The blue tube drinking cup is considered a national treasure.

The Bitong drinking cup is a traditional Chinese drinking vessel with a long history. It has unique shape and craftsmanship and is considered one of the treasures of traditional Chinese culture. Bitong drinking and drinking cups are treasures among the official kiln porcelain of the Ming Dynasty. They are famous for their exquisite craftsmanship, exquisite patterns and gorgeous glaze colors. It represents the highest level of ancient Chinese ceramic production and has high artistic and historical value.

The Bitong drinking cup is based on lotus leaves and lotus stems, and incorporates elements such as golden toads, koi carps, and crabs. Nowadays, the latest Bitong drinking cup also adds a lotus shape. The original raw material for making the "Bitong Cup" was pottery clay from the banks of the Yellow River. However, due to the rough material, the raw material was changed to white porcelain clay from Jingdezhen and Dehua.

Records of Bitong Drink in the Tang Dynasty

"Bitong Drink has been recorded in the Tang Dynasty. It is a folk culture of literati." "Take the Great Lotus" Put the leaves on the inkstone grid, hold two liters of wine, use hairpins to pierce the leaves, connect the stems to the stems, and spread the fungi on the stems like elephant trunks. It is called Bitong Cup. "Wang Lingtao took out a book of literary works from the Tang Dynasty. Cheng Shi's "Youyang Zazu" reads out passages about Bitong Drink verbatim.

According to the records of "Youyang Zazu", during the Zhengshi period of Wei Dynasty, Zheng Gongcui, the governor of Qizhou, led his staff to drink in the form of "blue tube drinking" when they went to "Shijunlin" to escape the summer heat. This is the "Bitong Drink" that was praised by scribes of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Youyang Zazu