Sonia | Hello Tea Cup

China’s Dragon Kiln: Meaning & History

Sonia — Sat, 15 May 2021 15:16:13 +0000

In China, the art of Ceramics is known as the art of “clay and fire”. That’s not a surprise, knowing that the kiln is a critical piece of equipment for firing ceramics. The most fascinating kind of kiln is without doubt the Chinese dragon kilns (long yao 龙窑). It’s a traditional form of kiln before industrial ovens existed. Even today, such a kiln produces still superior, unrivalled quality ceramics. Now is a good time to further understand the meaning, history and workings of such a kiln, given that Teasenz recently launched a dragon kiln fired Yixing tea pot. Dragon Kiln Meaning You may wonder: how did it get the name “dragon” kiln? First, it is cylinder-shaped and long. Most of the dragon kilns were built on sloping hillsides and were between 30-80 metres in length. Secondly, the kiln […]

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The History of Moon Cakes & The Chang’e Story

Sonia — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 10:38:02 +0000

The Mid-Autumn festival dates back more than a 1000 years ago, when the Chinese still based their calendars on the position of the moon. What the Chinese discovered is that the moon was at its fullest and brightest during mid Autumn, hence the most suitable time to worship the moon. While traditions of worshipping the moon has almost disappeared in most parts of China, new customs have taken over. Today, having moon cakes among friends and family at the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional custom among Chinese people. This tradition is comparable to eating Zongzi at the Dragon Boat Festival; and having sweet dumplings during the Lantern Festival. RECOMMENDED: Moon Cakes & Tea Pairings Guide There are lots of other interesting customs regarding the Mid-Autumn festival. We recommend you to read this article to learn […]

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The Art of Fixing Ceramics (Kintsugi) Started With This Metal Stapled Celadon Bowl

Sonia — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:01:53 +0000

Repairing things has become a fashion today. Especially, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramic and pottery called Kintsugi (金継ぎ), or Kintsukuroi (金繕い) has gained fascinating popularity. The basic process of Kintsugi is to fill up and glue the cracks of the broken object using varnish, and then cover the varnish with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. Each repaired object has a unique golden pattern, shows the beauty of imperfection praised by the Japanese. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lee Mandy (@ladyandpups) on Jun 13, 2020 at 6:49am PDT According to a legend, the rise of Kintsugi in Japan all started with a metal stapled Chinese celadon bowl, which was sent back by a Japanese ruler to China for replacement. Instead of a new bowl, he got returned a metal stapled bowl. […]

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Tea Space Interior Design Inspirations

Sonia — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:16:23 +0000

Imagine sitting in a tranquil tea space with steaming tea in front of you. Just the thought of it brings you ease and Zen right? You can have such tea space at home too! Let’s check out some amazing tea spaces designs for inspiration! Oriental Tea Space Interior Design This traditional Korean house in northern Seoul is less than 30 m² in size, yet is fully equipped, including a sunken bath and a tea space. In this small space, the living room is the tea room. A piece of long walnut wood is used as the tea table, supported by a rough and raw stone, around it are some cushions on the floor. This was a traditional local house, which has been transformed into a natural and peaceful living space. A large porthole on the […]

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Cats in Chinese Literature

Sonia — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:56:29 +0000

Cats aren’t often mentioned in traditional Chinese literature. That’s why you rarely see them on Chinese teaware, except for this cat gaiwan cup (image above). Yet, they definitely have their following, especially in the Song dynasty. Back then, it was in fact quite popular to keep kitten. In this article, we’ll take a look at cats in Chinese literature. If you’re also interested in cat idioms, then you may read this publication: Chinese Cat Idioms. Song poet Lu You was a famous cat lover. He started with the idea that kittens could help deal with the mice that chewed on books. He wrote the following poem at that time about cats: “Bringing salt to meet the small kitty, who will protect the house of ten thousand books.” This requires some explanation. At that time, the Song people regarded welcoming a kitten home as a very important matter. They gifted salt […]

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Tibetan Tea Drinking Culture And Customs

Sonia — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 09:49:52 +0000

Tea has been a daily necessity of the Tibetan people for generations. There’s a saying in Tibetan region: “Better to go three days without grain than one day without tea.” Why is that? Let’s find out now. Why is tea So important in Tibetan Life? Tibetan region is located on the high altitude plateau. People eat lots of meat, cheese products, and highland barley. Yet, due to scarcity people don’t consume much vegetables and fruits. Tea comes as a great supplement for this meat-heavy diet and balances out the oiliness. It also helps enhance the immune system and provides natural antioxidants. In another word, tea is nutritious, refreshing, and a necessity in Tibetan life. Tea is also widely consumed by Tibetan Buddhists to show the effect of spiritual purity. Monks perform their practice and maintain clear thinking with the help of brewing and drinking tea. Tea had long become an indispensable drink […]

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Decoding Tea Culture in the Song Dynasty

Sonia — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:33:12 +0000

The Song dynasty (960-1279) features an amazingly rich tea culture. Tea during this period involves many aspects such as politics, economy, literature and social customs. With the prosperity of the tea industry, everyone – the nobles, scholars, and common people, all had access to tea. This is one of the famous quotes by Wu Zimu from Southern Song dynasty. Nowadays, it’s one of the favorite quotes among tea enthousiasts in China. What was the tea culture like in the Song dynasty? How did the tea culture flourish then? Read further to find out! Song Dynasty Tea Drinking Method Dian Cha: The Rise of Matcha Different from the Tang dynasty’s (618 to 907) tea cooking method, during the Song dynasty, the way of tea drinking was changed into “dian cha”. Most of the tea in the […]

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Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Origin & Traditions

Sonia — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 16:54:37 +0000

The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 zhōng qiū jié) is one of most significant festivals in China. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with full moon at night. The full moon is a symbol of reunion in Chinese culture. A typical scene of the Mid-Autumn Festival is that the family members get together enjoying the full moon while having moon cakes. Not only in China, this festival is also celebrated in other Asian countries such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history in China. Like other traditional festivals, it has gradually developed and evolved. The ancient emperors had this custom & ritual system of worshipping the Spring sun and the Autumn moon. As early as in the classic book Rites of Zhou from 2000 years ago, there […]

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Hunan Anhua Dark Tea: A Comprehensive Guide

Sonia — Wed, 08 May 2019 21:21:15 +0000

Dark tea? What’s dark tea? You mean pu erh tea? The truth is, even many seasoned tea lovers aren’t fully sure what dark tea is and how it fits in the picture of all the other types. Pu erh tea, in fact, is a type of dark tea, but due to the overwhelming popularity of pu erh, other dark teas are often forgotten. Yet, for those pu erh tea lovers, who looking for an adventure, the other types of dark tea must be explored. In this guide, we will introduce you to other kinds of dark tea from Anhua, Hunan. Read further to learn more about its origin, history, and characteristics. Origin, Geography Anhua dark Tea is produced in Anhua County, Hunan Province, China. It is a mountainous area with four distinct seasons. With abundant […]

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Different Shapes of Pu Erh Tea

Sonia — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 08:40:04 +0000

As early as in the period of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road, with the long distance and rough conditions, the sun-dried pu erh maocha (processed loose tea) was first compressed into different shapes to save space and facilitate transportation for the caravans. Nowadays, when we talk about pu erh tea, usually we think of a tea cake or a tuocha, which are the most common shapes of pu erh. However there are more shapes to discover! Here’s list of the different shapes of pu erh tea. Tea Cake (Bing Cha) This flat disc shape is one of the most familiar shapes of pu erh. Tea cakes sizes range from 100 to several kilograms. In the pu erh market, we usually see the tea cakes with a net weight of 357 grams each. These tea cakes are […]

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