inheritage from ancient technology
Chinese special tea sets
The Chinese name Jian yao is because this ware was made at the Jian kilns in the province of Fujian. The Jian ware was first made during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and is normally only referring to tea bowls. The Temmoku (Jian Yao) glaze is usually blue-black streaked or mottled with a lustrous brown. Sometimes the brown is the base color and the mottling and streaks are in black. A famous variety; a streaked "Hares fur" with a shinning black glaze showing fine radial rust-colored streaks that resemble the fur of a hare or the markings of a partridge. The characteristic Jian yao tea bowl is conical in shape and has a coarse reddish-black stoneware body. Although during the Tang dynasty Celadon-glazed bowls had been the most admired for tea drinking, the even greater enthusiasm for tea during the Song dynasty saw a number of changes. Tea parties became the vogue and tea contests were often held at one of the many teahouses. Connoisseurs prided themselves on their ability to prepare tea, and contests were devised for the preparation of so-called whipped tea, which was whisked to produce a white froth on the top. Since the winner was the person whose froth lasted the longest, having a bowl whose color showed the froth to advantage was soon regarded as desirable. Black tea bowls became fashionable and were made at a number of kilns in north and south China, including the Jian kilns of Fujian.
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