Gaiwans do date to the Ming Dynasty. But as times changed in ancient
China, so did fashion, and tea customs. Then, tea ware styles and
types also changed. This is true even today. Chapan manufacturers for
example, change models every year.

The problem with Chinese movies though, is that unless the movie is
specifically about tea, then they will go with any type of tea
utensils and place it in the wrong time period. You will see gaiwans
or even Zisha teapots used in the Tang dynasty, for example. Might be
creative, but historically inaccurate. So when it comes to tea customs
in movies, don't believe everything you see.

Im starting to think any period piece with a gaiwan is an
anachronism. I dont see any internet evidence of its popularity
besides teahouse and palaces during the Qing dynasty. If it was that
popular it would have been exported with teaware like pots and cups.
I dont think it showed up in the West till sometime after the Nixon/
Mao 72 meeting only then as a resurrection of chinese past. I would
look to Hong Kong and Tawian antiques if it was anything more than a
regional custom.

Jim

On Oct 14, 4:09 pm, niisonge wrote:
Gaiwans do date to the Ming Dynasty. But as times changed in ancient
China, so did fashion, and tea customs. Then, tea ware styles and
types also changed. This is true even today. Chapan manufacturers for
example, change models every year.

The problem with Chinese movies though, is that unless the movie is
specifically about tea, then they will go with any type of tea
utensils and place it in the wrong time period. You will see gaiwans
or even Zisha teapots used in the Tang dynasty, for example. Might be
creative, but historically inaccurate. So when it comes to tea customs
in movies, don't believe everything you see.

A few thoughts:

I was struck by the use of a gaiwan by Jet Li in the movie
"Fearless" (he quaffs some tea directly from it in between bouts in
the village square) set in the mid-to-late 19th century. A good
number of scenes in that film take place in incredible multi-storied
tea houses that I would love to build a replica of in the US.

If you want to see interesting anachronisms in tea equipment/
methodology try last year's Hong Kong release "Tea Fight", a martial-
arts tea-brewing film if you can imagine such a thing. It features
tea brewing competitions between competing clans in both the Song
dynasty and modern day, but the contestants use Tang dynasty-style
trough-and-disc tea grinders as well as Song and Ming equipage. Very
odd.

Regarding the comment about Yixing pots not being around in the Tang
dynasty, that's true to some degree. Per the book "Yixing Pottery:
The World of Chinese Tea Culture" (a nice guide to Yixing history and
traditional pot styles), Yixing was producing Celadon and clay pottery
in quantity as early as the 11th century BC. They show archeological
examples of true zisha Yixing tea pots that date to the Northern Song
Dynasty, just after the fall of the Tang.

An interesting discussion!
Charles

Iggy writes:

A few thoughts:

I was struck by the use of a gaiwan by Jet Li in the movie
"Fearless" (he quaffs some tea directly from it in between bouts in
the village square) set in the mid-to-late 19th century.

I hate to ask this, but could Li with teaware really compare to Buster
Keaton with a coffee cup and saucer in _College_?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html