China's appreciation for tea has a long history and is more diverse than most people know. But an exhibition called "The Story of Teapots" currently held in Hong Kong may just scratch the surface.
The exhibition, held by the Hong Kong SAR Leisure and Cultural Services Department, allows visitors to view a fine selection of teapots and tea ware as well as appreciate the diversity of the art across several dynasties in Chinese history.
The theme of this exhibition focuses on how teapots evolved, as the art of drinking tea changed across several dynasties, whereas in the past the themes focused on the poetry and the glazed colours on teapots, said Grace Kwok, an assistant curator of the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware.
"In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), tea cake production was abandoned and the use of refined tea leaves caused ensuing teapots to possess a handle and a beak," she said.
A larger-than-usual ancient teapot is also displayed to demonstrate a tea serving in larger gathering settings.
"But soon, people realized that the unused portion of the infusion with tea leaves remaining in the pot for too long will cause tea to get bitter, and as a result, smaller tea pots were designed," she said.
The exhibition also explains how tea was earliest made in China, such as the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (AD 618-907) dynasties.
Before the Tang Dynasty, tea drinking was very popular among the people in southern China. During this period, tea was popularly made from boiling leek, ginger, mint, date, dogwood and orange peel together in a pot, much like how tea was made in the Han Dynasty.
Whipped tea was then introduced in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Tea leaves were ground into powder to be dissolved in water whipped with a bamboo whisk to make a frothy brew for consumption.
According to Kwok, the Ming Dynasty marked the method of tea appreciation which influenced modern tea drinking most: refined tea leaves were steeped in cup of hot water whose temperature must be carefully controlled.
Common flowers used for scenting tea include water lilies, orchid, osmanthus and orange flowers, and contemporary examples of scented tea are jasmine tea, rose tea and osmanthus tea, she said.
The exhibition also features over 100 items of teapots and tea ware made between the Ming Dynasty and the 20th century.
Exhibits also include Yixing potteries, underglaze-blue,monochrome or polychrome tea pots, kettles and ewers.
Alan Schumann, a visitor, said he was initially interested in the healthy effects of drinking tea.
(China Daily February 22, 2002)
