Celadon ewer
Fujian ware

Celadon tea bowl
Longquan ware

The tea bowls and ewers unearthed from the site of Sung Wong Toi Station were common tea utensils in the Song dynasty. Back then, “whisking tea” was a popular method of preparing tea, favoured by emperors to scholar-officials. This shared preference is quite similar to the modern-day tea-tasting of those who pursue a refined taste in life. People in Song dynasty had an elaborate way of preparing tea. They would use an ewer to pour boiling water onto powdered tea leaves, and then mix the tea with a tea whisk to blend the tea powder and water into a paste. Then, they would pour boiling water into the centre of the tea bowl while whisking the tea into foam.

Literati and scholars enjoyed collecting fine tea, brewing and tasting it together to evaluate each other’s tea-making techniques, an activity known as “tea competition”. Those who created richer and longer-lasting foam inside the bowl and with no visible water marks on the rim were considered the winners.

 (English)