Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum

Also called chamomile, the Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum is a traditional medicinal plant in China, and one of the “Zhe Ba Wei”, or eight famous crude drugs of Zhejiang Province. The modern pharmacology has proven that it can treat dysentery, diminish inflammation, improve eyesight, lower blood pressure as well as reduce fat and strength the body. It can be used to treat icteric damp-heat, stomachache and anorexia as well as edema and oliguria.

By Explore Cultural China

How to drink Chrysanthemum tisane

Chrysanthemum tisanes can be enjoyed in many ways according to different needs.
Chamomile with pleasant faint scent, or especially the White Chrysanthemum produced in Suzhou and Hangzhou, is a good choice for making tisanes. Put four or five granules of tea leaves in a transparent glass, which is a best choice for steeping chrysanthemum tisanes, add some boiled water and you can enjoy it in two or three minutes. The tisanes liquid may gradually become yellowish after a while when the water is cooler. Remember not to drink it up at a time, but to leave 1/3 in the glass and add some new water for drinking after a while.
You can also add some sugar candies into the chrysanthemum tisanes to bring out a sweeter flavor. Actually no other tea is needed when preparing the chrysanthemum tisanes. It is a good drink for both summer (hot beverage) and winter (icy beverage), and all you need to do is to steep or boil the dry chrysanthemums.

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Chrysanthemum Tisanes

Chrysanthemum is a famous flower found everywhere in China. It is rich in varieties with light and pleasant fragrance and extraordinary functions. Since it is a common flower as well as a medicinal food, the Chinese has kept the practice of watching and tasting chrysanthemum ever since thousands of years ago. Among all breeds, the white chrysanthemum can be made into a drink called chrysanthemum tisanes, while sometimes tea leaves are added so as to blend the flavor.
The most famous breeds shall be the Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum produced in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang and the Tribute Chrysanthemum of Mount Huang (or Huizhou Tribute Chrysanthemum) at the foot of Mount Huang. The Tribute Chrysanthemum of Mount Huang in particular, which grows on the high mountain, is a healthier drink for modern people since it's not contaminated at all. When choosing the flower, those laymen may favor the big white ones among rich varieties, but in fact the small, ugly and yellowish ones are the best choice instead.

The effect of chrysanthemum tisanes is also elaborated in the book Compendium of Materia Medica: it's slightly cold in nature with sweet flavor and the effects of dispelling wind heat, suppressing hyperactive liver and improving eyesight. The modern medicine science have also proved upon research that chrysanthemum can help to lower blood pressure, remove cancer cells, expand the coronary artery and prevent bacterial contamination. Long-time drinking of the tisanes can help increase calcium in human body, regulate myocardial function and reduce cholesterol, which is especially good for people at middle or senior ages or for preventing the epidemic conjunctivitis. It's also good for eye dryness caused by irascibility or excessive use of eye. Meanwhile, the chrysanthemum tisanes is rich in aroma and refreshing, which also helps to relax and relieve headache.

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A unique tea custom among women

Wuyi Mountain in Southeast China is where the famous Oolong Tea is grown. Since ancient times, people who live in Wuyi Mountain have been good at growing, making and appreciating tea. Accordingly, many tea drinking customs evolved with time. A unique custom only observed by women exists in Wutun village in the Wuyi Mountain area.
The women's tea drinking custom here differs a lot from those in other places. Instead of drinking tea out of small teacups, the women use big bowls. The tealeaves they use to make tea are nothing extraordinary, and they boil their tea in a large teapot.
What sets their tea drinking ceremony apart is that only women are allowed to take part in. They take turns to host their tea drinking parties. On such an occasion, the hostess will prepare dishes for others to taste, displaying her talent in cooking.
They made toasts to each other using tea instead of wine while they talk. In the past, they had only dishes with tofu, peanuts and so on. With the development of the economy, their tea banquets have become much more elaborate.
This tea drinking custom not only helps women communicate among themselves, but also promotes peace and harmony in their neighborhood. It functions as a women's committee. It is said that this women-oriented tea custom has been around for more than 1,000 years here in the Wuyi Mountain area.

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The Ideal Zisha Teapot

There is a long history of drinking tea in China. Ancient scholars used to drink tea together and regarded it as a great fun. Drinking tea played an important role in the lives of ancient people.

In the Tang dynasty, there was no difference between tea wares and eating wares. Along with the popularization of drinking tea, the ideal teapot ─ the Zi Sha pot ─ appeared in the late of Tang dynasty. This kind of pot is made of mud named Zi Sha and its color is mauve. It has a simple and unsophisticated form, and was quite popular during the Song dynasty. The well-known poet Ou Yangxiu once wrote poems about the pot. During the period between the Song and Ming, Yi Xing became the production center of Zi Sha pots. Now, the Zi Sha pot made in Yi Xing is the best quality.
Yi Xing is located on the boundary of Suzhou, Zhejiang and Anhui. It was a famous place for tea during the Tang dynasty. It is recorded that Gong Chun, an artist in the Ming dynasty, was the first best maker of Zi Sha pots. His works were named Gong Chun pot. Even then, there were comparisons between Gong Chun pots and treasures. Hence, the production of Zi Sha pot boomed.
In the middle of the Qing dynasty, Cheng Hongshou, a well-known scholar, took part in the production of Zi Sha pots and integrated calligraphy, drawing and arts, which was accepted and affirmed by society and named the Man Sheng pot. This kind of pot was another milestone in the history of Zi Sha pot production. After that, many artists took part in the drawing and calligraphy of Zi Sha pots.

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The Art of Chinese Tea

Chinese Tea Lore
Chinese tea lore is several hundred years, possibly even thousands of years, older than that of Japan. It is said that Chinese tea lore places an emphasis on spirit and makes light of form. Tea lore had different representations at different historical periods. Teas are also various, but all embody the tea spirit of “clearness, respect, joy and truthfulness”.
The highest ambit of tea lore
Philosophy, ethics and morality are blended into tea activity. People cultivate their morality and mind, and savor life through tasting tea, thereby attaining joy of spirit.
Tasting tea
The quality of the tea is judged by the color, fragrance and flavor of the tea, the water quality and even the tea set. When tasting tea, the taster should be able to savor the tea thoroughly.
Tea art
While drinking attention is paid to environment, atmosphere, music, infusing techniques and interpersonal relationships.
Clearness
Clearness means cleanness, incorruptness, quietness and loneliness. The essense of tea art not only seeks the cleanness of the appearance of things, but also pursues the loneliness, tranquility, incorruptness and shame awareness of the mind. Only through drinking clear and pure tea in a still atmosphere can one appreciate the profoundness of drinking tea.
Respect
Respect is the root of everything on earth and the way of having no enemies. People should show respect for others and be cautious of themselves.
Joy
The meaning of harmony lies in form and method and that of joy in spirit and affection. Sipping bitterness and swallowing sweetness when drinking tea can enlighten one to the spice of life and cultivate a broad mind and far-sightedness, so that disputes between others and self disappear. The spirit of joy lies in that people are not pretentious and haughty, but dwell in mildness and nurture courteous conduct.
Truthfulness
Truthfulness requires truth and genuine knowledge. The supreme good is the whole that is formed by the combination of truth and genunine knowledge. The ambit of supreme good is to retain nature, to remove material desire without being tempted by advantages and disadvantages, to study the physical world to gain knowledge and to continually seek after improvements. In other words, people should use scientific methods to seek the complete sincerity of everything. The essence of drinking tea lies in enlightening capacity and conscience, so that everyone can live a simple life, express their ambitions and handle matters thriftily and virtuously in daily life, thus attaining the ambit of truth, good and beauty.

Indian Vintage Tea Posters/Advertising

Marked Pure Indian & Ceylon Kelley Douglas & Co Limited Vancouver, B.C. 3 lbs Net

Curious India tourism ad from 1960

This is a colorful tin which would have held 8 ounces of Monarch Tea. It measures approximately 5 1/2" tall and 3 1/4" wide. It says "Packed by Reid Murdoch, Chicago, Ill." On the top of the lid is "Highest Award World's Fair Chicago 1893." It also has "Darjeeling" on the side.

INDIA-CIRCA 1965:A stamp printed in INDIA shows image of tea pickers, circa 1965.

    
India Vintage Tin Sign BROOKE BOND

Wucai porcelain

 

The wucai porcelain is a kind of overglaze decoration porcelain which is made by firing the already-fired plain base painted with some colorful patterns in the colourful kiln with 770 – 800 degrees Celsius. It features rich colors, with red, yellow, green, blue, purple etc as the basic hue. Because it has clear lines and the firing temperature is slightly higher than that of famille rose, and the colour not so soft, it is also called “yingcai” (literally, hard color).

Wucai is a new variety of the Jingdezhen Kiln during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As blue paint did not exist in the Ming Dynasty, blue-and-white took the place where blue color should be presented, hence the name “blue-and-white wucai”. It then became a feature peculiar to the age, with wucai in the Jiajing and Wanli Periods as the representatives.

The Wucai fired in Kangxi’s reign is the most well-known among all those in the Qing Dynasty. Other than red, green, yellow, brown and purple paints, overglaze blue was newly made to replace underglaze blue-and-white, and golden and black paints were also extensively applied, which added resplendence and flamboyance to its color.

Ming dynasty, Jiajing mark and period (1522-1566)
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels; H. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm)
The ascendancy of polychrome enamel decoration over other ornamental techniques seen in porcelains of the Jiajing period could represent an attempt to compensate for the low quality of potting by making an ambitious display of color. Ceramic painters were adept and imaginative with their palette of enamels and sought to achieve a maximum number of effects.
An important innovation of the Jiajing period, the so-called wucai ("five-color") decoration, was one of the last major additions to the lexicon of ornamental techniques developed during the Ming dynasty, Despite its name, the number of colors in wucai decoration is not strictly limited to five. Wucai, like doucai, is a combination of underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels. However, where the soft underglaze blue of doucai was primarily used for dainty outline that laid the groundwork for elegant little washes of pale enamel colors, the dark blue of wucai was applied in bold washes to complement vigorous splashes of strong overglaze colors, and outlining was mostly done in overglaze red, brown, or black.
Fish in water weeds are a popular Jiajing wucai motif. The fish form a rebus: the Chinese word yu ("fish") is pronounced much like yu ("abundant"), and the pun symbolizes the wish for wealth.

An Imperial Wucai Porcelain Dragon-Phoenix Bowl, China

A fine 'Wucai' 'Immortals' bowl.

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Australian-New Zealand Vintage Tea Brands/Advertising

Magazine advertisement for Amber Tips tea, 1959

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1269781/2
Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the Library through its 'Timeframes' website, http://timeframes.natlib.govt.nz
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Gold Leaf Tea for J Rattray & Son, Ltd tin dates from the 1930's.

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia
Executive Creative Director: Ant Keogh
Creative Directors: Tom Martin, Julian Schreiber
Art Director: Quenton Miller
Copywriter: Ben Keenan
Illustrator: Craig McGill
Designers: Simon Redwood, Jake Turnbull

Offered is a vintage Melrose's tea tin or canister that has a fired on red color with black lettering and a hinged lid. It's marked Melroses LTD Edinburgh Scotland

Australian Bushland Tea Advertising Tin

Underglazed red porcelain

The underglaze red porcelain is a variety that emerged in the Yuan Dynasty. It is produced in accordance with the procedures as follows: first draw bronze red veins on the body of the porcelain and then cover a layer of transparent glaze on the body and finally burn it with the reducing flame at the temperature of 1200 centigrade degree. The porcelain processed this way will have the red copper wire beneath the glaze. Therefore the porcelain of such type is called "underglaze red".

The pure underglaze red porcelain is flamboyant and warm in colour. Since the red glaze will display relatively poor stability in the burning process, the porcelain of this type is rare.
The underglaze red porcelain once prevailed during the Ming Dynasty and some masterpieces have been passed down until now. The technique of producing underglaze red porcelain reached its maturity during the Qing Dynasty. 

Three new varieties such as underglaze red, blue and white glaze and bean green glaze were developed then. In particular, blue and white porcelain in copper red colour, the combination of blue and white glaze porcelain and underglaze red porcelain, displays the grand scenery of mountains, rivers and human activity. 

The colour blue contrasts finely with the colour red, thus highlighting the expressiveness of the porcelain by differentiating the primary from the secondary.

Bowl with design of children at play

Wanli period,Ming Dynasty
Height: 10.2cm
Diameter of mouth: 22.4cm
Diameter of foot: 8.8cm

Vat with design of clouds and dragons

Qianlong period,Qing Dynasty
Height: 45cm
Diameter of mouth: 42cm
Diameter of foot: 33cm

Tea pot with peach-shaped knobs

Kangxi period,Qing Dynasty
Overall heignt: 13cm
Diameter of mouth: 8.5cm
Diameter of foot: 7.7cm

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Chinese and Japanese Vintage Tea Posters

Vintage chinese print reproduction

Kai Fang Tea Trading Company: Tea from the Heart of China

Japanese Tea, 1930s

Tea ads, 1900s-1920s

Tea ads, 1900s-1920s

This rare postcard is one of a set displaying the artistic creations of turn-of-the-century Japanese artist Hiroshige. They were published by the distributors of Japan's "Formosa Oolong Tea" between 1900-1910.