The history of tea culture is long and has gone through the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, which brought tea culture into various fields. Although the term "tea ceremony" does not appear in historical Chinese tea books, the concept of a tea ceremony still exists, and the descriptions of tea utensils and the environment for tea tasting in these books provide references for modern tea ceremony design art. Each period's tea ceremony design has some unique elements, which can be glimpsed from the tea paintings of that time.

"Palace Music Picture" - Tea Banquet in the Tang Dynasty Palace

The "Palace Music Picture" from the late Tang Dynasty depicts the scene of court ladies brewing and tasting tea, as well as playing music and enjoying a feast. From the painting, we can see that several women are seated around a large square table, with a large tea kettle placed in the center of the table, and each person has a tea bowl in front of them. One woman is holding a long-handled tea scoop, pouring tea into each person's bowl.

What is the Sencha method?

According to historical records, before the Tang Dynasty, tea was prepared using a rough method, where tea leaves were boiled in water for drinking. By the late Tang period, the method of pan-frying tea became popular, and the tea sage Lu Yu provided a detailed account of this method in his work "The Classic of Tea." In terms of tea leaves, compressed tea was mainly used, which was roasted and then ground into powder. The entire process begins with boiling water in a large pot. When "fish eyes" appear in the water, it indicates the first boil; at this point, a little salt is added for flavor. When the water reaches the level of "spring water bubbling like pearls," it indicates the second boil. At this time, a ladle of water is scooped out, and a special bamboo tool is used to stir the pot, after which the tea powder is poured into the whirlpool of water. By the third boil, the water is fully boiling, and tea foam splashes; at this moment, the water scooped out during the second boil is poured back in, thus completing the entire pan-frying tea process.

Teapot of Tang Dynasty

Although the processes of preparing tea, such as making tea, roasting tea, grinding tea, boiling water, adding tea, and brewing tea, are not depicted in the "Tea Ceremony Picture," it still recreates the scene of people drinking tea at that time, as well as the characteristic tea utensils like the tea kettle and bowl-shaped tea cups. Among these, the tea kettle is the most representative of the tea brewing methods of the Tang Dynasty.

The tea kettle is a pot or kettle used for boiling water in tea ceremonies. People at that time were accustomed to grinding tea cakes into powder and placing them in the kettle for brewing, making the kettle an important tea utensil of the era. The green-glazed tea kettles from the Changsha kiln of that time show that tea kettles generally have a narrowed mouth, a constricted neck, a bulging belly, a round bottom, and three feet, with two ears standing on the rim. Its shape is similar to that of a tripod, but it is more simplified and delicate.

"Tea Ceremony" - The Tea Gathering under the Liao Dynasty's Rule during the Song Dynasty

(Zhang Shigu Tomb Mural "Tea Serving Scene")

The mural "Tea Serving Scene" from the tomb of Zhang Shigu depicts the tea preparation techniques and tea-drinking atmosphere in the northern regions under Khitan rule, showcasing the tea culture of the Song Dynasty. In this mural, a table is set in the middle for three people, with tea utensils such as tea trays and tea cups arranged on it. On the left, a servant is holding a fan while boiling water; in the center, one person is holding a tea tray with two tea cups, seemingly preparing to serve tea to the host.

Tea Techniques of Song Dynasty-Tea Ordering Method

The steps for preparing tea in the Song Dynasty can be roughly divided into six: first, roasting the tea; second, grinding the tea; third, sifting the tea; fourth, waiting for the water; fifth, whisking the tea; and sixth, adding the broth, pouring the water, and whisking. The preparation of the tea leaves is basically similar to the method of brewing tea in the Tang Dynasty, where the tea leaves are ground into a fine powder. The difference between the two lies in the order of adding the tea when brewing. In the Tang Dynasty's brewing method, the powdered tea is boiled in boiling water; in the Song Dynasty's tea whisking method, a small amount of boiling water is added after the powdered tea is placed in the bowl, and a tea whisk is used to stir, creating a paste-like consistency with the tea powder and boiling water. Then, while pouring the broth into the bowl with the tea powder, the tea whisk is used to whisk it, which is very similar to the Japanese method of preparing matcha.

The tea whisking method of the Song Dynasty represents the most glorious period of Chinese powdered tea art, but as the Ming Dynasty promoted loose leaf tea, the tea whisking method became increasingly niche, eventually leading to its disappearance.

Tea whisk and jianzhan

In the process of making matcha tea, the tea whisk is one of the important tea utensils. It is made from a section of bamboo that has been finely cut, resembling a bamboo brush, and is used to stir the tea mixture during the preparation, ensuring that the tea powder and water are evenly combined and creating a layer of foam. The tea whisk used in Japanese tea ceremonies is derived from this tool and has been further improved, demonstrating the influence of traditional Chinese tea art on Japanese tea ceremonies.

(Song Dynasty tea whisk illustration)

From the murals, we can see traces of tea bowls, and we cannot overlook the Jian Zhan among the characteristic tea utensils of the Song Dynasty. Jian Zhan originates from Jian Kiln, which is famous for producing black-glazed porcelain during the Song Dynasty. The Jian Kiln primarily produced black-glazed tea bowls needed for the "tea competition" of that time. Depending on the different iron oxide crystal patterns formed on the glaze surface, there are varieties known as "rabbit hair," "partridge spot," and "moonlight change." The Jian Zhan of the Song Dynasty can be categorized into four main types: wide mouth, flared mouth, constricted mouth, and narrow mouth, with the constricted and wide mouth types being the most common. In terms of capacity, most are medium to small, making it easier to control the amount of tea during competitions.

(Song Dynasty Jian Kiln Silver Oil Droplet Tenmoku Jian Zhan)

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