There are also tea-drinking rituals. In some big and serious ceremonies, such as the sacrifices, weddings, funerals, birthday-celebrations, tea-making and drinking played a central role. Taking the birthday-celebration as an example, there are three procedures in the whole tea-drinking process. People not only washed hands and cleaned mouths before drinking the tea, but also composed poems after drinking based on the features of the tea to express their feelings.

Collection of Qing Teapot in Palace Museum of Beijing

Chrysanthemum teapot of Qianlong’s Period

This teapot has a green lid painted with pink chrysanthemums. The year the pot was made is carved into its bottom.

Phoenix teapot of Qianlong’s Period

This tea pot has square shoulders and ringed feet. There are peonies on one side and plums on the other. At the bottom of the pot, the year it was completed is also carved clearly in ancient Chinese characters.

Tea pot painted with figures of Qianlong’s Period

This round pot is carved human figures on one side of the body. On the other side, there is an old poem describing the figure and explaining the artistic conception.

Yixing-produced Daisy teapot of dark-brown pottery of Qianlong’s Period

This teapot is made of dark-brown pottery in the county of Yixing in Jiangsu province. There are several daisy blossoms around the body and, and the time the teapot was made is carved at the bottom of the pot.

By Yan Fei

Editor: Shi Liwei