture of purple clay, strong plasticity and good permeability, the fired double-layer thermos cup used to make tea has the characteristics of rich color, fragrance and not easy to go rancid in summer. This kind of cup has a capacity of 250 ml. Because of its double-layer structure, boiling water does not burn your hands when entering the cup. It transfers heat slowly and has a long heat preservation time. There are various shapes, including melon-shaped, butterfly-shaped, plum-shaped, oval-shaped, streamlined, etc. Artists use traditional seal cutting techniques and apply painting and various decorative techniques such as Zheng, Cao, Li, cage and seal on purple clay pottery, making it a product that combines ornamental and practical uses.

According to legend, the creator of the purple clay pot was an unknown monk from Jinsha Temple in Yixing during the Ming Dynasty. He selected fine purple clay and kneaded it into a round body, added a mouth, handle, and lid, and placed it in the kiln. fired. There is a tree gall pot that has lost its lid and has an exquisite shape. It is now in the Beijing History Museum and is the only one passed down by Chun. However, some people suspect it to be a fake. Since Gong Chun (Gong Chun) of the Ming Dynasty became famous for imitating the galls of old ginkgo trees and made the "Gong Chun Pot", pot-making masters have appeared one after another, including the "four famous masters" Dong Han, Zhao Liang, Wen Chang and Shi Peng in Wanli of the Ming Dynasty. Later, there were Da Bin, Li Zhongfang, and Xu Youquan as the "three great masters." In the Qing Dynasty, there were brothers and sisters Chen Mingyuan, Yang Pengnian, and Yang Fengnian, as well as Shao Daheng, Huang Yulin, Cheng Shouzhen, and Yu Guoliang. In modern times, there are Gu Jingzhou, Zhu Kexin, Jiang Rong and others. Gu Jingzhou's recent works include the Tibi teapot and the Hanyun teapot, which are gifts for going abroad. Young artists are also emerging in large numbers.

There are many styles of purple sand tea sets, and the so-called "square shape is not the same shape, and round shape is not the same shape". Carving flowers and birds, landscapes and calligraphy on purple clay pots began in the late Ming Dynasty and flourished after the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, and gradually became a unique artistic decoration in purple clay craftsmanship. Many famous poets and artists have written poems and inscriptions on the purple clay teapots. "Illustrated Research on Sand Pots" once recorded that Zheng Banqiao made a pot of his own and engraved a poem in his own handwriting: "The mouth is pointed, the belly is big, and the ears are high, so that you can avoid hunger and cold and you will be proud. It is too small to accommodate big things, and two or three inches of water will make waves."

When evaluating a tea set, you should first consider its practical value. A tea set only has the right proportion of volume and weight, the handle is easy to carry, the seams around the lid are jointed, the water flows smoothly from the spout, and the color, ground, and pattern are refined and harmonious. The beauty and practicality of the whole tea set can be harmonized. Only when combined can it be considered a perfect tea set. Yixing tea sets have these characteristics.

Purple clay tea sets are not only loved by our people, but also cherished by people in some overseas countries. As early as the 15th century, ceramic workers in Japan, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom successively used Chinese purple clay pots as specimens to imitate them. At the beginning of the 18th century, the German J.F. Boettger not only made purple clay pottery, but also wrote a paper titled "Cinnabar Porcelain" in 1908. At the beginning of this century, purple clay pottery was exhibited at expositions in Panama, London, and Paris, and won an award at the Chicago Exposition in 1932, adding luster to the history of Chinese ceramics.

Metal tea sets

Metal utensils refer to utensils made of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and other metal materials. It is one of the oldest daily utensils in my country. As early as 1,500 years ago from the 18th century BC to the 1,500 years before Qin Shihuang unified China in 221 BC, bronze ware has been widely used. Our ancestors used bronze to make plates, hold water, and make Jue and Zun hold wine, so naturally these bronze vessels can also be used to hold tea.

From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Six Dynasties, tea as a beverage has gradually become a fashion, and tea sets have gradually been separated from other drinking utensils. Around the Northern and Southern Dynasties, metal utensils including tea drinking vessels appeared in our country. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the production of metal utensils reached its peak.

In the mid-1980s, a set of gilt tea sets enshrined by Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty was unearthed from Famen Temple in Fufeng, Shaanxi Province. It can be said to be a rare treasure among metal tea sets. But starting from the Song Dynasty, ancient people had mixed praise and criticism for metal tea sets. After the Yuan Dynasty, especially from the Ming Dynasty, with the innovation of tea, changes in tea drinking methods, and the rise of ceramic tea sets, metal tea sets gradually disappeared, especially tea sets made of tin, iron, lead and other metals. Using them to boil water to make tea is considered to "change the flavor of the tea", so few people use them. However, it is not uncommon to see tea storage utensils made of metal, such as tin bottles, tin cans, etc. This is because the airtightness of metal tea storage utensils is better than that of paper, bamboo, wood, porcelain, pottery, etc., and it has better moisture-proof and rotation-proof properties, which is more conducive to the preservation of loose tea. Therefore, tea storage utensils made of tin are still popular in the world.

Stone Tea Set

The production of stone tea trays is based on the natural characteristics of the stone, designed and processed with meticulous care. Because stone has the advantages of high hardness, strong density, natural color, no deformation when exposed to cold or heat, no cracking, no fading, and no brown color after polishing. Therefore, the stone tea tray made of stone carving is beautiful, economical and practical. In fact, it is endowed with the spirituality of stone, integrating water and soil, and the five elements are in harmony, allowing tea to return to nature. Sipping tea with stone-carved tea sets is pleasing to the eye and nourishes the mind.

Currently there are various stone tea trays made of natural stone on the market, which can be described as colorful. This is because customers have accepted its special advantages, and business opportunities have inspired merchants to work hard to develop more products. . Stone tea tray, as the name suggests, is made from natural stone, carved with some subtle and meaningful themes for decoration, and attached to the tea tray with practical functions, forming a new type of tea set product. Once a work is divorced from these themes, it is destined to have no collection, appreciation, or practical value. [Unless the customer prefers]

It is not difficult to see that the material of the stone tea tray can be divided into two types: natural and synthetic. Specifications: Can be divided into regular and irregular. Color: can be divided into solid color and mixed color. Drainage appearance: can be divided into "hidden" and "exposed". Drainage method: can be divided into water storage type and direct drainage type. Carving method: It can be divided into two-dimensional freehand carving and three-dimensional carving.

The selection of stone tea trays must be based on a humanistic perspective. 1. The whole must have charm and an attractive feeling. The material must be natural and the color must be solid, such as pure black. , light green, etc., the main body shall not contain artificial colors. Two: The specifications can be square or round, but they must be standardized to show dignity and stability. Three: The expression of the carving content should be implicit and profound, easy to understand and there should be room for association. Four: Novel, elegant, concise and hygienic. Five: Easy to collect, corners will not hurt people.

Natural materials have been cultivated for thousands of years, and their color and quality cannot be replaced by artificial ones. No matter which piece of work has its own characteristics to attract you, even if you own it, you won't take it seriously. Choosing a solid color stone tea tray can make people relaxed and happy. Because mixed colors are difficult to achieve the ideal coordinated color, mixed colors can easily stimulate the visual nerve and cause eye fatigue. It can even make people feel irritable and restless. When choosing a stone tea tray, pay attention to the overall outline of the stone tea tray to show dignity and stability. This is why the square and the circle are regular. The creative expression of the stone tea tray pattern must be subtle and profound, and easy to understand. Being vulgar and low-key can reveal the low quality of human nature. Lack of cultural heritage and weakness. The novelty and simplicity of the stone tea tray are due to the progress of society. Only novel designs and good creativity can follow the synchronous development of society. Drinking tea involves a high level of enjoyment and health. Being simple and easy to clean is a guarantee of hygiene.

Regarding stone tea tray carving, the remaining corners must be obtuse and try to avoid hollowing out and sunken carvings. Obtuse angles can reduce or avoid accidental damage to children's immature skin. Plane and three-dimensional engraving, hollowing, and sunken engraving will increase the chance of breakage of the engraving. Once the sculpture is broken and loses its appearance, the confidence in the collection will be lost. Freehand plane carving is to overcome the biggest drawback of plane and three-dimensional carving of stone tea trays.