Chinese Tea ceremony has been passed on through generations, and up to now it is visible being practiced. The ceremony is a Chinese cultural activity that actually includes the ceremonial preparation and presentation of the tea. As seen on television, the Chinese are very meticulous when it comes to this ceremony. They even make their ladies study this ceremony. It is an important practice for them and so everyone studies the proper ways of the ceremony. One of the integral parts of the ceremony is the tea wares to be used. A specific tea ware is used for a ceremony would mean something which is why Chinese makes sure of the tea cups they use.
The use of Chinese tea cups dated way back. It all started during the Han Dynasty wherein tea sets were made of porcelain. There were two types of tea wears the northern white porcelain and the southern light blue porcelain. In this time bowls were used to serve Chinese tea and not the cups we are used to now. These bowls were multipurpose. They were used not only for tea serving but also with the array of cooking needs. These happened during the 206 to 220 B.C. when Chinese teas were commonly used for medicinal purpose. Teapots on the other hand were according to archeologist developed during the Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 A.D.
From just the use of bowls for teas now there are different types of tea cups according to the use. There are the Filtering tea cups, Specialty tea cups and cast iron tea cups. As how it sounds filtering tea cups are those that has a filter in it. It has an internal filter that actually sifts the tea leaves as you drink your tea. A good example of this is the Poet Filtering Cup which has an internal porcelain filter. This type of tea cup usually has picture of the Tang dynasty poet inspired of outdoor beauty. Specialty tea cups are tea wares with special designs. Gaiwan is a small beautiful flower adornment in the tea cup wares and is commonly ornamented on the sides, This ornamentation came from the Ming Dynasty and popularized during the Chine Dynasty. The Cast Iron Tea cups are made of iron and now are being produced in different colors.
There may be more different Chinese tea cups out there but what is important is preserving the culture of tea ceremonies. The preservation of culture knows you heritage, to give honor to those who have died for what your nation is now. Culture is the way of life of the people in a community. For Chinese, tea is a way of life. They drink tea everyday not because they are required to but because it is part of whom they are. For them a day would not be complete without a cup of tea. The use of different types of tea cups is the outcome of the process of life. From the use of bowls for tea now you can choose from a number of varieties of tea ware that sooths your choice.
