This is an image of the book Gallery of the Poems in the Tang Dynasty, published in the Wanli Era, Ming Dynasty. It depicted the poet Pi Rixiu woke up at midnight and asked for fresh tea from his servant boy. On the tea table we can see tea equipment such as tea stove, tea pot and tea cup.

Feng Lu , the Tea Stove, was used in the Tang Dynasty to heat the tea soup. It functioned similarly to today's hotpot. The tea stove was usually made from brass or iron, with three stand feet and decorative words or patterns on the surface. The cavity was covered with iron or clay to hold coal or carbon. There was an adjustable opening on the side for air, and an small hole on the bottom for the ashes. Under the stove there was an ash tray. Today, this kind of stove is still being used in Japan.

On the top of the tea stove there was a tea pot. It was flat-bottomed so that the water could be heated efficiently. The cavity was relatively big and the opening was large with no lids. This was a typical tea pot design in the Tang Dynasty so that the tea powder could be stewed and the flavor could be released completely.

 

Background Knowledge: History of China

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