![]() Historical or mythical characters such as Guanyin, Maitreya, and Zhu Geliang are also tea pet forms. They symbolize good luck, fortune, and happiness. Those creators can be dragons, Pixiu, or Qili. Tea pets are also molded into zodiac animals or Chinese mythical creatures. ![]() Feng Shui can also dictate where a particular tea pet should be placed. ![]() Tea pets should be small in size, they sit in the corner of the tea table and await the honor of being watered. The most expensive and rarest of the clays. Green clay – has a color of off-white after firing. Because of its high contraction percentage, red clay is more suitable for making small-sized objects like tea pets, and teapots. It shows a vermillion color after firing. Red clay – also known as “Stock Yellow”, has a much higher contraction percentage than purple clay. The artisan often adds iron clay to achieve a better color effect. Purple clay – is the principal clay, which turns red-brown or dark-brown after firing. The material to make tea pets and the production is still concentrated in the Yixing region. With the development of technology, it is not hard to find alternatives to Yixing clay. ![]() A tea pet can be made of either of one of these Yixing clays, or a mixture of two to produce different colors. There are three kinds of Yixing clay: purple, red, and green clay. The tea pets at that time were made from the clay present during that time: Yixing clay.Ī tea pet is handmade using Zisha (Yixing clay) and unglazed, so it is usually in the natural color of Yixing clay. The clay represents the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). They are more earthy and the way they absorb the water is meaningful. Modernization has caught up with it and tea pets are created from all sorts of materials. The teapot, cups, and pet were then sold as a set.Ī tea pet made of clay. The first tea pets were made from extra (or scrape) pieces of clay. A tea pet can be made of either of one of these Yixing clays, or a mixture of two clays to produce different colors. There are three kinds of Yixing clay: purple clay, red clay, and green clay. They are not glazed and have an almost sandpaper rough feeling to them.Ī Tea pet is handmade using Zisha (Yixing clay) and unglazed, so it is usually in the natural color of Yixing clay. The teapots much like the tea pets were made at the same time. The birthplace of tea pets, Yixing, was first famous as the birthplace of “Yixing clay” in the Song dynasty. By pouring tea over the clay in time, the tea will wear on our tea pet. We do so during the tea-making time by pouring tea over the pet. So we the tea lovers charged with“raising” our tea pets. We do know they were developed as a mascot for tea lovers. There is very limited literature on the development of tea pets in Chinese history. Yet, the ancient Chinese scholars believed in the saying “excessive attention to trivia saps the will”. The name used to be tea lovers’ pets which was more accurate. The tradition of tea pets began with the Yang Dynasty. The tea pet has been part of the tea ceremony for many years. When you run into someone who has a tea pet then you know you have found yourself another tea lover. It may seem like a minimalistic part of the tea set but it’s a very big and fun part to those who raise a toast to our tea pets. Once you understand the tea pet’s purpose you may see a tea pet in a different light. A tea pet could appear to be something not really needed. You may not need a tea pet, but you will want one. This journey has taken me from my grandmother’s plastic-covered table cloth to where I am today. I am on a journey, my journey started a long time ago and it continues today.
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