Tea ware consists of service for drinking, boiling, scrunching, burning and drying, cleaning, storing, and for other assistance. In narrow sense people mention drinking service only.

        Tea ware had been used for a long time in China, from the beginning of tea drinking. Successive innovation has taken place in tea ware making, for instance, from the rough clay bowl to the unique-shaped teapot. Many famous tea sets makers have devoted themselves to creating a rich and colorful tea ware art in the history of tea drinking in China, leaving behind their valuable works—precious art antiques of the world.

        Written by Wang Bao in West Han Dynasty (B.C.206-208), “Tong Yue” is the first historic document remarking the use of tea ware. It was originally a contract. As recorded in “Tong Tue”, the servant was asked to wash tea sets before making tea. 

        Development of tea ware is closely related to that of porcelain. In Yuan Dynasty, the blue-flower-porcelain tea set became famous because its elegant design was in harmony with the implication of tea culture when the white porcelain is engraved with blue flower. While the blue-flower-porcelain art enjoys very high esteem for continuous improvement, tea ware made of it is adored domestically and internationally. Cun Tian Zhu Guang, the originator of the Japanese tea art, favored blue-flower-porcelain ware and highly praised it as “shining blue porcelain”.

         Along with the porcelain wares, the still prevailing clay wares made in Yixing went on to develop from Yuan to Ming Dynasty. The structure of purple clay made it advantageous material with tiny and high density, preferred for heat preservation and preciousness. Later simplicity and rusticity dominated the idea of purple clay decoration art which combines literature, calligraphy, painting and seal cutting, etc.

       Besides porcelain and clay, tea wares are made of various kinds of material, such as gold, silver, copper, jade, agate, lacquer, bamboo and glass, etc.