After Drinking Tea for a while, one tends to switch cups frequently. Using Teacups of different materials, colors, shapes, sizes, heights, thicknesses, and thinness can present the tea soup in various moods, sometimes with surprising differences.

The power of a teacup is enough to change the flavor of the tea soup.

Teacup names are typically related to their shape, while glazes, decorations, and craftsmanship also play a part. Today, let's appreciate the beauty of teaware and learn some teacup names that you may have seen but not known about. (Most of these are named after blue-and-white cups, but some names can also be applied to other types of cups. Teacups can be called cups, bowls, or saucers, and they can also be used for drinking alcohol.)

1. Saucer (Zhan)

A vessel for holding liquids, typically made of ceramic, wood, bamboo, metal, etc. During the Song Dynasty, black, white, soy sauce, green, and white and bluish-white glazed saucers were popular, with black glaze being the most valuable.

Jian saucers are a traditional Chinese porcelain, used as imperial tea ware during the Song Dynasty. The rim has a thinner layer of glaze, while the bottom of the interior has a thicker layer. Only half of the exterior is glazed to prevent sticking during firing. Due to the mobility of the glaze at high temperatures, there is a phenomenon known as “glaze tears” or “glaze droplets,” which is one of the distinctive features of Jian saucers.

2. Bell-Shaped Cup

When inverted, it resembles a bell, with a tall and slender body and an elegant form, making it easy to hold and smell the aroma. It integrates functions like locking in the aroma, smelling the scent, and tasting, and has been a popular style in recent years.

3. Hand-Pressing Cup

The rim is flat and slightly flared outward, the wall is nearly vertical, and the lower part tapers inward, ending with a ring foot. When held in the hand, the slightly flared rim fits perfectly along the edge of the hand. Its size and weight are just right, fitting comfortably in the hand, hence its name, “hand-pressing cup.” The Ming dynasty Yongle blue-and-white hand-pressing cup is the most famous.

4. Hexagonal Cup

Anyone who enjoys collecting Ru kiln teacups should find hexagonal cups irresistible. They are a moderate size and shape, with a hexagonal form that stands tall and has clean lines and distinct angles. When glazed with Ru glaze, they become even more rounded. The hexagonal spout rises straight and slightly upwards, with a square shape that has a slight curve. Shop owners tend to prefer this hexagonal cup with a slightly curved surface, combining square and round elements.

5. Hat-Rim Cup

A hat-rim is an ancient tool for protection from rain and sun, still commonly seen in mountain villages and water towns. The hat-rim cup resembles a farmer's hat, with a wide mouth and a small base, capturing the beauty of contentment. The lines are simple and elegant, and the difficulty in firing is high. Its simplicity reveals great wisdom, making it particularly precious. Holding this cup to drink tea is akin to Jiang Shang by the Wei River, contemplating the world amidst the mountains and waters, and glimpsing the path to great wisdom in the ordinary.

6. Flower Deity Cup

Derived from the Kangxi period “Twelve Flower Deity Cups,” originally painted with flowers, later ceramic artisans used various glazes to make the cups and painted various patterns on them. The patterns on the cup walls are hand-painted by artists stroke by stroke on unglazed clay, using underglaze colors. The patterns are clear and simple yet grand.

7. Fullness Cup

The belly is slightly bulging, and the rim is slightly drawn in, which is quite true and normal, but its ability to gather aroma and flavor is noticeably better, making for the best overall taste experience. This cup is excellent, with a large belly that can accommodate much.

8. Bamboo-Strip Cup

Made from high-quality natural bamboo through multiple processing steps. Bamboo weavers inherit the characteristics of “selecting fine materials, extra-fine strips, closely following the shape, and hiding the ends well,” crafting the cup by hand according to the shape, creating a harmonious whole that appears naturally formed. It exudes a refined and fresh Eastern temperament and culture.

9. Eared Cup

Also known as “feathered cup.” A wine utensil modeled after Han Dynasty lacquered feathered cups, the body is elliptical with symmetrical small ears on both sides, hence its name. Popular from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty, Northern and Southern Dynasties, with varieties including green-glazed pottery and celadon. These cups are rarely seen nowadays, except perhaps in historical dramas.

10. Chicken Bowl Cup

Flared mouth, shallow body, and a recessed foot. The cup is decorated with roosters, hens, and chicks, interspersed with rocks, orchids, and peonies, hence its name, chicken bowl cup. Chicken bowl cups from the Ming Chenghua period were once very famous, and each dynasty of the Qing period imitated them, especially those from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, which were almost indistinguishable from the originals. A single cup can fetch several hundred million yuan!

11. Zhe Cup

Modeled after bronze vessels, with an outwardly flared rim, a slightly deep round belly, a sharp front and a curved back, supported by three high feet, and two standing columns on either side of the rim. Both the Ming and Qing dynasties produced them, with varieties including blue-and-white, white glaze, blue glaze, and fencai.

12. Stem Cup

Named for the stem below the cup body. It has a slightly flared mouth, is full near the bottom, and is supported by a high stem, which can be shaped like bamboo joints, a cylinder, or a square. Both the Ming and Qing dynasties produced them, with varieties including blue-and-white and doucai.

13. Reclining Foot Cup

A popular cup style during the Ming and Qing periods, named for its reclining foot without a ring base. Varieties include white glaze, blue-and-white, polychrome,