Handmade Jianyang Jianzhan Tea Cup - Yaobian Temmoku

Yaobian (曜变) refers to the different colors of light reflected from the thin film on the surface of the glaze layer of black glazed porcelain under light. This kind of colorful light will change with the change of light, and will disappear as the light disappears. It is very mysterious and gorgeous, and people can't help but want to capture it. This is the case with this Jianzhan cup, the orange and purple colors complement each other and sparkle in the light.

The Yaobian Jianzhan cannot be manually controlled and only remains in place for a very brief period of time throughout the firing and forming process. As such, it is challenging to understand the Yaobian Jianzhan's unpredictability. The instability of spontaneous crystallization results in increased manufacturing costs and limitless artistic potential.

It is heavy, feeling dense and thick when held; the large mouth of the cup makes it convenient and easy to watch the tea soup; the original glazed color of the material is black, bringing out the color of the tea; and when using Jianzhan for the first time, there is no need to “season” the material like with Zisha teapots. The ashy, earthy smell of the kiln can be cleaned off with fresh, warm water, and then after a boiling rinse of a few minutes, the cup is ready to use.

Jianzhan is a well-known Chinese porcelain of the Han nationality. It is one of the eight famous porcelain types of the Song dynasty, tracing back further than a thousand years; it takes its name from its origin of Jian An county during that time. Scholars and tea drinkers during the time period strongly advocated the comparison of different tea types, and as such required tea sets of a high quality along with the tea itself. Jianzhan has dense, tight pores conducive to the retention of heat, making it appropriate for this use.

In 2011, the workmanship of Jianzhan crafting was included on the list of national intangible cultural heritage.